Dissertation Research
Background
Deep-rooted inequities in our current energy system have led to millions of Americans struggling to pay their energy bills.
My research is pivoted on the societal challenge of ensuring energy and climate justice for the most vulnerable populations as the effects of climate change become more severe and frequent.
Goals
I use Theories of Policy Feedback, Social Construction, and Policy Diffusion to understand the process and consequences of the feedback effects of energy policies on socio-economic and racial minorities, and the climate policies targeted at these groups.
Policies and Programs
I study feedback effects through administrative burdens, barriers, and disparities in program participation for means-tested home energy assistance programs. I also study the enablers for the adoption and diffusion of solar incentives for low and middle-income U.S. households.
Implications
My research has important implications for advancing our understanding of burdens and barriers to program participation in means-tested policies and centering vulnerable communities in the discourse on energy equity and climate justice.
Peer-reviewed publications
Policy Feedback, Energy Equity, and Climate Justice
Can Existing Policies Improve Solar Access for Low- and Moderate-Income Communities in the U.S.?
Forthcoming in PS: Political Science & Politics
Abstract:
Despite the proliferation of rooftop solar in the U.S., its deployment and associated benefits have not been distributed equitably. Many states have adopted targeted incentives to improve access to rooftop solar and increase its uptake amongst low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. This paper examines the policy feedback effects of energy efficiency policies and electricity sector portfolio standards on the adoption and diffusion of LMI solar incentives across states. Event history analyses indicate that, between 2010 and 2019, the adoption and diffusion of the incentives has been conditional on the state’s portfolio standards, but independent of energy efficiency policies. Feedback effects from the portfolio standards in neighboring states are found to have a regressive impact on the likelihood of adoption. Hence, the feedback effects of previously adopted renewable energy policies are helping states to better serve vulnerable communities; however, there is no evidence of geographic clustering in the diffusion of incentives.
The adoption of LMI solar incentives in U.S. states, 2010-2019.