Ariane Bousquet supported her thesis on the 20th of February 2025 at ENS Paris-Saclay.
Abstract
This thesis explores the major challenges of decarbonizing the transport sector, with a focus on the French automobile market. It examines the tensions between efficiency and equity, considering not only new vehicles but the entire vehicle fleet. Structured around three articles, this work evaluates existing environmental policies and proposes recommendations to accelerate the energy transition without exacerbating social inequalities The first article identifies households vulnerable to fuel price increases and shows that precisely targeted compensation can protect these households while reducing public expenditure. The second article addresses the decarbonization of the entire vehicle fleet, demonstrating that policies combining subsidies for new and used vehicles can achieve a significant share of the collective welfare gains offered by a pollution tax. The final article examines various ways to make electric vehicles affordable. It highlights the limitations of poorly targeted subsidies and recommends more effective policies, such as support for used electric vehicles and standards for the size of new electric vehicles.
