This seminar is based on a joint paper by Francesco Nicolli and Francesco Vona.

The pioneering role of Germany and Europe in environmental policy is justified by the existence of first mover advantages, i.e. with economic benefits due to an early adoption especially for the domestic export industry. This argument has become difficult due to the increasing competitiveness of emerging countries, as the example of the photovoltaics industry has shown. Moreover, in a global context first mover potentials should not only be formulated for countries like Germany or for regions such as the European Union, but also to integrate the specific interests of other EU members or newly industrialized countries. Against this background, the talk will analyse concepts of first and second mover strategies theoretically and empirically. On this basis strategies for a new pioneering policy are developed.

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This seminar has been jointly organized by FEEM and IEFE, Bocconi University.