Research projects
Gamification, Regulations, and Environment Enhancing Nudges (GREEN): Experimental and empirical analyses on the relevance of regulatory and behavioral instruments for individual sustainable mobility
Duration: April 2021 until March 2024
Project coordination: University of Kassel, Unit Empirical Economic Research
Cooperation partner: German Environmental Foundation
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Summary: The objective of the project is to research alternative mobility concepts and their acceptance. On this basis, socio-technical instruments will be created to bring and establish alternative mobility concepts in daily practice. In addition, the project aims to promote the acceptance of new transport modes, such as car sharing, to reduce the negative impact of everyday traffic on humankind and the environment. For this purpose, GREEN creates tools that enable positive reframing of sustainable mobility and reduce barriers to its practical implementation. Three specific reframing strategies are investigated (1) the effect of ex-ante policy announcements and milieu-specific sustainability communication on transport mode choice, (2) the causal effect that nudges have on participation in a new digital mobility platform consisting of a mobility board, a mobility app, and a web page, for rural regions and (3) the behavioral change a digital 'mixed reality game' produces in the use of public and low-emission transport modes.
All three strategies are empirically investigated using choice and field experiments. Further, the proof-of-concept studies that underlie the research results will also result in a transferable toolbox to establish sustainable mobility modes in rural areas and smaller communities. This includes (1) a collection of materials of graphically appealing milieu-specific addressed communication tools for the use of low-emission transport modes, (2) a transferable concept for a digital mobility platform for rural areas, consisting of a mobility board development guide, a mobility app, and a web presence, and (3) a digital 'mixed reality game' for playful practice of the use of green transport modes.
Contact: Dr. Anja Köbrich León (anja.koebrich[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
LESS is More (Local Emission Saving System): Tangible decarbonization of the economy and society in a field test in Kassel - transparency, participation and individual action supported by the instrument of digitalization
Duration: January 2021 until December 2023
Project coordination: House of Energy e. V.
Cooperation partners: University of Kassel (Units Empirical Economic Research as well as Applied Microeconomics and Empirical Energy Economics), Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE), deENet Competence Network Distributed Energy Technologies e. V., twigbit technologies GmbH
Funding institution: German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK)
Summary: LESS is More follows the motive to sensibilize Kassel residents for their CO2 emissions by making the consequences of their behavior visible in their everyday life through technical tools and motivating them to change their behavior.
The objective of the project is to support the sustainable thinking and acting of the residents of Kassel and to integrate and initiate regional climate protection projects. The project focuses on the development of an app in which users can record their individual CO2 emissions and compare them with their monthly budget. The app will continuously report the impact of the users' actions and show them how much CO2 emissions they are currently causing and what options exist to reduce them. The focus of the Unit of Empirical Economics is on analyzing user behavior within the app using behavioral economics approaches.
Contact: Dr. Anja Köbrich León (anja.koebrich[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
The relationship between environmentally-relevant behavior and the development of values and norms (ZumWert)
Duration: July 2019 until June 2023
Project coordination: University of Kassel, Unit Empirical Economic Research
Cooperation partners: Other units of the University of Kassel (Environmental and Behavioral Economics, Environmental Systems Analysis, Foundations of Law, Private Law and Economics of Law)
Funding institution: University of Kassel
Summary: Environmentally friendly activities by individuals and groups make an important contribution to the achievement of social environmental protection goals (such as the emission reduction targets set in the Paris climate agreement). Voluntary contributions to environmental and especially climate protection are therefore the subject of environmental economic, psychological, and sociological research, with a focus on the influence of values and norms. Against this background, this project examines the extent to which the associated standards development and internalization processes can be changed and influenced over time in order to achieve an overall result that is beneficial for the community. Environmentally-relevant values and norms are first identified and embedded in a cross-disciplinary theoretical language. The combination of methods from economics and psychology makes it possible to identify the causal effects of the selected values and norms on environmentally relevant behavior. This allows to overcome the disadvantages of traditional approaches, in which the investigation is often based on correlations. At the same time, influences on the dynamics of standardization processes are identified. The involved parties in this project complement each other in terms of content and methodology.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Dannenberg, Astrid, Gunnar Gutsche, Marlene Batzke, Sven Christens, Daniel Engler, Fabian Mankat, Sophia Möller, Eva Weingärtner, Andreas Ernst, Marcel Lumkowsky, Georg von Wangenheim, Gerrit Hornung, and Andreas Ziegler (2022), The effects of norms on environmental behavior, Review of Environmental Economics and Policy 18 (1), 165-187
