Research

Dr. Johannes Rode

Lecturer at the Chair of International Economics

Contact

Work S1|03 187
Hochschulstraße 1
64289 Darmstadt

  • Applied Economics
  • Economics of Innovation and Technology Diffusion
  • Energy and Environmental Economics
  • Spatial Big Data Analysis

Current Working Papers

(with Diego Comin), 2023, NBER Working Paper Series, No. 31324.

Abstract

We estimate the causal effect of the diffusion of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on the fraction of Green Party votes in federal and state elections in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Our estimates are based on instruments that induce exogenous variation in roof appropriateness to PV installation. We find that PV adoption had a strong positive effect on Green Party votes. The effect is connected to the direct engagement of households with the PV system and does not reflect reciprocity to economic gains from PV. Our estimates likely reveal changing attitudes towards environmentally friendly values after adopting PV produced by cognitive dissonance.

Full paper: DOI:10.3386/w31324

Additional information: Online Appendix (opens in new tab)

Early version circulated as ``From Green Users to Green Voters’’, NBER Working Paper Series, No. 19219. DOI:10.3386/w19219

Peer effects and visibility in solar photovoltaic system adoption of households.

(with Sven Müller), 2019 (revised version 2021).

Abstract

We study peer effect variation in rooftop photovoltaic adoption by households. Our investigation employs geocoded data on all potential adopters and on all grid-connected photovoltaic systems set up in Baden-Württemberg, Germany through 2010. We construct an individual measure of peer effects for each potential adopter. For identification, we exploit exogenous variation in two dimensions of photovoltaic system roof appropriateness: measures for their average inclination and orientation. Using different models of adoption with panel data, we only find evidence for causal peer effects for visible systems. We show that visible PV systems cause an increase in the probability of installing which is around 8 times higher in comparison to not visible PV systems.

Full paper (revised version 2021) (opens in new tab) also available at SSRN

The paper received wide media coverage: TAZ, Die ZEIT, Tagesspiegel

(with Christian Krekel and Alexander Roth), 2023.

Abstract

While wind power is considered key in the transition towards net zero, there are concerns about adverse health impacts on nearby residents. Based on precise geographical coordinates, we link a representative longitudinal household panel to all wind turbines in Germany and exploit their staggered rollout over two decades for identification. We do not find evidence of negative effects on general, mental, or physical health in the 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12), nor on self-assessed health or doctor visits. We also do not find evidence for effects on suicides, an extreme measure of negative mental health outcomes, at the county level.

Available as CEP Discussion Paper (opens in new tab), as IZA Discussion Paper (opens in new tab) and as DIW Discussion Paper

The Case of Biogas

(with Christian Krekel, Julia Rechlitz and Alexander Zerrahn), 2020.

Abstract and PDF

Although there is strong support for renewable energy plants, they are often met with local resistance. We quantify the externalities of renewable energy plants using wellbeing data. We focus on the example of biogas, one of the most frequently deployed technologies besides wind and solar. To this end, we combine longitudinal household data with novel panel data on more than 13,000 installations in Germany. Identification rests on a spatial difference-in-differences design exploiting exact geographical coordinates of households, biogas installations and wind direction and intensity. We find limited evidence for negative externalities: impacts are moderate in size and spatially confined to a radius of $2,000$ metres around plants. We discuss implications for research and regional planning, in particular minimum setback distances and potential monetary compensations.

Available as CEP Discussion Paper (opens in new tab) and as IZA Discussion Paper

Abstract

We estimate the causal effect of the diffusion of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on the share of battery electric vehicles (BEV) in the total vehicle fleet in Germany. Our estimates are based on instruments that induce exogenous variation in global radiation to PV installation. We find that PV adoption had a strong positive effect on the adoption of battery electric vehicles. PV adoption caused around a third of the increase in the battery electric vehicle share between 2017 and 2022 in Germany. We do not find evidence for reverse effects from BEV adoption on PV adoption. Our results imply that using PV can have effects beyond the technology itself.

Full paper available at SSRN

Local Resistance to the Adoption of Renewable Energy Technologies in Germany.

Abstract

The well-studied S-shaped diffusion of technologies allows us to test whether the adoption rate of renewable energy plants differs between German NUTS-3 regions in which a successful referendum against a single plant was organized and the remaining regions. We use a panel data set on the NUTS-3 level from 1992 to 2011 and control for NUTS-3 and year fixed effects. We exploit the fact that referenda are mainly organized on the municipal district level against a single plant or building area. Our study reveals that the adoption rate (i.e. the first difference in the diffusion level) is indeed lower in NUTS-3 regions where a successful referendum took place. This finding is valid for wind power and large biomass plants. We interpret this as evidence that potential investors in wind power and large biomass plants not only avoid the municipal district where a referendum was organized but stay away from the municipal district's NUTS-3 region.

Public Charging Infrastructure and Electric Vehicles in Norway.

(with Felix Schulz), 2022. Energy Policy. DOI:10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112660, final working paper version at SSRN, replication files, tu-darmstadt.de gives a summary. Abstract

Early-stage spatial disease surveillance of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in Germany with crowdsourced data.

(with Timo Mitze), 2022. Scientific Reports. DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-04573-1, revised working paper version at medRxiv, SI Appendix (opens in new tab), replication files, news-medical.net gives a summary, F.A.Z. Wissen – der Podcast discusses the study. Abstract

Voting after a major flood: Is there a link between democratic experience and retrospective voting?

