This article provides an overview of the application of behavioral public economics to energy
efficiency. I document policy makers' arguments for “paternalistic” energy efficiency policies …

Policymakers often assert that consumers undervalue future gasoline costs when they buy
automobiles. We test this by measuring whether relative prices of vehicles with different fuel …

We investigate whether car buyers are myopic about future fuel costs. We estimate the effect
of gasoline prices on short-run equilibrium prices of cars of different fuel economies. We …

We analyze optimal policy when consumers of energy-using durables undervalue energy
costs relative to their private optima. First, there is an Internality Dividend from Externality …

This paper argues that it will often be rational for consumers to pay limited attention to
energy efficiency when choosing among energy-consuming durable goods like automobiles …

A large body of literature suggests that households could save money by increasing the
level of energy efficiency of the energy-using durables they purchase–a so-called “energy …

A full understanding of how gasoline prices affect consumer behavior frequently requires
information on how consumers forecast future gasoline prices. We provide the first evidence …

This article discusses automobile fuel economy standards in the United States and other
countries. We first describe how these programs affect the automobile market, including …

This analysis exploits new data from the Vehicle Ownership and Alternatives Survey, which
elicits beliefs over the financial benefits of owning higher fuel economy vehicles. The data …

We provide empirical evidence that automobile manufacturers use cash incentives to offset
how gasoline price fluctuations affect the expected fuel expenses of automobile buyers …