Government Subsidies for Industrial Symbiosis

Is It Always Worth It? Assessing Effectiveness and Efficiency Through Agent‐Based Modeling

Bibliographic Data

ID22418690
AuthorsMariana Mollica (0009-0009-2833-7864, Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering “Antonio Ruberti” Sapienza University of Rome Rome Italy), Melissa Mollica (Sapienza University of Rome, corresponding author), Alberto Nastasi (0000-0002-1476-7582, Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering “Antonio Ruberti” Sapienza University of Rome Rome Italy), Luca Fraccascia (0000-0002-6841-9823, Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering “Antonio Ruberti” Sapienza University of Rome Rome Italy)
Year2026
Publication date2026-04-06
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBusiness Strategy and the Environment (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0964-4733 • E-ISSN: 1099-0836
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/bse.70834
OpenAlexW7150926857
LanguageEN
References cited70

Policy intervention can be a driver for industrial symbiosis (IS). However, given the wide variety of policy instruments available, policymakers should be guided in the policy design process to ensure that their intervention is effective and efficient. In this paper, we propose an agent‐based (AB) model intended to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of different subsidy programs for IS. The model depicts the development of an ISN where the government can provide two types of subsidies, that is, (1) subsidies for IS investments and (2) subsidies for the waste exchange. Results suggest that policy effectiveness is primarily related to design and that the most effective design depends on the specific industrial context targeted. Specifically, increasing financial support is not necessarily the most effective solution. Moreover, effectiveness and efficiency are not directly related. Therefore, efficiency should only be considered to choose between policies with comparable levels of effectiveness. This study enhances the current state of the art by proposing a novel methodological approach to address the problem of policy effectiveness in the field of IS, offering a systemic and dynamic perspective.

Economic interventionism · Subsidy · Recycling and Waste Management Techniques · Sustainable Industrial Ecology · Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access