Papers in revision
Engler, Daniel, Gunnar Gutsche, Amantia Simixhiu, and Andreas Ziegler (2024), Social norms and individual climate protection activities: A framed field experiment for Germany, in revision for Energy Economics, previous version: MAGKS Discussion Paper No. 30-2022
Contact: Dr. Gunnar Gutsche (gunnar.gutsche[at]uni-kassel[dot]de), Daniel Engler (daniel.engler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
The Role of Gamification and Friendship Networks for Climate Protection Activities (DeCarbFriends)
Duration: October 2017 until September 2022
Project coordination: University of Kassel, Unit Empirical Economic Research, Unit Macrosociology
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Summary: In the future, a significant proportion of the CO2 savings necessary to limit global warming will have to be provided by voluntary climate change mitigation measures. In this regard, the simple change in people’s individual attitudes concerning the climate will not be sufficient. In fact, as a whole, the current generation will have to change its climate-relevant behaviors in a drastic manner. From this point of view, peer-influence in social networks may well play a crucial role in making such changes possible. Games, for their part, are a salient medium for friendship.
The objective of the project is to propose therefore a series of field experiments and case studies that co-opt peer-influence processes in friendship-networks by using game-applications that promote low-carbon, voluntary climate change mitigation behavior among friendship-groups. Our three gamified interventions will target three different types of consumption choices: investing in green-innovation projects, dietary-choices (e.g. reduced meat consumption), and off-setting behavior. The results of these studies will allow to promote voluntary measures to climate change more effectively.
For further information please click here.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Haefner, Gonzalo, Antje Risius, and Janosch Schobin (2023), Personality traits and meat consumption: The mediatingting role of animal-related ethical concerns, Frontiers of Psychology, 7870
Haefner, Gonzalo and Janosch Schobin (2023), A New Climate Externalities Food Knowledge Test Validated by Item Response Theory and Behavioral Data Prediction, PsyEcology, forthcoming
Köbrich León, Anja and Janosch Schobin (2023), Get the happiness out – a framed field experiment on the causal effects of positive emotions on online giving, in revision for PLOS ONE, forthcoming
Haefner, Gonzalo, Anja Köbrich León, and Janosch Schobin (2022), Frying Nemo? Experimental evidence on anthropomorphism, animal ethics, and food choice, Appetite 173 (1),105989
Köbrich León, Anja and Jansoch Schobin (2022), Romance and the ozone layer: panel evidence on green behavior in couples, Empirical Economics 63(21), 2101-21023
Discussion papers submitted to peer-reviewed journals
Elke Groh, Anja Köbrich León, and Janosch Schobin (2023), Making climate-friendly choices in hard times: panel evidence on the COVID-19 shock and the (in)stability of climate-related preferences in Chile
Köbrich León, Anja and Janosch Schobin (2023), Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing: on social image in online charity
Köbrich León, Anja and Janosch Schobin (2023), Boosting peer influence by Gamification? Evidence from a experimental network intervention study with a serious game
Research articles in revision
Köbrich León, Anja, Julien Picard, and Janosch Schobin (2023), Fostering multiple pro-environmental behaviours at once: an experimental study on behavioural spillovers, In Principle Acceptance (IPA), Scientific Reports
Contact: Dr. Anja Köbrich León (anja.koebrich[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
Investment funds for low-carbon infrastructure (IF)
Duration: December 2018 until September 2022
Project coordination: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
Cooperation partners: University of Kassel (Units Empirical Economic Research and Sustainable Finance)
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), second phase of the funding priority "Economics of Climate Change" ("Ökonomie des Klimawandels")
Summary: The Paris Agreement does not only comprise ambitious climate goals, but also highlights the necessity to redirect capital flows for their achievement. A pivotal part of the required investments has to flow into the provision of low-carbon infrastructure, for example, renewable energies or energy-efficient buildings, and “stranded assets” have to be avoided. Academic literature has long recognized a tremendous investment gap and the central role of mobilizing private investments through institutional and individual investors. However, the mobilization of private investment is hampered by a variety of nested investment barriers, which are aimed be resolved by political measures at the national and European level. However, it must be feared that these measures are not sufficient to adequately address all investment barriers and to mobilize investments of different investor types, which would mean that climate policy goals cannot be met.
