Recycled aggregates materials are often relegated to downcycled applications such as backfilling. Different barriers limit their reintegration into higher-value construction use. This paper develops a probabilistic model of material flows using a Markov chain framework to simulate transitions between four states: Input, Use/Waste, Recycling, and Disposal. The model draws on Eurostat data covering non-metallic minerals in 27 EU Member States (2014–2023) and incorporates barrier-adjusted transition probabilities reflecting economic, technological, institutional, and social constraints. Scenario simulations reveal that improvements in recycling probabilities can yield nonlinear gains in material retention. However, once structural barriers are introduced, system performance declines sharply—even under favourable technical assumptions. The results suggest that modest policy interventions may have outsized effects if targeted toward key transition points.

Circular economy debates often acknowledge material lifespans and delays, but time is usually treated as a contextual issue rather than a structural barrier. The contribution is to reframe circular economy transitions as intertemporal processes by treating time as an endogenous structural barrier. A framework is developed that classifies goods into short-, medium-, and long-lived categories, demonstrating how lagged inflows and valuation biases suppress aggregate circularity even when technology improves. By making temporal mechanisms explicit, the analysis explains why indicators remain stagnant despite policy and efficiency gains. The contribution is to introduce time as an endogenous barrier, integrating insights from environmental and resource economics into circular economy theory and showing how delayed substitution shapes both firm investment and policy outcomes.

The metals sector faces multiple and interconnected barriers to achieving circularity. This study examines steel, aluminum, and copper to illustrate how challenges vary between metals. While copper can often be recycled without quality loss, steel and aluminum face alloy-related limitations that drive downcycling and quality degradation. Using a matrix-based analytical framework, the study maps the interactions between economic, technological, institutional, and social constraints, distinguishing between primary drivers, secondary effects, feedback loops, and lock-in mechanisms. The results show strong reinforcing links between economic, technological, and institutional domains, with social factors playing a more indirect role. These findings align with observed industry patterns while adding a structured, quantitative perspective. By clarifying how different barriers combine and reinforce one another, the analysis identifies priority areas for intervention to advance metals recycling and support the transition toward a more circular economy. 

Empirical research on barriers to a circular plastics economy has predominantly relied on case study approaches. While research has provided insights into the conceptual and anecdotal aspects of these barriers, a gap remains in the application of formalized methodologies to systematically understand and address them. This paper seeks to bridge this gap by developing an equation system tailored to the plastics industry, bringing clarity to the complex interplay of factors that constitute barriers to a circular economy. The study identifies four primary barriers to the circular economy, as documented in the literature between 2017 and 2024: economic, institutional and regulatory, technological, and social. The results include 24 equations, synthesized into four master equations. A mathematical case study demonstrates how numerical weights, and the relative importance of variables can differ between countries, offering a practical guide for applying the framework across diverse contexts. The study concludes that reducing regulatory ambiguity, scaling recycling infrastructure, and fostering consumer trust in recycled materials are critical steps. However, each country will face unique challenges, requiring policymakers to adopt tailored approaches and variable weighting.

The ongoing debate among economists regarding the presence of economic convergence or divergence has been reignited. This paper aims to dissect the extent of technological divergence or convergence among European Union member states, evaluating the effectiveness of the EU's pronounced goals for convergence. Defining a countries technological level is not straightforward, this study examines six key indicators: (a) scientific journal publications, (b) total patents, (c) high tech exports, (d) Gross domestic expenditure on R&D, (e) government budget on R&D, and (f) human resources in science and technology as a share of the active population. Employing both time-series and longitudinal methodologies, the analysis spans from 2000 to 2019. The findings reveal a gradual catching-up trend in the inventive capabilities across the EU. This modest pace of convergence necessitates a critical reassessment by policymakers of the current EU convergence strategies to ensure they effectively foster technological parity among member states.

