Renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) for electricity generation are politically popular in many U.S. states although economic analysis suggests they are not first-best policies. We present an empirical analysis of the political and economic factors that drive state governments to adopt an RPS,...

Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs) are a key policy measure used by U.S. states to increase their production of renewable electricity. Economic theory shows that RPSs are not first-best policy measures for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions or solving other environmental problems....

We present the first empirical analysis of the factors that drive state governments to adopt a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), and the factors that lead to the inclusion of in-state requirements given the adoption of an RPS. We find that states with poor air quality, strong democratic...

Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs) are a key policy measure used by states in the United States to increase their production of renewable electricity. Economic theory shows that RPSs are not first-best policy measures for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions or solving other environmental...