Title

Household and Firm Responses to Gasoline Prices and Energy Policy

Time

1:40 - 3:00pm

Location

1605 Tilia, Room 1103, West Village

Abstract

Our relationship to gasoline and energy shapes household decisions and energy policy. This talk will discuss two of my recent research papers on these topics. The first paper looks at how gasoline prices affect short-run household driving decisions through a decomposition of the traditional fuel use elasticity into decreases in driving and increases in average fuel economy. My approach allows me to examine the specific mix of trips and vehicles used on a particular day to understand the tendency of households to swap vehicles with others and select more fuel efficient vehicles on shared trips. The second paper looks at the types of economic incentives that are imbedded in life cycle analysis based policy with specific application to the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

Biographical Sketch

William Leung is a postdoctoral researcher in the Economics Department at UC Davis and the Economics Fellow at the California Air Resources Board. His research interests include environmental and energy economics, particularly in the context of transportation. His research has analyzed behavioral responses of households and individuals to gasoline prices and has assessed policy related to fuel use and its effects on firms and welfare. He received his Ph.D. in economics from UC San Diego in 2015.