Identifying the Rebound: Theoretical Issues and Empirical Evidence from a German Household Panel

28 Pages Posted: 13 Mar 2007

See all articles by Manuel Frondel

Manuel Frondel

RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research ; Ruhr University Bochum (RUB)

Jörg Ankel-Peters

RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research; University of Passau - Business Administration and Economics

Colin Vance

RWI – Leibniz-Institute for Economic Research; Jacobs University Bremen

Date Written: February 2007

Abstract

Using a panel of household travel diary data collected in Germany between 1997 and 2005, this study assesses the effectiveness of fuel efficiency improvements by econometrically estimating the rebound effect, describing the extent to which higher efficiency causes additional travel.Following a theoretical discussion outlining three alternative definitions of the rebound effect, the econometric analysis generates corresponding estimates using panel methods to control for the effects of unobservables that could otherwise produce spurious results. Our results, which range between 56% and 66%, indicate a rebound that is substantially larger than obtained in other studies, calling into question the efficacy of recently implemented measures in the European Union targeted at technological innovations in the automotive sector.

Keywords: Household production, rebound effect, panel models

JEL Classification: D13, Q41

Suggested Citation

Frondel, Manuel and Ankel-Peters, Jörg and Vance, Colin, Identifying the Rebound: Theoretical Issues and Empirical Evidence from a German Household Panel (February 2007). RWI Discussion Paper No. 57, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=969395 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.969395

Manuel Frondel (Contact Author)

RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research ( email )

Hohenzollernstr. 1-3
45128 Essen
Germany

Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) ( email )

Universitätsstraße 150
Bochum, NRW 44780
Germany

Jörg Ankel-Peters

RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research ( email )

Hohenzollernstr. 1-3
45128 Essen
Germany
0049-201-8149-247 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.rwi-essen.de

University of Passau - Business Administration and Economics ( email )

Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultaet
Passau, D-94030
Germany

Colin Vance

RWI – Leibniz-Institute for Economic Research ( email )

Hohenzollernstr. 1-3
Essen, 45128
Germany
0049-201-8149-237 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.rwi-essen.de

Jacobs University Bremen ( email )

Campus Ring 1
Bremen, 28725
Germany

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
77
Abstract Views
855
Rank
563,673
PlumX Metrics