Therefore, the project IF empirically examines which barriers for low-carbon investments are already addressed by existing, but also potential future funding instruments (e.g. a public infrastructure or citizen fund at the national or European level). Thereby, IF pursues the overarching hypotheses that public infrastructure and/or citizen funds represent added value for existing investment instruments and are more appropriate to mobilize small investors. Therefore, risk-return-profiles of different instruments are derived and related to preferences of institutional and individual investors in order to evaluate their potential to mobilize investments. Moreover, simulations methods are applied to examine the potential contribution of different instruments as well as actors to close the investment gap for low-carbon infrastructure and thus to achieve the climate policy goals.
For further information please click here.
Registered pre-analysis plans
Engler, Daniel, Gunnar Gutsche, and Ewa Zawojska (2021), Trust in institutions and consequentiality perceptions in a stated preference survey, available at AEA RCT Registry: https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7213-2.0
Engler, Daniel, Gunnar Gutsche, and Paul Smeets (2021), Individual preferences for sustainable investments across Europe – A framed field experiment in five countries, available at OSF: https://osf.io/6kyja
Contact: Dr. Gunnar Gutsche (gunnar.gutsche[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
The relevance of non-state actors for individual climate protection activities and climate policy (NostaClimate)
Duration: November 2018 until July 2022
Project coordination: University of Kassel, Unit Empirical Economic Research
Cooperation partners: ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research Mannheim, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) Karlsruhe, University of Hamburg, University of Münster
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), second phase of the funding priority "Economics of Climate Change" ("Ökonomie des Klimawandels")
Summary: The Paris Agreement comprises ambitious long-term climate goals and aims at limiting the global average temperature increase to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels. While most of the countries that have ratified the Paris Agreement also submitted nationally determined contributions (NDCs), it is unlikely that some major industrialized countries meet their pledges. The gap between required and actual emission reductions suggests that national regulations are not sufficient, but have to be supplemented by additional voluntary climate protection activities. In this respect, non-state actors, besides state and individual actors, are expected to especially help bridging this gap.
The goal of this project is the examination of the potential influence of non-state actors in achieving the targets set up at the Paris Agreement. The project analyzes the potential influence of different non-state actors through the direct reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by additional voluntary climate protection activities, but especially through indirect reductions of greenhouse gas emissions through their influence on the acceptance of climate policy and on the climate protection activities of individual actors as well as the monitoring of climate protection activities of state and other non-state actors. Against this background, NostaClimate develops strategies that promote climate protection measures of non-state actors, that allow an improved monitoring, that enhance the individual acceptance of climate policy, and that increase individual climate protection activities by the use of norm-shaping by non-state actors and their leadership by example.
