“Too much tax kills tax,” says the famous phrase by the American economist Arthur Laffer. But what if, for France, it were more complicated than that? Aren’t there other social, emotional, or moral considerations at play?

Although taxation has historically been the financial tool used to collect the resources necessary for the functioning of the state, it is nonetheless a complex social phenomenon. This is what our research has highlighted. Because alongside financial gain, many other social, emotional, or moral considerations help explain our complex relationship with taxation.

In an article published in The Conversation, Cécile Bazart (University of Montpellier, CEE-M), Aurélie Bonein (University of Rennes), and The Conversation, Cécile Bazart (University of Montpellier, CEE-M) examine the current underlying factors behind the loss of legitimacy of tax collection.**

Read this article >>> (in french)

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Article Our complex relationship with taxation appeared first on Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier.

CEE-M is pleased to welcome Marie-Ève Gaboury-Bonhomme as a visiting scholar at CEE-M from March 11 to April 3, 2026.

Marie-Ève Gaboury-Bonhomme is a Quebec colleague from Université Laval whose work focuses on agricultural policies, risk management, and pesticide reduction.

She has been a professor in the Department of Agri-Food Economics and Consumer Sciences at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences of Université Laval since 2019. She holds a PhD from the École nationale d’administration publique and specializes in public policy analysis.

Ms. Gaboury-Bonhomme’s research, applied to the realities of the agricultural and agri-food sectors, draws on political science, sociology, and agricultural economics. Her work seeks to better understand the evolution of the objectives and functioning of government interventions.

• For further information, please contact Pauline Lécole

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Since the winter of 2024, farmers’ mobilisations have often been portrayed in the media as a widespread rejection of environmental regulations. But is this really the case? What do the farmers involved in these protests actually say?

A large-scale study conducted in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands provides a more nuanced perspective. It shows that, depending on the country, the weight of environmental regulations ultimately appears to be a secondary issue, even though it has been at the heart of political responses to the protests.

In an article published in  The Conversation, Sophie Thoyer and Pauline Lécole analyse the drivers of this contestation at the European level and present the main findings of the study they conducted with several European researchers. The results have been published in the scientific journal Food Policy.

Read the article >>> (in french)

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Article Farmers’ Mobilisations in Europe: Beyond the Rejection of Environmental Regulations appeared first on Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier.

Climate change is affecting agriculture first and foremost, with particularly strong impacts in certain highly exposed territories. Just a few dozen kilometres from Montpellier, the Haut-Languedoc — a predominantly rural area covering nearly 1,900 km², stretching from the Orb valley in the north to Capestang in the south, and from the Lauragais plain in the west to the Béziers area in the east — provides a striking illustration of these dynamics.

Over the past twenty years, the number of farms in the region has fallen by nearly 60%. This sharp decline raises serious concerns about the territory’s capacity for resilience. While climate change is not the sole cause, it is likely to become a major driving factor in the coming years if no action is taken. This leads to a central question: how can the resilience of local agricultural systems be strengthened?

To address this issue, Abderaouf Zaatra (CIHEAM), Mélanie Requier (CIHEAM) and Hélène Rey-Valette (CEE-M) were guests on the radio programme À l’UM la Science, broadcast on Divergence FM on 22 January 2026 and now available as a podcast. During the discussion, they presented findings from a study conducted with Thierry Blayac and Hatem Belhouchette (CIHEAM), combining two complementary approaches: an objective assessment of farm vulnerability and an analysis of farmers’ own perceptions of the vulnerability factors they face.

👉 Listen to the podcast >>>

Article Radio programme À l’UM la Science: “The Vulnerability of Farms in the Haut-Languedoc” featuring Hélène Rey-Valette appeared first on Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier.

In an article published in the Swiss daily Le Temps , Sophie Thoyer, Research Director at INRAE (CEE-M) and a specialist in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), sheds light on the factors behind France’s opposition to the EU–Mercosur trade agreement.

According to her, the European Commission has, overall, negotiated the agreement relatively well. “If we take the example of the French beef sector, the agreement poses relatively limited risks to its future. The import quota from Mercosur countries, with reduced tariffs set at 7.5%, amounts to 99,000 tonnes for the entire European Union. For France, this represents roughly 250 grams per person per year,” she explains. She nevertheless points out that competition could intensify for certain cuts of beef that are particularly valued by French consumers and on which the sector generates most of its margins. She also notes that progress has been limited with regard to so-called “mirror measures”, which aim to ensure that imported products comply with environmental, sanitary, and social standards equivalent to those applied within the EU.

