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Economic analyses have produced widely differing estimates of the economic implications of policies for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, ranging from high costs to modest benefits. The main reason for the differences appears to be differences in approaches and assumptions. This paper analyzes the extent to which the post-SRES 1 (after the IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios) model results for the global costs of GHG mitigation can be explained by the model's characteristics and the assumptions adopted. The research applies meta-analysis methodology combined with scatter plots of the data to identify the ranges of the results and outlying data points. A database of scenarios and results was compiled for the post-SRES scenarios, which has the major advantage that a11 seven models for which suitable data are available have been run using the same, independently defined scenarios. The results are strongly clustered, with only a few results outside the range of -4% to 0% gross domestic product (GDP), with a strong correlation between CO2 reduction and GDP reduction. A set of model characteristics is found to be highly significant (1 % level), explaining some 70% of the variance. The main conclusion is that a11 modeling results regarding "GDP costs of mitigating climate change" should be qualified by the key assumptions leading to the estimates. The treatment of these assumptions can lead to the mitigation being associated with increases in GDP or with reductions.

This research focuses on the determination of the factors that led to the failure of water management in the Copiapó Basin in Chile. Interestingly, the existence of full private ownership and free tradability of water rights has not prevented the overexploitation of groundwater resources. In the paper, firstly, water regulation and the role of the regulator in Chile are briefly discussed. Secondly, the evolution of water resources in the Copiapó region is characterized and analyzed, and the granting of water use rights in the basin in the last 30 years is concisely described. Thirdly, we examine and analyze prices and quantities traded in the water market of the Copiapó region. We will argue that this crisis is a consequence first of failure in regulatory implementation and second of an extremely rigid regulatory framework that leaves limited room for adjustment to changing conditions, especially regarding the emergence of new information concerning water availability. We believe this investigation is not only relevant for this case in particular, but also for other regions and countries where water markets are in place.

The main aim of this essay is to provide an approach to the analysis of the link between Thorstein Veblen's evolutionary approach and Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT). Analysing this connection we expect to shed some light on the potential contribution of Veblen's theory of socio-economic evolution to the discussion on the application of EGT to social environments. We also attempt to investigate to what extent elements of EGT can be used to formalise some of the basic evolutionary principles proposed by Veblen. In order to study these issues, the paper has been structured as follows: in the first section, the methodological imperatives laid down by Veblen, defining an evolutionary approach, are presented. The main idea in this section is to provide an analytical framework that allows the evaluation of EGT in terms of Veblen's evolutionary approach. To better understand the main principles and rationale behind EGT and how it can be applied as a tool for analysing issues on the diversity, interaction, and evolution of social systems, the second section presents a discussion of this non-traditional approach and its basic concepts. Finally, in the third section the main characteristics of EGT previously discussed are contrasted with Veblen's principles outlined in the first part of the paper.