For further information please click here.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Schleich, Joachim, Elisabeth Dütschke, Elke D. Kanberger, and Andreas Ziegler (2024), On the relationship between individual carbon literacy and carbon footprints, Ecological Economics 218, 108100
Haverkamp, Thilo K.G., H. Welsch, and Andreas Ziegler (2023), The relationship between climate protection activities, economic preferences, and life satisfaction: Empirical evidence for Germany, Energy Economics 128, 106938
Engler, Daniel, Elke D. Groh, Gunnar Gutsche, and Andreas Ziegler (2021), Acceptance of climate-oriented policy measures under the COVID-19 crisis: an empirical analysis for Germany, Climate Policy 21 (10), 1281-1297
Papers in revision
Engler, Daniel, Gunnar Gutsche, Amantia Simixhiu, and Andreas Ziegler (2024), Social norms and individual climate protection activities: A framed field experiment for Germany, in revision for Energy Economics, previous version: MAGKS Discussion Paper No. 30-2022
Discussion papers submitted to peer-reviewed journals
Gleue, Marvin, Theresa Luigs, and Andreas Ziegler (2023), The relevance of non-state climate protection activities as motivation for individual climate protection: Results from a framed field experiment
Arimura, Toshi H., Elke D. Groh, Miwa Nakai, and Andreas Ziegler (2022), The causal effect of private and organizational climate-related identity on climate protection activities: Evidence from a framed field experiment in Japan, MAGKS Discussion Paper No. 29-2022
Contact: Andreas Ziegler (andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
Smart-metering and dynamic electricity tariffing: Energy consumption choices, regulatory policies and welfare effects (BeSmart)
Duration: November 2018 until July 2022
Project coordination: University of Kassel, Unit Applied Microeconomics and Empirical Energy Economics
Cooperation partners: Other units of the University of Kassel (Empirical Economic Research and Foundations of Law, Private Law and Economics of Law), Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), second phase of the funding priority "Economics of Climate Change" ("Ökonomie des Klimawandels")
Summary: Dynamic electricity pricing and smart-grids are key elements of the vital transformation towards a decarbonized power production. Integrating volatile produced renewable electricity at large-scale will require electricity users, who adapt their consumption to the available electricity supply, particularly if energy sectors are coupled. This consumption adjustment can be achieved via price signals. Economists have long been in favor of dynamic pricing, while it has been rarely implemented so far. Although recent technological progress has made it economically and technologically feasible, consumers’ acceptance remains a crucial barrier to a widespread implementation.
The objective of this project is to develop economic and legal solutions to raise the social acceptance of dynamic pricing schemes and thereby to unlock the potential of demand-side flexibility in wind and solar power dominated energy systems. Against this background, this project aims to provide practical advice to regulators, utilities and retail firms in addressing consumers’ acceptance of dynamic tariffs.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Kanberger, Elke D. and Andreas Ziegler (2024), The relevance of life-cycle CO2 emissions for vehicle purchase decisions: A stated choice experiment for Germany, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 126, 104031
Contact: Andreas Ziegler (andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
Decarbonization of the building space heating sector (DeGeb)
Duration: November 2018 until July 2022
Project coordination: Agora Energiewende Berlin
Cooperation partners: University of Kassel (Unit Empirical Economic Research, Unit Applied Microeconomics and Empirical Energy Economics, and Unit Foundations of Law, Private Law, and the Economic Analysis of Law), Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE) Kassel
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), second phase of the funding priority "Economics of Climate Change" ("Ökonomie des Klimawandels")
Summary: Heating residential and non-residential buildings is one of the substantial sources of CO2 emissions. Buildings and heating systems are long-lasting goods that are prone to path dependencies, which turn decarbonization into a challenge. The impact of available options like energy efficiency and renewable energies depends on whether they are actually chosen by home owners. Hence, the impact mainly depends on incentive structures and the underlying regulatory framework. Apart from public law, this mainly refers to private law which governs relationships between actors like landlords and tenants, owners and communities of owners, and providers of heating systems or heat grids.
The objective of this project is to investigate impacts of micro incentives on the energy system transformation in the building sector, the role of corresponding regulatory frameworks, and opportunities for stimulating sustainable investment decisions. Furthermore, policy implications are derived and the aggregate impact of different regulatory frameworks in the decarbonization of the building heat sector are compared.
Contact: Thilo Haverkamp (thilo.haverkamp[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
Compensation payments by small and medium-sized German companies for CO2 emissions (KompUnter)
Duration: April 2020 until March 2021
Project coordination: University of Kassel, Unit Empirical Economic Research
Funding institution: German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ)
Summary: The goals of the Paris Climate Agreement are to be achieved in international cooperation through national climate contributions. At European, but also national level, the important role of companies from the energy sector, industry, and the aviation sector has already been addressed by various regulatory measures. However, small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany outside these three sectors are mostly not affected by these measures. Nevertheless, companies can contribute to a globally sustainable development and at the same time to the achievement of national and international climate targets by implementing voluntary measures to reduce or compensate their CO2 emissions.
