Citizen engagement in the energy transition: Assessing the impact of regional energy initiatives on energy behaviors in German households

IF 6.6 2区经济学 Q1 ECOLOGY

Ecological Economics Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108537

Alessandro De Palma, Marco Faillo, Roberto Gabriele

引用次数: 0

Abstract

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of regional government initiatives in actively engaging citizens in the energy transition by promoting changes in energy behavior. Employing micro-level data from the German Socio-Economic Panel and insights from the regional-scale “Project 100% Erneuerbare-Energie-Regionen”, the research adopts a difference-in-differences approach to inspect the impact of residing in these regions on households' energy consumption and their choices regarding renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency enhancements. The findings reveal that the program has not been able to actively involve citizens in the energy transition, showing negative effects on the three outcomes inspected. This research highlights the importance of a comprehensive understanding of local energy programs and the need for policies that foster an inclusive approach to energy transition.

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来源期刊

Ecological Economics 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

12.00

自引率

5.70%

发文量

313

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Ecological Economics is concerned with extending and integrating the understanding of the interfaces and interplay between "nature''s household" (ecosystems) and "humanity''s household" (the economy). Ecological economics is an interdisciplinary field defined by a set of concrete problems or challenges related to governing economic activity in a way that promotes human well-being, sustainability, and justice. The journal thus emphasizes critical work that draws on and integrates elements of ecological science, economics, and the analysis of values, behaviors, cultural practices, institutional structures, and societal dynamics. The journal is transdisciplinary in spirit and methodologically open, drawing on the insights offered by a variety of intellectual traditions, and appealing to a diverse readership. Specific research areas covered include: valuation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture and development, ecologically integrated technology, integrated ecologic-economic modelling at scales from local to regional to global, implications of thermodynamics for economics and ecology, renewable resource management and conservation, critical assessments of the basic assumptions underlying current economic and ecological paradigms and the implications of alternative assumptions, economic and ecological consequences of genetically engineered organisms, and gene pool inventory and management, alternative principles for valuing natural wealth, integrating natural resources and environmental services into national income and wealth accounts, methods of implementing efficient environmental policies, case studies of economic-ecologic conflict or harmony, etc. New issues in this area are rapidly emerging and will find a ready forum in Ecological Economics.