Thanks a lot @rewt for your time and nice suggestions. A lot of it actually makes sense in my field as well :) Anyway, great help...

Thanks for your time and response @JayWaters :)

Hi all,
I’m at the beginning of my second year of PhD and am still struggling with what I really wanna do. My focus is on carbon taxation and I want to look at it from equity and acceptability aspects. I have a rough idea about the acceptability part. However, this “equity” part is killing me! At first, I was planning to do some complex economic modelling (general equilibrium models). With no background in economics, I was naïve to think that I can do it. But eventually I was all overwhelmed by the subject and gave up on it (Also, the method uses intensive secondary data collected by governments which are absent in my home country). This method is the main one used in the literature for assessing the equity of simulated carbon tax scenarios. Now, I wonder what other approaches I can take. I came across a theoretical paper developing an equity framework and I thought maybe I can develop and adjust that framework for carbon taxation based on for example literature about carbon taxation and some justice theories and argue why each part of the framework is relevant in my country’s context. However, I don’t know what kind of a research that would be. Is it reasonable and plausible at all? One of my supervisors is always all approving and the other one skeptical about whatever I say. So, I really don’t know what options I have. Any advice or suggestion will be really really appreciated…

Best, Bahareh