Sophie Thoyer also recalls that, “in France, perhaps more than elsewhere, agriculture remains a structuring pillar despite its relatively small share of GDP. Large agricultural cooperatives play a significant role in exports, and the prominence of agriculture in political discourse has deep historical roots.” These factors are compounded by growing concerns surrounding the renegotiation of the Common Agricultural Policy. As the largest beneficiary of EU agricultural subsidies, France could see farmers’ incomes affected by any reduction in funding. “This issue has been present in the background since March 2024 and mobilises farmers who are not directly concerned by slaughtering or exports. Over the past two years, agricultural incomes have declined significantly, prompting many farmers to express a deep sense of distress,” she observes.

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Article “The EU–Mercosur Agreement: Understanding France’s Opposition” — Insights from Sophie Thoyer in Le Temps appeared first on Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier.

• Workshop Program:

  • 10:00 – 11:00: Mabel Tidball (CEE-M): "Dynamic games and Conjectures. Application to natural resource management".
  • 11:00 – 11:20: Coffee and Tea
  • 11:20 – 12:20: Li Zhi (Xiamen University) : "Dynamic Durable Public Goods Provision: An Experimental Investigation".
  • 12:20 – 13:30: Lunch
  • 13:30 – 14:30: Fanny Cartelier (University of Zürich) : "Coarse correlated equilibria in linear quadratic mean field games and application to an emission abatement game".
  • 14:30 – 15:30: Miao Dai (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) : "Recycling and oligopolistic competition in nonrenewable resource markets".
  • 15:30 – 16:00: Coffee and Tea
  • 16:00 – 16:30: Fabien Prieur (CEE-M) : "Stranded assets, really? strategic exploration and timing of the energy transition".
  • 16:30 – 17:00: Francesco Ricci (CEE-M) : ""More recycling, better fit?"
  • 17:00 – 17:30: Marc Willinger (CEE-M) : "Experimental Evidence on Termination Rules in Continuous-Time, Infinite-Horizon Prisoner’s Dilemma Games".
  • 17:45 – 18:30: Roundtable : "Collaboration options between Xiamen and CEE-M and guests".

• Venue :

Institut de Botanique, 163 rue Auguste Broussonnet 34090 Montpellier

• Contacts :

Marc Willinger  (send a e-mail)

Article CEE-M Workshop on Dynamic Problems in Environmental and Resource Economics, January 13, 2026 appeared first on Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier.

Drawing inspiration from one’s peers—and thereby modifying one’s own practices—is a behavioural pattern frequently observed across various contexts. As this article illustrates, it can also constitute a substantial lever for reducing pesticide use, particularly when directives perceived as ‘top-down’ lead those most affected to resist change.

Authored by Rose Deperrois (CEE-M and UMR GAEL), Julie Subervie (CEE-M), Adelaïde Fadhuile (UMR GAEL) and Solal Courtois-Thobois (CEE-M, Sciences Po Lyon), the article presents findings stemming from a study previously published in the European Review of Agricultural Economics. It highlights how peer influence can effectively support the evolution of farmers’ practices.

Read the article >>> (in french)

Article “Reducing pesticide use: when farmers take their cues from their peers”: a new article in The Conversation. appeared first on Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier.

There have been many new arrivals at CEE-M this fall: six doctoral students, two new postdocs, and two contract engineers.

What projects are they working on? What were their backgrounds before arriving at CEE-M? Here are a few details to help you get to know these newcomers better:

• News Phd

ELISA DELOR

• Thesis project: "Decision-making in complex environments: modeling and experimentation". Winner of the 2025 competition held by the Montpellier Doctoral School of Economics and Management (EDEG), Elisa began her PhD in October 2025. She is supervised by Brice Magdalou (CEE-M).
• Academic and professional background: After obtaining her high school diploma in economics and social sciences, followed by a bachelor's degree in economics with a focus on political and economic analysis at Clermont-Auvergne University, Elisa enrolled in a master's program in economics and psychology at the University of Montpellier. As part of this master's program, Elisa completed an internship at Montpellier Research in Economics on the individual behavioral determinants of vector-borne diseases. Elisa also obtained training as a data analyst in 2024

