Re-Identifying the Rebound: What About Asymmetry?

Artikel

Rebound effects measure the behaviorally induced offset in the reduction of energy consumption following efficiency improvements. Using panel estimation methods and household travel diary data collected in Germany between 1997 and 2009, this study identifies the rebound effect in private transport by allowing for the possibility that fuel price elasticities--from which rebound effects can be derived--are asymmetric. This approach rests on empirical evidence suggesting that the response in individual travel demand to price increases is stronger than to decreases. We argue that such an asymmetric response would require referencing price elasticities derived from price decreases in order to identify the rebound effect, as it represents the response to a decrease in unit cost for car travel due to improved fuel efficiency. Failing to reject the null hypothesis of a symmetric price response, we alternatively estimate a reversible specification and obtain a rebound estimate for single-vehicle households being in the range of 46 to 70%, which is in line with an earlier German study by Frondel, Peters, and Vance (2008).

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Journal: The Energy Journal ; ISSN: 1944-9089 ; Volume: 34 ; Year: 2013 ; Issue: 4 ; Pages: 42-54 ; Cleveland, OH: International Association for Energy Economics

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft
• Subject: Automobile travel ; Panel estimation models ; Price asymmetry

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Frondel, Manuel ; Vance, Colin
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): International Association for Energy Economics ; ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft
• (where): Cleveland, OH
• (when): 2013

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.5547/01956574.34.4.3
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/148368
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET