Paternalism and Energy Efficiency: An Overview

Hunt Allcott

No 20363, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This review paper provides an overview of the application of behavioral public economics to energy efficiency. I document policymakers' arguments for “paternalistic” energy efficiency policies, formalize with a simple model of misoptimizing consumers, review and critique empirical evidence, and suggest future research directions. While empirical results suggest that policies to address imperfect information and internalities may increase welfare in some cases, some existing policies may be mistargeted or miscalibrated.

JEL-codes: D03 D12 D83 H21 L51 L94 Q41 Q48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene
Note: EEE PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Published as Hunt Allcott, 2016. "Paternalism and Energy Efficiency: An Overview," Annual Review of Economics, vol 8(1).

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