The Role of Policy Design and Implementation in Shaping Energy Program Performance

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

As climate change accelerates, energy policy must be not only well-designed but also effectively implemented. This panel, The Role of Policy Design and Implementation in Shaping Energy Program Performance, explores how administrative, regulatory, and institutional choices shape the real-world impact of energy programs. Drawing on national and subnational contexts, the papers examine how decisions about program administration, service delivery, and information dissemination influence program outcomes, access, and equity. Together, the panel highlights the effectiveness of energy policy depends not only on what is enacted, but on how it is operationalized across agencies, sectors, and communities.

This panel aligns closely with the APPAM conference theme, Forging Collaborations for Transformative and Resilient Policy Solutions, by illustrating how interagency coordination, regulatory design, and engagement with service users shape policy effectiveness and durability. Each paper underscores the value of collaboration – between government levels, between public and private actors, and between policymakers and program participants – in creating policy systems that are both adaptive, equitable, and effective.

The first paper (Anthony & Graff) analyzes a decade of state-level LIHEAP data to examine how agency type, program timing, outreach methods, and coordination with other services affect participation rates, emphasizing the role of implementation. The second paper (Gao & Han) uses smart meter data to evaluate behavioral outcomes in energy rebate programs, revealing increased post-participation energy use among low-income households can reflect improved well-being and energy justice measures. The third paper (White & Graff) investigates the administrative burdens of accessing hardship assistance in Australia’s privatized electricity market, showing how complex and inconsistent application processes can limit access to essential support. The fourth paper (Hellerstein) estimates the effects of building energy disclosure policies in Los Angeles and Boston, using a regression discontinuity design to provide causal evidence on energy use reductions resulting from transparency regulations.

By centering implementation dynamics, this panel contributes to a broader understanding of energy policy as a system to address climate change. The findings show how program design and delivery mechanisms can either reinforce or undermine program goals. Collectively, these papers argue for a more integrated and evidence-based approach to energy policy – one that recognizes implementation as a critical site for the realization of durable solutions.

Policy Area

• Natural Resource, Energy, and Environmental Policy

Secondary Policy Area

• Politics, Media, and the Policy Process

Chair

• Saba Siddiki, Syracuse University

Discussants

• Destenie Nock, Carnegie Mellon University

• Elizabeth Baldwin, University of Arizona

Organizer

• Michelle Graff, Georgia Institute of Technology

Individual Presentations

• Patterns and Variations in Energy Assistance Implementation - Presenting Author: Ryan Elliott Anthony, Georgia Institute of Technology; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Michelle Graff, Georgia Institute of Technology

• From Co-Production to Value Creation: Understanding Heterogeneous Outcomes in Energy Efficiency Programs - Presenting Author: Daniel Han, Florida State University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Xue Gao, Florida State University

• Estimating the effect of energy disclosure requirements on building energy use - Presenting Author: Ben Hellerstein, Indiana University