Energy subsidies are bigger than aid in more than half of poor countries … but we spend very little trying to reduce them

Which of the following do you think is the most important need in developing countries? Free health services for all to reduce child and maternal mortality Universal and decent quality education to provide children with the skills for productive jobs Cheap petrol and electricity Unless you are Scrooge, you are more likely to have chosen one of the first two on this list. Y...

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ENERGY SUBSIDY REFORM AND DELIVERY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FACILITY

Energy subsidies are often a major drain on the resources of developing countries. Energy subsidies are inefficient, and lead to overconsumption of fossil fuels—reducing the incentive to use cleaner energy sources, and thereby increasing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. They also rarely provide much benefit to their intended recipients—the poor—and have little impact ...

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Reducing Energy Subsidies without Hurting the Poor?

Nancy Birdsall and Anna Diofasi RELATED EXPERTS Anna Diofasi Former Policy Analyst Nancy Birdsall Senior Fellow, President Emeritus For at least five years the IMF has been badgering its members about implicit and explicit subsidies on energy. Its most recent salvo points to enormous potential gains from subsidy reform. The ideal energy prices would reflect not only the co...

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Fossil fuel subsidies and renewable energies in MENA: An oxymoron?

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region plays a central role in the global oil and natural gas markets. The region is home to more than 52 and 42 percent of global crude oil and natural gas proven reserves, respectively. In the past decade, the region generated 36 and 22 percent of global crude oil and natural gas, respectively. The abundance of hydrocarbons has so...

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Developing countries and the renewable energy revolution

By Prof. John A. Mathews Professor of Strategy at Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Sydney, Australia and author of Greening of Capitalism There was a time when arguments about development and energy were seen as different discourses. They came together in the familiar call for poor people in developing countries to have access to electricity. As for energy needed ...

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Welfare effects of energy subsidy reform in developing countries

Abstract We analyze the potential welfare effect of energy subsidy reforms. The income distributions of eleven developing countries from different geographical regions are simulated using the assumption that income is lognormally distributed. We use the concept of the compensating variation to measure how much compensation is required to compensate consumers for a price incr...

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Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform in the Developing World: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why?

Abstract Fossil fuel subsidies are widespread in developing countries, where reform efforts are often derailed by disputes over the likely distribution of gains and losses. The impacts of subsidy reform are transmitted to households through changes in energy prices and prices of other goods and services, as well as through factor earnings. Most empirical studies focus on con...

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Energy subsidies in developing countries: Treating the disease while symptoms abate

The adverse effects of energy subsidies have been widely documented. While recent decreases in international oil prices have provided a welcome respite, past experience has highlighted the need for caution. This column argues that to make this respite a permanent gain will require the removal of government discretion in determining domestic energy prices. Adoption of an auto...

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End Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Bolster Funding for Renewable Energy Particularly in Africa, Secretary-General Tells Round Table on Clean Power Transition

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered, to the Twenty-sixth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) round table on clean power transition, today: I am very pleased to join you. The year ahead is going to be critical, not only in beating the COVID-19 pandemic, but in meet...

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Energy Subsidy Reform Facility: Generates Knowledge to Support Governments to Design and Implement Sustainable Energy Subsidy Reforms while Safeguarding the Welfare of the Poor

Energy Subsidy Reform Facility (ESRF) has been at the forefront of knowledge creation and dissemination on the topic of energy subsidies. ESRF provided over US$14 million of World Bank-executed Technical Assistance (TA) grants to support energy subsidy reforms in over 70 countries, that resulted in 120 analytical reports/TA outputs that informed 39 World Bank operations (US...

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在辩论赛中,如何使用避实就虚的辩论技巧,摆脱被动的境地?

辩论赛中,常见的漏洞有偷换概念、以偏概全、前后矛盾、论据不足、诡辩曲解、论据有误、前提虚无等。这就要求首先认真倾听对方发言,及时捕捉战机,有针对性地发起反击,往往能够将对方置于被动的境地。人们常常有“避实就虚”的说法,偶尔使用这种技巧是必要的。 比如当对方提出一个我们无法作答的问题时,假如强不知以为知,勉强去回答,不但会失分,甚至还可能会闹成笑话。如果对方一提问题,我方立即回避...

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参加辩论赛,如何整合收集资料,有哪些实用技巧?

1.必须讲究进攻和防守的平衡 在辩论中辩护是防守,反驳就是进攻。 在辩论中经常出现两个极端:一是只讲防守,结果辩来辩去,战斗都在自己一方进行,对对方的观点根本不构成任何威胁,这样就不可能取得胜利;二是只讲进攻,对对方提出的证据和问题,不敢正面回答和辩论,在心理首先已经胆怯,这样往往是自己还没有攻破对方的堡垒,自己却已经失去阵营。 2.文章要击中要害 俗话说的好,打蛇要打在三寸,就是说...

