Events for December 10, 2014 - May 29, 2014

"Commercial and Industrial Demand Response UnderMandatory Time-of-Use Electricity Pricing"AbstractThis paper is the first to evaluate the impact of a large-scale field deployment of mandatory time of-use (TOU) pricing on the energy use of commercial and industrial firms. The regulation imposes higher user prices during hours when electricity is generally more expensive to produce, and is […]

The Futures of Food and the the Futures of FarmersBy the time today's UCLAundergraduates hit middle age, the world will hold almost 10 billion people, most of them affluent by historical standards. Dinner for the 10 billion, agronomists say, will be a huge challenge: We are running out of arable land, water supplies are stretched, […]

By the time today's UCLAundergraduates hit middle age, the world will hold almost 10 billion people, most of them affluent by historical standards. Dinner for the 10 billion, agronomists say, will be a huge challenge: We are running out of arable land, water supplies are stretched, and the advances of the “green revolution” are fading. […]

"Designing Effective Plug-in Electric VehicleRebates"About the Speaker:Tamara Sheldon is a doctoral candidate in the economics department at University of California, San Diego. She is interested in environmental, energy, and public economics. Her research explores demand for plug-in electric vehicles and infrastructure as well as how the business cycle affects carbon dioxide emissions.  

’Effortless Perfection:’Do Chinese Cities Manipulate Air Pollution Data?Abstract:This paper uses unique data on daily air pollution concentrations over the period 2001-2010to test for manipulation in self-reported data by Chinese cities. First, we employ a discontinuitytest to detect the cities that reported dubious pollution data around the cut-off for ”blue-skydays.” Then, we propose a panel matching […]

"The Economics of Attribute-Based Regulation: Theory and Evidence from Fuel-Economy Standards"AbstractIn many countries, fuel-economy standards mandate that vehicles meet a certain fuel economy,but heavier or larger vehicles are allowed to meet a lower standard. This has the perverseimplication of allowing automakers to meet standards either by improving fuel economy or byincreasing weight, which lowers fuel […]

"Smart Connection of EVs into the Electric Grid"Recent advances in information and communications systems and battery technologies, in combination with substantial importance given by society to reducing greenhouse gas/carbon emissions, have resulted in accelerated innovations in electric vehicles and the smart and renewable electric infrastructure necessary to fuel and support them. Products such as the Nissan […]

"Vehicle Scrappage andGasoline Policy"AbstractWe estimate the sensitivity of scrap decisions to changes in used car values - the “scrap elasticity" - and show how it influences used car fleets under policies aimed at reducing gasoline use. Large scrap elasticities produce emissions leakage under efficiency standards as the longevity of used vehicles is increased, a process […]