(with Michael Neugart), 2021. European Economic Review. DOI:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103665, final working paper version at SSRN, tu-darmstadt.de contains a related interview. Abstract

Face Masks Considerably Reduce COVID-19 Cases in Germany

(with Timo Mitze, Reinhold Kosfeld and Klaus Wälde), 2020. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI:10.1073/pnas.2015954117
Additional information: SI Appendix and Replication files. Revised working paper: CESifo Working Paper, first version: IZA Discussion Paper, Covid Economics. Related posts: VoxEU.org, ökonomenstimme.org. Wide media coverage: e.g., in Forbes , The Times, SPIEGEL Wissenschaft, FAZ.NET, tagesschau.de, Sueddeutsche.de, NDR podcast Coronavirus-Update. Altmetric indicates a very high attention score and links to media coverage. Abstract

Classroom or Pub – Where are Persistent Peer Relationships between University Students Formed?

(with Thomas Fischer), 2020. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization- DOI:10.1016/j.jebo.2020.07.019, final working paper version at SSRN, tu-darmstadt.de contains a short summary, there is a description in a podcast (starting min. 11, episode 3). Abstract

Does Localized Imitation Drive Technology Adoption? A Case Study on Rooftop Photovoltaic Systems in Germany

(with Alexander Weber), 2016. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. DOI:10.1016/j.jeem.2016.02.001, also, see Energiewirtschaftliche Tagesfragen. Abstract

Loading...
Loading data from TUbiblio…

Error on loading data

An error has occured when loading publications data from TUbiblio. Please try again later.

  • {{ year }}

    • ({{ publication.date.toString().substring(0,4) }}):
      {{ publication.title }}.
      In: {{ publication.series }}, {{ publication.volume }}, In: {{ publication.book_title }}, In: {{ publication.publication }}, {{ publication.journal_volume}} ({{ publication.number }}), ppp. {{ publication.pagerange }}, {{ publication.place_of_pub }}, {{ publication.publisher }}, {{ publication.institution }}, {{ publication.event_location }}, {{ publication.event_dates }}, ISSN {{ publication.issn }}, e-ISSN {{ publication.eissn }}, ISBN {{ publication.isbn }}, {{ labels[publication.type]?labels[publication.type]:publication.type }}
    • […]

Number of items in this list: {{ publicationsList.length }}
Only the {{publicationsList.length}} latest publications are displayed here.

View complete list at TUbiblio View this list at TUbiblio

AURÖ-Workshop for Young Researchers: „Environmental and Resource Economics“, Hagen, Germany, 4th and 5th of May, 2023.

Joint Konstanz/St. Gallen Workshop on Applied Microeconomics, Konstanz, Germany, 5th of October, 2021.

9th Mannheim Conference on Energy and the Environment, Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW), Mannheim, Germany, 20th and 21st of May, 2021.

VfS Annual Conference, Virtual Conference, Germany, 27th to 30th of September, 2020.

VfS Annual Conference, Leipzig, Germany, 22nd to 25th of September, 2019.

24th Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Manchester, UK, 26th to 29th of June 2019.

27th Silvaplana Workshop on Political Economy, Pontresina, Switzerland, 22th to 26th of July, 2018.

Regional Studies Association Annual Conference 2018, Lugano, Switzerland, 3rd to 6th of June, 2018.

7th Workshop Regional Economics, ifo Institute Dresden Branch, Germany, 28th and 29th of September, 2017.

Congress of the European Regional Science Association, Vienna, Austria, 23rd to 26th of August 2016.

Fifth Mannheim Energy Conference, Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW), Mannheim, 19th and 20th of May, 2016.

ZEW Summer Workshop for Young Economists, Centre for European Economic Research, 6th to 9th July, 2015.

Fourth Mannheim Energy Conference, Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, Germany, 7th and 8th of May, 2015.

American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting, Chicago, USA, 21st to 25th of April, 2015.

World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economics (WCERE), Istanbul, Turkey, 27th of June to 2nd of July, 2014.

Doctoral Seminar on Energy, Environment and Well-Being, Institute for Advanced Studies (Hanse Wissenschaftskolleg – HWK), Delmenhorst, Germany, 5th and 6th of June, 2014.

Economic Geography and International Trade (EGIT) Research Meeting, CESifo Conference Centre, Munich, Germany, 7th and 8th of March, 2014.

3rd Workshop on Regional Economics, ifo Institute Dresden Branch, Germany, 24th and 25th of October, 2013.

2nd SEEK Conference “The Green Growth Challenge”, Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, Germany, 9th and 10th of March, 2012.

“20. Deutschsprachige Kolloquium für Theorie und Quantitative Methoden in der Geographie”, Hamburg University, Germany, 23th to 25th of February, 2012.

VfS Annual Conference, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, 4th to 7th of September, 2011.

Congress of the European Regional Science Association, Barcelona, Spain, 30th of August to 3rd of September, 2011.

26th Congress of the European Economic Association, Oslo, Norway, 25th to 29th of August, 2011.

Vth World Conference of the Spatial Econometrics Association, Toulouse, France, 6th to 8th of July, 2011.

8th International Conference on the European Energy Market, Zagreb, Croatia, 25th to 27th of May, 2011.

“19. deutschsprachige Kolloquium für Theorie und Quantitative Methoden in der Geographie”, Heidelberg University, Germany, 24th to 26th of February, 2011.

3rd bi-annual EURA conference “Understanding City Dynamics”, Darmstadt, Germany, 24th to 26th of September, 2010.

Zvi Griliches Research Summer School in the Economics of Innovation, Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, Spain, 12th to 14th of July, 2010.

last modified: February 28, 2024