The aim of the project is to empirically investigate the knowledge and experience of small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany about and with CO2 compensation. In particular, factors such as general knowledge, experience, and motivations will also be examined. While CO2 offsetting at the individual level has been empirically investigated more often, small and medium-sized companies have rarely been considered in this context. Furthermore, previous empirical studies with companies have been limited mainly to restrictive case studies, which often do not allow for a generalisation of the results, whereas quantitative broad-based evaluations are extremely rare. A survey of small and medium-sized enterprises is to contribute to this hitherto little researched complex of topics.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Engler, Daniel, Gunnar Gutsche, Amantia Simixhiu, and Andreas Ziegler (2023), On the relationship between corporate CO2 offsetting and pro-environmental activities in small- and medium-sized firms in Germany, Energy Economics 118, 106487
Contact: Andreas Ziegler (andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
Sustainable consumption - An empirical analysis of determinants and impacts (NaKon)
Duration: August 2014 until December 2016
Project coordination: University of Kassel, Unit Empirical Economic Research
Cooperation partners: Other units of the University of Kassel (Agricultural and Food Marketing, Verkehrsplanung und Verkehrssysteme, Applied Microeconomics and Empirical Energy Economics, Environmental and Behavioral Economics, Solar and System Engineering, Öffentliches Recht, insbesondere Umwelt- und Technikrecht)
Funding institution: Central research promotion (ZFF) of the University of Kassel
Summary: Strategies for a transition process towards a sustainable economy have been resolved at the federal and state level. In addition to companies, households play a major role for the transition process, as private consumption of goods and services is responsible for a large part of environmental damages. In order to gain a better understanding of the driving forces for sustainable behavior and consumption patterns, several studies have already been conducted. These few studies, however, were restricted to a mainly disciplinary consideration of single consumption areas.
The objective of this project was to empirically examine the determinants (e.g. attitudes and motives) of sustainable consumption behavior as well as potential interactions with the supply side using an interdisciplinary approach. Beyond that, the project elicited the economic, ecological, and social impacts of a shift towards a more sustainable consumption. The project shed light on the three consumption fields household energy consumption, mobility behavior, and food consumption in an interdependent approach. As these consumption fields are responsible for two third of consumption spending and for the strongest environmental impacts at the same time, they are of highest relevance from an economic as well as from a sustainability perspective.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Andreas Ziegler (andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
Socio-political consequences of the energy transition process in Germany (SOKO Energiewende)
Duration: August 2013 until December 2016
Project coordination: Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim
Cooperation partners: University of Kassel (Unit Empirical Economic Research), Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Heidelberg University, University of Bayreuth
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), funding priority "Environmentally and Socially Compatible Transformation of the Energy System" ("Umwelt- und gesellschaftsverträgliche Transformation des Energiesystems")
Summary: The energy concepts resolved by the Federal Government target at the transformation of the energy systems in Germany and comprise a severe reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as well as a fast withdrawal from the nuclear energy program. The expansion of renewable energies and a significant increase of energy efficiency are seen as key to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. A set of political instruments are aimed to ensure the achievement of these goals. These include, besides the European emission trading scheme, particularly the promotion of renewable energies under the rule of the national Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). At least temporarily, an increase of energy costs is expected due to the energy transition process.
The objective of this project was the identification of critical interactions between energy and social policies. Besides economic analyses of distribution effects of the German energy policy, an important part of the project focuses on fairness and acceptance issues as well as potential consequences for the state and society, such as the increasing share of energy costs (electricity and heating) in the total costs of private households. Against this background, this project also empirically examined general perceptions of private households towards energy price trends and distribution effects due to the energy transition process as well as their attitudes towards different compensation measures.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Kanberger, Elke D., Theresa Luigs und Andreas Ziegler (2024), The relevance of proximity and work-related experiences for the individual support for power plants: An empirical analysis of wind, coal, and nuclear energy, Energy Policy 192, 114185
Kanberger, Elke D. and Andreas Ziegler (2023), On the preferences for an environmentally friendly and fair energy transition: A stated choice experiment for Germany, Energy Policy 182, 113730
Groh, Elke D. and Charlotte von Möllendorff (2020), What shapes the support of renewable energy expansion? Public attitudes between policy goals and risk, time, and social preferences, Energy Policy 137, 111171
Ziegler, Andreas (2019), The relevance of attitudinal factors for the acceptance of energy policy measures: A micro-econometric analysis, Ecological Economics 157, 129-140
Groh, Elke D. and Andreas Ziegler (2018), On self-interested preferences for burden sharing rules: An econometrics analysis for the costs of energy policy measures, Energy Economics 74, 417-426
Contact: Andreas Ziegler (andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
The energy transition process between the priorities of regionalization and centralization (ENERGIO)
Duration: September 2013 until November 2016
Project coordination: Ifo Institute – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich
Cooperation partners: University of Kassel (Unit Empirical Economic Research), Universität Hamburg, Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), funding priority "Environmentally and Socially Compatible Transformation of the Energy System" ("Umwelt- und gesellschaftsverträgliche Transformation des Energiesystems")
Summary: In the course of the energy transition process the Federal Government formulated goals with respect to the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions, the increase of the share of renewable energies, and the decrease of energy consumption. The execution of the required measures generally demands coordination between states and municipalities as well as its onsite implementation. However, the two extremes of regionalizing energy policy or energy supply and a centralistic approach create tension, which arise from the special characteristics of energy supply as well as behavioral and acceptance issues of citizens, companies, and state institutions.
The objective of this project was to shed light on regional aspects throughout the planning and implementation phase of the energy transition process in Germany in an empirical manner and to illustrate the interconnection between cost efficiency and acceptance. Different methods were applied to examine to what extent the acceptance and involvement of stakeholders differ across regions and how energy policy measures could be designed making them more regionally differentiated and/or more cost-efficient. Against this background, this project particularly tried to gain insights about the behavior of households as energy consumers and their preferences regarding green electricity produced by regional providers.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Groh, Elke D. (2022), Exposure to wind turbines, regional identity and the willingness to pay for regionally produced electricity, Resource and Energy Economics 70, 101332
Groh, Elke D. and Andreas Ziegler (2022), On the relevance of values, norms, and economic preferences for electricity consumption, Ecological Economics 192, 107264
Ziegler, Andreas (2021), New Ecological Paradigm meets behavioral economics: On the relationship between environmental values and economic preferences, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 109, 102516
Ziegler, Andreas (2020), Heterogeneous preferences and the individual change to alternative electricity tariffs, Energy Economics 91, 104889
Contact: Andreas Ziegler (andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
Evaluating Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Policies (EvalMap)
Duration: April 2012 until December 2015
Project coordination: Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung e.V. (RWI) Essen
Cooperation partners: Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim, University of Kassel (Unit Empirical Economic Research) as subcontractor of ZEW
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), first phase of the funding priority "Economics of Climate Change" ("Ökonomie des Klimawandels")
Summary: A number of political measures have been taken in Germany in order to be able to mitigate global climate change successfully. An empirical evaluation of these mitigation and adaptation measures is not only important to guarantee the consistency of these measures, but also to avoid costly redundancies. In practice, however, several difficulties arise, since a correct evaluation of these political measures also requires an understanding of the determinants of private energy demand. This problem is aggravated by the lack of reliable empirical data that consider the energy consumption of households and related emissions across time.