JULES DEYA

• Projet de thèse : "Analysis of Price Dynamics for Co-products and By-products of Metals: Dependency, Volatility, and Implications for Markets and Supply Chains.” Jules is pursuing his PhD as part of the PEPR Sous-sol project. His thesis focuses on the pricing of metals such as gallium and indium, which are not produced for their own sake but as by-products of primary metals such as aluminum and zinc. The aim is to contribute to better anticipation of supply risks and to inform industrial and political decisions related to these essential metals. This PhD is being supervised by Francesco Ricci (CEE-M), with co-supervision by Daniel Montfort-Climent (BRGM) and Guillaume Bagnarosa (Rennes School of Business). Jules is based at the BRGM branch in Orléans.e CEE-M).
• Academic and professional background: Holder of an MSc in International Finance and a Master's degree from Rennes School of Business, with preliminary experience in quantitative analysis of raw materials, gained in a position at FIT S.A., a dairy products brokerage firm..

KARIM DIALLO

• • Thesis project: "The socio-economic impact of biodiversity conservation policies in developing countries". This PhD aims to analyze how these conservation policy interventions influence the economic and social dynamics of these countries. Karim is supervised by Antoine Leblois ( (CEE-M) and Derya Keles (BETA).
• Academic and professional background: Karim holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural and environmental economics from Norbert Zongo University (Koudougou, Burkina Faso) and a double master's degree in economic analysis and development project analysis from the School of Economics at Clermont Auvergne University..

HARRISON DYDE-NAIRN

• Thesis project: "Externalités liées à la production primaire et secondaire des matières premières critiques". Doctorate carried out as part of the “Technical and Economic Foresight” (TAEF) project, which is part of the PEPR Sous-sol program. Funded by INERIS, this doctorate is being conducted in collaboration with CEE-M, under the supervision of Francesco Ricci (CEE-M) and Gilles Lafforgue (TSE).
• Academic and professional background: Harrison holds a Master's degree in Economics from Paris-Saclay University. Having also studied at the University of Valencia and the University of Queensland, Harrison is particularly interested in the interactions between energy transition, international trade, and sustainability policies.

SARAH FETI

• • Thesis project: "Modalities of exposure to climate risks, eco-anxiety, and social cohesion". Doctorate carried out as part of a NEXUS project (mirror theses), analyzing how individuals perceive and experience climate risks, how these perceptions influence their emotions—particularly eco-anxiety—and how these dynamics affect social cohesion and collective behavior. The research draws on both behavioral economics approaches and population survey methods. Supervised by Hélène Rey-Valette(CEE-M) and co-supervised by Cécile Bazart  (CEE-M).
• Academic and professional background: Sarah holds a Master's degree in Economics and Psychology. Before starting her thesis, she was a contract engineer at the Center for Economics and the Environment in Montpellier (CEE-M). As part of this contract, Sarah worked on a behavioral economics project focusing on the psychosocial determinants of behavior, particularly in the areas of mobility and online consumption..

ALEXIS LEFEBVRE

• Thesis project: « Daily mobility and ecological transition: towards greater consideration of social and spatial inequalities in the definition of transport policies". Doctoral contract obtained following the competition held by the Montpellier Doctoral School of Economics and Management (EDEG), supervised by
• Thierry Blayac ( (CEE-M) and co-supervised by Mickaël Beaud (CEE-M).
• Academic and professional background: Alexis holds a bachelor's degree in economics and social sciences, a bachelor's degree in economics, and a master's degree in public economics and the environment from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Montpellier. At the same time, he completed two internships at the EWC-M in 2024 (two months) and 2025 (five months).

• News postdocs

ADRIEN COIFFARD

• Postdoctoral project: As part of the Agri4Polproject dedicated to pollinator conservation, Adrien's research focuses on the value farmers place on pollinators and their preferences for different types of public policies aimed at protecting them. Adrien is supervised by Sophie Thoyer(CEE-M).
• Academic and professional background: Adrien holds a PhD in environmental economics, obtained in 2024, focusing on the effectiveness and acceptability of agri-environmental auctions, mainly using experimental approaches. He was then recruited as a contract research engineer, where he contributed to various projects in experimental economics at the CEE-M.

