数量经济与金融系列讲座第346期：Inattention or Ignorance? A Field Experiment on Adoption of Energy-efficient Appliances in China

题目：

Inattention or Ignorance? A Field Experiment on Adoption of Energy-efficient Appliances in China

主讲：

Yu Gao

Polytechnic University of Milan

时间：2017年5月25日（周四）14：00－15：30

地点：复旦大学经济学院710 会议室

Abstract:We conduct an artifactual field experiment in China to test the impact of information about energy costs and environmental impact of LED lightbulbs . We find that a large part, though not all, of the energy efficiency gap can be addressed through information provision. The impact of information is larger for individuals who at baseline have lower WTP or/and are uninformed of the benefits from buying LEDs, but negative for non-believers in climate change. Providing cost information does not crowd-out the intrinsic motivation to purchase LEDs induced by the environmental impact information. Even after three months, subjects who were provided with information still have higher WTP than control group or newly-recruited subjects. Our results suggest that the effect of information is more likely to work by reducing ignorance of, rather than inattention to, energy efficiency.