The purpose of the chapter is to find out if the preference for working from home is different among different age cohorts, with a special interest in young workers attitudes. A survey involving 1,769 Swedish workers, among whom 1,000 were classified as office workers. In contrast to prevailing assumptions regarding the younger generation’s inclination towards remote work, our survey data from the Swedish labour market uncovers a surprising trend: it shows that young individuals exhibit a stronger preference for working in a physical office environment compared to their more senior counterparts. Overall, the results presented in the chapter underscore the rapid changes in working conditions, the need for updated knowledge, and the relevance of continuous labour market research. It provides valuable insights for both the public and policymakers, highlighting the importance of understanding diverse preferences and adapting to evolving work environments. The results underscore the necessity for customised employer policies that consider the diverse preferences within the workforce. 

Although the climate challenge requires proactive policies that spur innovation in the renewable energy sector, various countries commit vastly different levels of support for renewable energy R&D. This paper addresses the question why this may be the case. Specifically, the objective is to analyse the determinants of government support to renewable energy R&D in the European Union (EU), and, in doing this, we devote particular attention to the question of whether the level of this support tends to converge or diverge across EU Member States. The investigation relies on a data set of 12 EU Member States and a bias-corrected dynamic panel data estimator. We test for the presence of conditional β-convergence, and the impacts of energy dependence and electricity regulation on government R&D efforts. The findings display divergence in terms of government support to renewable energy R&D, and this result is robust across various model specifications and key assumptions. The analysis also indicates that countries with a low energy-import dependence and deregulated electricity markets tend to experience lower growth rates in government renewable energy R&D. The paper ends by discussing some implications of the results, primarily from an EU perspective.

In this paper, the questions of how support policies affect invention and diffusion of solar PV technology and whether the effect is heterogeneous and counteracting are investigated in order to help policy makers produce a better policy mix. The policies (and policy proxies) investigated are Feed-in-tariffs (FITs), Public R&D stock and flow, Environmental tax, and Environmental Policy Stringency Index. The policies are within the control of national government and no EU level policies are investigated. Evaluating policies on several dimensions is highly important since there is a risk that policies can promote one aspect of technological progress such as invention but derail diffusion. A Schumpeterian technological development approach is utilised on a panel dataset covering 23 European countries between 2000 and 2019. Two econometric approaches are employed, a negative binomial regression model is used to assess inventions and a panel data fixed effect regression is used for the diffusion model. The empirical findings suggest that no counteracting policy effects were present.

Den minskning av koldioxidutsläpp som behöver komma till stånd globalt dröjer och riskerar bli för långsam och för sen. Olika former av koldioxidinfångning kommer därför att vara nödvändiga. I Dags att städa upp – potential för koldioxidinfångning tar Jonas Grafström, miljöekonom, ett helhetsgrepp på infångningstekniken. Han sammanfattar såväl teknik som kringliggande aspekter gällande exempelvis ekonomi, infrastruktur och energi.

De tre metoder av koldioxidinfångning som huvudsakligen beskrivs i boken är infångning från utsläppspunkter (CCS), bioenergi med infångning (BECCS) och atmosfärisk infångning (DAC). Dessa förenas alla av behovet av aktiv lagring av koldioxidgasen efter infångningen. Metoder som binder koldioxiden till marken berörs endast kort.

Koldioxidinfångning står inför tre huvudsakliga, generella utmaningar: Att ytterligare utveckla tekniken; att se till att kostnaderna för den blir rimliga; och att den blir del av ett kretslopp och en marknad.

Koldioxidinfångning inte är ett substitut för att drastiskt minska koldioxidutsläppen. Att fasa ut fossila bränslen, utöka förnybar energi och påskynda effektivitetsåtgärder, är nödvändigt. Infångning som begränsningsmetoder kommer ensamma inte räcka till för att förhindra uppvärmning. Det är inte ”antingen eller” utan ”både och”.

This chapter investigates Chinese wind power development and concludes that innovation cannot be pushed by the efforts of many, and that when the state clarifies directions and objectives, these can be achieved but with severe and unexpected side effects. Two topics are explored: wind curtailment and low technological development, both examples of unproductive entrepreneurship induced by government policies. The goal of wind power capacity expansion leads to construction (i.e., generation capacity) but little electricity. Examples of failures include low grid connectivity with, some years averaging 15% of generation capacity broken or unconnected to the grid. A key lesson for Europe is that forced innovation often amounts to little and that the old saying holds up: “no plan survives contact with reality.”