The objective of this project was the establishment of an extensive energy-economic panel dataset on the energy consumption of private households, which is freely available for research purposes. The dataset was used to estimate different preference indicators econometrically, such as the willingness to pay for renewable energies as well as price and income elasticities for electricity, gas or oil consumption. Moreover, the implementation of climate adaption measures at the household level, such as the conclusion of insurance contracts, air conditioning measures, or the insulation of flats, were examined on the basis of this dataset empirically.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Schwirplies, Claudia and Andreas Ziegler (2017), Adaptation of future travel habits to climate change: A micro-econometric analysis of tourists from Germany, Tourism Economics 23 (6), 1275-1295
Contact: Prof. Dr. Andreas Ziegler (andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
The importance of voluntary contributions and fairness preferences for the success of international climate politics: A theoretical and empirical analysis at the individual level (VolFair)
Duration: March 2012 until October 2015
Project coordination: University of Kassel, Unit Empirical Economic Research
Cooperation partners: Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) Karlsruhe, Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim, Universität Hamburg, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), first phase of the funding priority "Economics of Climate Change" ("Ökonomie des Klimawandels")
Summary: There is consensus within the international community of states to mitigate the consequences of anthropogenic climate change by reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Previous climate negotiations revealed that successful international agreements depend on at least three core elements: The acceptance of the negotiation outcome within the population, the cooperation and coordination of many heterogeneous negotiating partners as well as the implementation of negotiating outcomes in concrete national climate protection measures. During this implementation process, political actors also have to consider voluntary climate protection activities.
The objective of this project was to deepen and extend the understanding of successful climate negotiations. That comprised an analysis of the role of acceptance of international climate agreements at the individual level. Of particular interest was to what extent the interdependent relationship between the population and participants of climate negotiations affected the success of international climate negotiations. Moreover, the relevance of equity and fairness preferences within the population was examined. Finally, particularly individual voluntary climate protection measures were analyzed, especially with respect to their potential effects on international climate agreements.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Schwirplies, Claudia, Elisabeth Dütschke, Joachim Schleich, and Andreas Ziegler (2019), The willingness to offset CO2 emissions from traveling: Findings from discrete choice experiments with different framings, Ecological Economics 165, 106384
Schleich, Joachim, Claudia Schwirplies, and Andreas Ziegler (2018), Do perceptions of international climate policy stimulate or discourage voluntary climate protection activities? A study of German and US households, Climate Policy 18 (5), 568-580
Lange, Andreas, Claudia Schwirplies, and Andreas Ziegler (2017), On the interrelation between the consumption of impure public goods and the provision of direct donations: Theory and empirical evidence, Resource and Energy Economics 47, 72-88
Ziegler, Andreas (2017), Political orientation, environmental values, and climate change beliefs and attitudes: An empirical cross country analysis, Energy Economics 63, 144-153
Schleich, Joachim, Elisabeth Dütschke, Claudia Schwirplies, and Andreas Ziegler (2016), Citizens' perceptions of justice in international climate policy: An empirical analysis, Climate Policy 16 (1), 50-67
Schwirplies, Claudia and Andreas Ziegler (2016), Offset carbon emissions or pay a price premium for avoiding them? A cross-country analysis of motives for climate protection, Applied Economics 48 (9), 746-758
Contact: Prof. Dr. Andreas Ziegler (andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
Determinants of sustainable and responsible investments – An empirical analysis of private households in Germany (SRI Germany)
Duration: October 2013 until September 2015
Project coordination: University of Kassel, Unit Empirical Economic Research
Funding institution: Deutsche Bundesbank
Summary: Corporate social responsibility, i.e. the voluntary implementation of ecological, social, or ethical measures in and by companies has increasingly gained importance in academia in recent years. One central question was whether and to what extent these measures affect the companies’ financial performance. It was also examined whether investors, which had invested in sustainable companies, were successful. For these purposes, studies usually considered the (stock) performance of these companies, sustainable funds, or indexes compared to their conventional counterparts. However, only a few studies focused on motives and characteristics of investors that invest their money in these companies directly or in sustainable investments.