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辩论赛中,如何进行有效提问,有哪些提问技巧

辩论赛里提问是不可少的环节,有些比赛甚至可以说是靠提问就赢得了比赛,所以说辩论赛中的提问也是很关键的一步,那么在辩论赛中如何进行提问呢? 1、揭示矛盾提问法 在论辩中,有些观点表面上看不出自相矛盾,但通过一个问题,就可以使内在矛盾暴漏无疑,为我们驳倒对方提供有利依据。 2、诱敌深入提问法 目的使对方落入自己设计的圈套,从而迫使对方承认或否定某种观点。除了利用概念不明确来使对方陷入...

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参加辩论赛,能有效提高自身能力,那对学生有哪些好处呢?

记得秋雨先生曾经说过:现在的中国大学生在辩论中首先学到的是善于表达自己。大学生既然是文化人,就要善于表达文化人格。过去中国文化人讲究洁身自好,羞于表达,述而不作。历史上就是这样一个传统。当所有的文化人都不愿讲话的时候,就是一个缺少文化声音的时代。文化的表述不是完全为一个人的一己私利,是要传播文化的声音,也是时代的需要。通过辩论赛我们就可以增强我们的文化底蕴,同时也能提高我们...

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辩论赛,需要注意哪些个人技巧?

辩论犹如战场。先期的准备,如分析辩题、查找资料、设计问题等都非常重要。那么,个人在辩论赛中,需要注意哪些问题呢? 1、坚持立论。这个其实算不上什么技巧,但是却是很多辩手经常犯的错误。简而言之,自由辩之后,不跑题的赢。 2、学会顺水推舟。也就是尽量将对方举的例子或者对方的逻辑往自己的逻辑里套,也就是先承认对方的逻辑,让他详细论述,最后一语中的,将对方的理论变成论证你的辩题,让对方...

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东方朔是历史上有名的能说会辩之人,但他的辩论真的无懈可击吗?

东方朔是历史上有名的能说会辩之人,他靠着自己的一张利嘴,不知“辩”没了多少灾难。但东方朔的辩论真的无懈可击吗?其实不然,我就能辩倒东方朔! 一、曲解概念 汉武帝为了长生不老,大肆挥霍财富寻求仙丹妙药。一次,一个方士献给汉武帝一坛“仙酒”,说饮了它可以长命百岁,汉武帝就把它珍藏起来,准备好好享用。谁知东方朔知道此事后,竟把这坛酒偷偷地喝掉了。汉武帝龙颜大怒,喝令立斩东方朔。 东方朔被...

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辩论赛破题的优劣,在很大程度上决定了辩论赛的成败,那么该如何破题才能对己方有利?

在通常情况下,辩论赛的辩题都具有较强的可辩性,是不会对一方特别关照而对另一方特别不利,也就是说,辩题能提供给双方的取胜概率是均等的。由于双方对辩题的破解分析角度的不同,以及语言表述品位高低的差异,才导致这种均势的失衡,甚至从一开始就注定了辩论的成败。这也许就是辩论赛一个最具魅力之处。 所谓辩论赛的破题,是指在辩论开始时用简洁凝练的几句话,说破辩题的要义。破题的优劣在很大程度上...

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如何在自由辩论阶段进行防守?需要注意哪些问题,要掌握哪些实用的技巧

辩论中的自由辩论阶段,就是由进攻和防守两个方面组成的,因此,不仅要有进攻的准备,还要有防守的准备。只会进攻不一定能够取胜,只会防守当然有就更容易陷入被动了。该防守就防守,该进攻就进攻,能攻能守的队伍才能游刃有余。防守中,应该注意的技巧有以下几个方面: 1、盯人技巧。即各人盯住各人的对象防守。一般就是一辩盯一辩,二辩盯二辩。即一辩回答一辩的问题,二辩回答二辩的问题。这样各人就会...

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什么样的人学习辩论具有先天的优势?主要表现在哪些方面?

哪些人是比较适合辩论的?这是个有意思的问题。 声音抓耳 所谓声音抓耳,是指声音有让人想听下去的欲望。好的声音比好的形象更重要,因为好的形象增加的是听众在辩手开口前的好感和预期,但这份好感和预期却有可能成为负担,而声音则有可能让人产生开口的惊艳之感,同时在辩论这种偏重语言的活动中,抓耳的声音对观众的倾听欲望产生的是持续的增益。此外,拥有符合个人辩论风格的声音更适合辩论。 口齿伶俐 ...

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诡辩的故事

所谓诡辩就是有意地把真理说成是错误,把错误说成是真理的狡辩。它也叫文字游戏,用一句简单明了的话来说,就是有意地颠倒是非,混淆黑白。关于诡辩论有那哪些经典的让人哭笑不得的故事吗? 一个人有三个头 某甲对某乙说:“我能证明‘一个人有三个头’。”乙说:“愿闻高见。”甲说:“每个人有一个头,没有人有两个头,一个人比没有人多一个头,所以,一个人有三个头。”乙虽然知道甲的论证是错误的,但不能指出错...

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