The Effect of the Carbon Tax and the Emission Reduction Fund on Government Salience

Abstract

Many developed countries have committed to targets to reduce their carbon emissions under international agreements. However, a recent 2021 study found that only one country, The Gambia, is on track to meeting its Paris targets. A key mechanism for achieving these national targets is the government. Therefore, the failure of most countries to meet their targets highlights the importance of evaluating the major policy alternatives. Australia instituted a carbon pricing scheme in 2012 that was repealed in 2014 and subsequently replaced with an emissions reduction fund in 2015. This provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of these two major alternative government policies on government salience. This study applies stakeholder theory and finds that the power and urgency of both policies was weakened by uncertainty, an often-neglected factor affecting stakeholder salience. Furthermore, we note that an evaluation of government salience must also consider firm and industry differences and the effect of positively versus negatively framed interventions.