Meta-analysis upweights studies reporting lower standard errors and hence more precision. But in observational settings, precision is not given to the researcher. Precision must be estimated, and thus can be p-hacked to achieve statistical significance. Simulations and applications show that spurious precision can invalidate inverse-variance weighting and bias-correction methods based on the funnel plot. Selection… Continue reading Spurious Precision in Meta-Analysis of Observational Research

CO2 pricing via taxes or emission trading schemes (ETS) should create incentives for companies and individuals to reduce their carbon footprint. We exploit a large meta-dataset of price elasticities for heating and cooling energy sources. We compare elasticities from both state-led and market-led changes, controlling for study-design characteristics. Our working hypothesis is that taxes and… Continue reading State vs market: Do sources of energy price changes matter for demand elasticities?

We follow a registered pre-analysis plan (\href{https://osf.io/zdche}{https://osf.io/zdche}) to create a large meta-dataset from the international literature on price elasticities of energy demand for heating and cooling of households and businesses. The dataset comprises 442 primary studies with more than 4971 price elasticity estimates, their standard errors as well as relevant study and observation characteristics. We… Continue reading The Price Elasticity of Heating and Cooling Energy Demand: A Meta-Analysis

Meta-analyses in economics frequently exhibit considerable overlap among primary samples. If not addressed, sample overlap leads to efficiency losses and inflated rates of false positives at the meta-analytical level. Bom and Rachinger (2020) propose a generalized-weights approach to handle sample overlap. This approach effectively approximates the correlation structure between primary estimates using information on sample… Continue reading Accounting for Sample Overlap in Economics Meta-Analyses: The Generalized-Weights Method in Practice

Approaches to assessing the strengths and limitations of qualitative studies included in evidence syntheses continue to be discussed in the synthesis community (e.g., Garside 2014, Noyes et al. 2023). This presentation discusses such strengths and limitations in the application of evidence quality and confidence in findings assessments we used in a review of food production… Continue reading Managing expectations in the application of quality and strength of evidence assessments in qualitative synthesis

Systematic reviews, renowned for their explicit methodologies in identifying, appraising, analyzing, and synthesizing study findings, have played a crucial role in shaping research, policy, and practice across various sectors, from health to international development and environmental management. In the realm of environmental and development research, the unique complexities and nature of these fields have led… Continue reading Applying Qualitative Synthesis Methods in Environment and Development: Challenges and Lessons Learned

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is a critical component of strategies to limit global warming to well below 2°C. Development and deployment of CDR methods will be crucial in the next decades as CDR needs to be scaled to several gigatonnes by mid-century. How CDR is perceived will play a vital role for this process, as… Continue reading A systematic mixed-methods review of public perceptions on carbon dioxide removal

Global discourses surrounding the low-carbon transition increasingly feature calls for equity and justice. Momentum behind just transition principles is growing, evolving significantly from their introduction by U.S. trade unions in the 1980s. Recently, just transition principles have begun shaping policies and governance strategies internationally. Some approaches focus narrowly on worker protections in industries undergoing structural… Continue reading Just transitions and Green New Deals: concept synthesis of the qualitative literature

Large scale, complex problems like climate change require inter-institutional coordination and partnership to produce holistic, comprehensive solutions. As climate actors agree upon the need to ensure that sustainability transitions take place as “Just Transitions” they must reckon with how to operationalize subjective concepts like “justice” in their sustainability plans. The globalized nature of these transitions,… Continue reading Mixed Methods Synthesis to Evaluate Coordination of Community and Climate Actor Just Transition Priorities

The global evidence-base on the effectiveness of climate change adaptation interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been rapidly growing in recent years, particularly in the agricultural and coastal sectors. This paper presentation addresses the question of whether results are consistent across pre-defined types of interventions, outcomes and sectors using a systematic review of… Continue reading Nature based solutions: an evidenced-based hype? A systematic review of the effectiveness of adaptation interventions in agricultural and coastal sectors

Assessment of the effectiveness of adaptation featured in several sections of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Reports. However, the main challenge still exists in defining effective adaptation, given the context- and region-specific characteristics of adaptation. With the recent global adaptation targets adopted at COP28 in the global goal on adaptation (GGA) framework, establishing the guiding principles… Continue reading What is effective adaptation in the context of the Global Goal on Adaptation

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the organising agenda for global development, with SDG 13 in particular calling for climate action. While developed countries bear primary responsibility for the climate crisis, climate change is potentially devastating for low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs). There is a need for rigorous evidence about which programmes and policies are… Continue reading What is the state of evidence on SDG 13 outcomes in low- and middle-income countries?