Lucy Qiu is an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy. She was previously an assistant professor in resource economics at Arizona State University. Her main research area is energy economics and policy. She has worked on research projects on renewable energy, energy efficiency, electricity pricing experiments and energy in the transportation sector. Qiu received an MA and PhD from Stanford University and a BEng from Tsinghua University.
See Qiu's research website for more details of her research projects, publications, and teaching interests.
- Energy & environmental economics, field experiments, technology & innovation economics, behavior experiments
Applies intermediate microeconomic theory to public policy issues: resource allocation by firms and consumers; the response of economic agents to changes in incentives; market allocations in competitive and non-competitive environments; and market failures and government remedies. Uses extended case studies of particular issues in such areas as the environment (acid rain), international trade (tariffs), industry regulation (cable TV), and the provision of public goods (highways).
Schedule of Classes
This course applies the concepts and tools from microeconomics and statistical analysis to energy policy issues. Covered topics include: 1) application of industrial organization to energy economics: oligopoly and oil industry (e.g. oil countries in middle east), natural monopoly and utilities, implications for social welfare and regulations; 2) application of welfare economics to energy economics: tragedy of the commons and extraction of non-renewable energy resources, externalities and Pigouvian tax; 3) behavioral economics and energy consumption: consumer utility maximization problem, risk profile, choice of energy technologies, choice of pricing, inertia, inattention, hyperbolic discounting, loss aversion, and role of policies in influencing behaviors such as information provision and nudges; 4) comparing different policy instruments in terms of cost-effectiveness and welfare impact: such as technology standards, tax, command and control, subsidies, cap and trade. and nudging; 5) empirical analysis applying econometrics and statistical analysis: impact of policies on utility company performance; impact of policies on energy consumption; impact of technology on energy performance using Pecan street and CSI solar data; technology decision analysis using CBECS and RECS data. Permission required.
Schedule of Classes
The Center for Global Sustainability focuses on policies that can help in accelerating the development and deployment of clean energy technologies. This includes assessment of emerging technologies, institutional structures and policies, and financing models both in the United States and in diverse global contexts.
Learn More about Energy Pathways: Innovation, Economics, and Policy