The objective of this project was the empirical examination of individual investment decisions in context of sustainable investments. The empirical analyses were conducted on the basis of data that stem from a representative survey among decision makers in German households. Here, it was the first time that a stated preferences discrete choice experiment was implemented for the examination of private investment decisions between sustainable and conventional investment products. Besides core attributes of the investment products, we specifically identified investors’ characteristics and motives that are most relevant for their investment decisions. The estimation of mean willingness to pay measures further allowed us to state to what extent individuals are willing to sacrifice return in order to invest in sustainable instead of conventional investment products.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Gutsche, Gunnar and Bernhard Zwergel (2020), Information barriers and labeling schemes for socially responsible investments, Schmalenbach Business Review 72, 111-157
Gutsche, Gunnar (2019), Individual and regional christian religion and the consideration of sustainable criteria in consumption and investment decisions: An exploratory econometric analysis, Journal of Business Ethics 157 (4), 1155-1182
Gutsche, Gunnar and Andreas Ziegler (2019), Which private investors are willing to pay for sustainable investments? Empirical evidence from stated choice experiments, Journal of Banking and Finance 102, 193-214
Gutsche, Gunnar, Anja Köbrich León, and Andreas Ziegler (2019), On the relevance of contextual factors for socially responsible investments: An econometric analysis, Oxford Economic Papers 71 (3), 756-776
Gutsche, Gunnar, Christian Klein, Andreas Ziegler, and Bernhard Zwergel (2017), Characterizing German (sustainable) investors, Corporate Finance 8 (3-4), 77-81
Contact: Dr. Gunnar Gutsche (gunnar.gutsche[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
The relevance of fairness principles for successful cooperation - An analysis of the choice and impact of equity rules in international climate negotiations (Klimaverhandlungen)
Duration: October 2010 until November 2013
Project coordination: Centre for European Economic Researche (ZEW) Mannheim
Cooperation partners: Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Kultur (HTWK) Leipzig, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich, University of Kassel (Unit Empirical Economic Research) as subcontractor of ZEW
Funding institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), funding priority "Economics of Sustainability" ("Wirtschaftswissenschaften für Nachhaltigkeit", WiN II)
Summary: Due to the manifold impacts on humankind and nature, global climate warming is one of the most important societal challenges of of the present. However, measures to mitigate anthropogenic climate change alone are not sufficient. Therefore, international agreements on the reduction of greenhouse gas and particularly CO2 emissions are necessary, whereby it turned out that their implementation, enforcement, and compliance is problematic. For example, such agreements require the coordination and cooperation of many heterogeneous actors (i.e. countries). Thereby, it can be assumed that sovereign states would only cooperate if this yields economic advantages for the country or if potential disadvantages are compensated by positive effects in other policy areas. Since costs and benefits of emission reductions as well as economic capabilities and historical responsibilities for CO2 emissions differ significantly across regions, the perception of fairness and equity plays a central role.
Thus, the objective of this project was to analyze the impact of equity rules in context of the distribution of global CO2 emission allowances in international climate negotations; an apsect that had rarely been studied economically. In particular, only a few empirical analyses had been conducted so far. The project mainly focused on the acceptance of equity rules as basis for voluntary cooperation. One core reasearch question was to what extent the heterogeneity of the actors involved along a variety of dimensions (e.g. economic capability, costs and benefits of emission reductions, population size) could allow effective international climate agreements on the basis of equity rules and whether such actors would agree to cooperation.
Publications in peer-reviewed journals
Kesternich, Martin, Andreas Löschel, and Andreas Ziegler (2021), Negotiating weights for burden sharing rules in international climate negotiations: An empirical analysis, Environmental Economics and Policy Studies 23 (2), 309-331
Contact: Prof. Dr. Andreas Ziegler (andreas.ziegler[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)
How do stock markets react to the inclusion of companies in sustainability indexes? An event study analysis
Duration: October 2012 until September 2013
Project coordination and realization: University of Kassel, Unit Empirical Economic Research
Funding institution: Deutsche Bundesbank
Summary: The objective of this study was to examine to what extent the inclusion of companies into a sustainability stock index affects the companies’ financial performance. In order to be able to identify causal effects, event study approaches, which are usually applied to investigate the impact of company-specific events (i.e. new available information on a company) on average stock returns, were used for the empirical analyses. In contrast to previous studies, not only short-term, but also long-term event studies were applied, which refer to significantly longer time periods of several months or even years (i.e. longer so-called event windows). Moreover, the project considers not only one single stock market, but conducts an international analysis.
Contact: Dr. Gunnar Gutsche (gunnar.gutsche[at]uni-kassel[dot]de)