Energy transition and alternative fuels. How can public policy sell you a new car?

Abstract

To solve issues related to sustainable mobility, and in particular to the sale of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), public policy has to produce a change in the behaviour of citizens. Scholarly research has mainly investigated the causal power of policy instruments individually, while few studies address how interactions of different types of policy instrument can causally affect individual behaviour. Building on the policy design literature, a specific combination of positive and negative inducements can put in motion a mechanism that can change individual behaviour desirably, by narrowing the possible choices of the policy takers to a single and clear behavioural pattern. In order to test whether the interaction effect takes place, we will analyse the policy mixes adopted by five Italian regions to reduce environmental pollution in the period 2000-2005. Qualitative comparative analysis will be used to identify which combinations of policy instrument were more effective in inducing environmental-friendly consumer behaviours.