"Forecasting theCost to Firms of Climate Policy using Prediction Markets and Lobbying Records" AbstractForecasting the cost of proposed policies may be difficult when prior experience is limited. This paper develops a novel forecasting method that combines prediction market prices with stock returns to estimate the expected cost to firms of the Waxman-Markey climate policy bill. I […]

Our Deputy Director, Colleen Callahan, will be speaking at the Energy Innovation Conference!Tickets are on sale now!Industry price: $25 with 50% off discount code “Earlybird”Ticket price includes breakfast, lunch, and parkingThe Energy Innovation Conference seeks to:Showcase innovative technologies with the potential to reinvent the energy industry,Enable entrepreneurs, university researchers, and corporate executives to demonstrate technology to […]

"Dare to be Trivial"Presented by Dr. Anthony Michaels, Managing Director, Proteus Environmental TechnologiesAbout the TalkUniversities are homes for extraordinary innovation and scholarship. Almost by definition, environmental scholarship has the additional requirement of being relevant to one of the key challenges for the sustainability of life on this earth. Whose job is it to make that […]

PUBLIC POLICY FOR INNOVATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE SERIESPreventing Technology-Facilitated ExploitationModeratorJohn Villasenor Professor of Public Policy and Electrical Engineering, UCLAPanelistsErnie Allen President & CEO, International Centre for Missing & Exploited ChildrenAdrian Chandley PrincipalProgram Manager Lead, MicrosoftAmanda Hess Staff Writer, SlateCody Monk Special Agent, Federal Bureau of InvestigationThe Internet technologies have brought new avenues for exploitation involving child pornography, human […]

"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 […]