Energy Policy Institute at Chicago

Energy Policy Institute at Chicago
Name	Energy Policy Institute at Chicago
Established	2011
Type	Research center
Location	University of Chicago, Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois
Director	Michael Greenstone
Affiliations	University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Contents

Energy Policy Institute at Chicago The Energy Policy Institute at Chicago is a multidisciplinary research center based at the University of Chicago that conducts empirical analysis of energy, environmental, and climate-related policy issues. It connects scholars from Booth School of Business, Harris School of Public Policy, Department of Economics, University of Chicago, and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering with practitioners from U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and international institutions such as the International Energy Agency and the World Bank. The institute emphasizes data-driven evaluation, randomized controlled trials, and integrated assessment methods influenced by work at institutions like National Bureau of Economic Research and Resources for the Future.

History

Founded in 2011 through a gift by the Dow Chemical Company-affiliated philanthropist David J. Chai and supported by endowments from benefactors including Mellon Foundation and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the institute grew out of collaborations among researchers at the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Early initiatives linked to major projects such as the Clean Air Act-related emissions monitoring and studies of Chicago Climate Exchange-era carbon markets, while comparative analyses drew on case studies from the European Union Emissions Trading System and policy reforms in China. Leadership and faculty appointments included scholars with affiliations to Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Princeton University, and Yale University, creating academic networks with centers like the Harvard Kennedy School and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.

The institute's mission foregrounds rigorous empirical evaluation of policy instruments such as carbon tax, cap and trade, and renewable portfolio standard implementations across jurisdictions including California, Texas, and India. Research themes integrate energy system modeling used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change authors, econometric analysis associated with Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences-winner methodologies, and field experiments akin to those conducted by J-PAL (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab). Work spans applied microeconomics referenced by scholars from London School of Economics, University College London, and Columbia University, and technological innovation assessments paralleling studies at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The institute operates under the administrative umbrella of the University of Chicago and collaborates with the Booth School of Business, Harris School of Public Policy, and the Department of Economics, University of Chicago. Directors and senior fellows have included faculty with ties to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Yale University, and Harvard University. Advisory board members have represented the U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, World Resources Institute, International Monetary Fund, and private sector partners such as Exelon and General Electric. Organizational units include research groups focused on air quality and health consistent with work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, climate and macroeconomics aligned with International Monetary Fund modeling, and technology and innovation teams connected to National Science Foundation-funded studies.

Signature programs include large-scale evaluations of air pollution interventions similar to projects by the Global Burden of Disease consortium and randomized trials on household energy interventions comparable to studies by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grantees. Initiatives include policy fellowships modeled on programs at the Brookings Institution and the Wilson Center, a data lab interoperable with datasets from U.S. Energy Information Administration, and convenings that attract participants from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process, G20 energy ministers, and the Clean Energy Ministerial. Other efforts parallel innovation incubators at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and finance-oriented programs that engage entities like the World Bank Group and International Finance Corporation.

The institute publishes working papers and peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Nature Energy, Energy Economics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and American Economic Review-style outlets. It produces policy briefs used by agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission and contributes to assessment reports akin to those by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Data releases and open-source code repositories follow standards advocated by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and have been cited in reports by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Energy Agency.

Category:Research institutes