CLARA SANTINI

• Postdoctoral project :as part of the Défi-Clé Observation de la Terre et des Territoires en Transition, Clara is conducting an action research project aimed at supporting coastal areas in Occitanie in adapting to the effects of climate change by developing indicators and multi-scale monitoring systems adapted to the spatial restructuring of these areas. As part of this project, Clara is supervised by Hélène Rey-Valette and Cécile Bazart  (CEE-M).
• Academic and professional background: After studying agricultural engineering between 2014 and 2018, specializing in TERPPA, Clara worked as a consultant (public policy, territorial development) in a consulting firm in New Caledonia, then was recruited as a project manager at the Agglomération du Pays de l'Or to create their Territorial Food Project (PAT). She then wrote a thesis in institutional economics at the UMR Innovation on this PAT public action program, in order to examine the contribution of governance to the transition of food systems, with fieldwork in the Occitanie region.

• New contract engineers

LUCAS RALAIVAO

• Mission(s) :Lucas was recruited to support Katrin Erdlenbruch (CEE-M) on two projects: Water Occitanie, where Lucas is working on assessing the costs incurred by drought in the agricultural sector (the study area is located in the Pyrénées-Orientales), and Trajectoire, where Lucas is responsible for processing a database from a questionnaire on coastal residents' perceptions of issues relating to the adaptation of coastal areas to rising sea levels.
• Academic and professional background: Lucas holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Montpellier and a master's degree in EEET (Economics of the Environment, Energy, and Transportation) from AgroParisTech.

MARIE RESCAN

• Mission(s) : "Agent-based modeling to explore scenarios for transitioning to greater circularity of organic matter in urban centers". Recruited to support Sophie Thoyer (CEE-M) and Jean-Philippe Steyer (LBE), Marie is based at the Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory (LBE) in Narbonne.
• Academic and professional background: Academic and professional background: After completing her PhD in 2016, two post-doctoral fellowships in evolutionary ecology modeling (including a Marie Curie fellowship) and a fixed-term contract as an engineer responsible for updating databases on eel catches in the Mediterranean, Marie is now focusing on environmental issues that are more socially oriente

Article They joined us this fall… appeared first on Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier.

The Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST) and the Toulouse School of Economics and Quantitative Social Sciences (TSE) will host the conference on Disgust across Borders: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on a Core Emotion organized by Cécile Sarabian (IAST), Catherine Molho (TSE), & Arnaud Tognetti (CEE-M)

Conference Theme

This international conference will bring together researchers from diverse disciplines— including psychology, political science, evolutionary biology, and related fields—to explore the basic yet multifaceted emotion of disgust. The meeting will aim to bridge disciplinary divides, incorporate cross-species perspectives, and examine applications of disgust research in politics, conservation, and animal welfare. We hope that this conference will mark the beginning of a recurring series, with Disgustology as a unifying theme.

More information >>>

Article Arnaud Tognetti (CEE-M) is co-organising the next IAST conference appeared first on Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier.

The CEE-M welcomes three visiting scholars: one ecologist and two economists

Laura Dee
Laura Dee is an Associate Professor of Ecology in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EBIO) at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research combines global change ecology, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, and conservation science, using quantitative tools from multiple disciplines and both theoretical and empirical modeling approaches. Laura will be hosted by the CEE-M until December 2025, with a possible extension until June 2026.

Steve Miller
Steve Miller is an Economist in the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. His work primarily focuses on empirically quantifying the impacts of environmental disturbances and public policies. Another key strand of his research applies tools from game theory and dynamic optimization to improve the management and conservation of natural resources. Steve will be visiting the CEE-M until December 2025, with a possible extension until June 2026.

Chuck Mason
Chuck Mason is an Economist at the University of Wyoming, College of Business. His long-standing research interests lie in energy and resource economics. His work has explored issues related to the exploration and extraction of non-renewable resources, as well as the management of common-property renewable resources. He has also carried out several studies using experimental economics to examine theoretical questions in industrial organization. Chuck will be visiting the CEE-M until November 7, 2025.

Article Visiting at CEE-M appeared first on Center for Environmental Economics - Montpellier.