Women in power: the role of gender in renewable energy policymaking

Abstract

Do female policymakers encourage the production of renewable energy compared to their male counterparts? Using instrumental variables, we conduct a cross-country analysis of 39 high-income countries for the years 1997–2020 using quota laws and women’s suffrage as instruments for women’s participation in the parliament. We find that a 1 percentage point increase in the proportion of women in the legislature increases renewable energy production by 1.54 percentage points. This study suggests that fostering policies that boost women’s participation in policy-making positions is beneficial, especially when considering the positive spillover to other countries.

Keywords

• female political representation
• energy economics
• climate change