Green governments

TL;DR

This paper investigates the impact of Green governments on environmental, economic, and educational outcomes using a natural experiment in Germany, finding limited influence on emissions and renewable energy, but some effects on education.

Contribution

It employs the synthetic control method to analyze the causal effects of Green governments, providing new evidence on their actual policy impacts.

Findings

No significant effect on CO2 emissions or overall renewable energy use.

Wind power share decreased during Green government tenure.

Green policies did not significantly alter macroeconomic outcomes.

Abstract

We examine how Green governments influence environmental, macroeconomic, and education outcomes. We exploit that the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan gave rise to an unanticipated change in government in the German state Baden-Wuerttemberg in 2011. Using the synthetic control method, we find no evidence that the Green government influenced CO2 emissions or increased renewable energy usage overall. The share of wind power usage even decreased. Intra-ecological conflicts prevented the Green government from implementing drastic changes in environmental policies. The results do not suggest that the Green government influenced macroeconomic outcomes. Inclusive education policies caused comprehensive schools to become larger.