Biography
Carolyn Fischer's research focuses on policy mechanisms and modeling tools that cut across environmental issues, including environmental policy design and technological change, international trade and environmental policies, and resource economics. In the areas of climate change and energy policy, she has investigated the implications of different designs for emissions trading programs, particularly with respect to allocation schemes, and has also conducted research on CAFE standards, renewable portfolio standards, and energy efficiency programs. In areas of natural resource management, her research addresses issues of wildlife conservation, invasive species, and biotechnology, with particular emphasis on the opportunities and challenges posed by international trade.
With RFF since 1997, Fischer has taught at Johns Hopkins University and served as a staff economist for the Council of Economic Advisors.
Ph.D. in economics, University of Michigan, 1997.
B.A. in international relations and economics, University of Pennsylvania, 1990.
Professional Experience
Fellow, Resources for the Future, 1997 - present.
Instructor, Johns Hopkins University, 1999.
Research and teaching assistant, University of Michigan, Department of Economics, 1992 - 1996.
Staff Economist, Council of Economic Advisors, 1994 - 1995.
Intern for Land, Capital Assets, and Global Change Branch of USDA's Economic Research Service, Resources and Technology Division, Summer 1992.
Economic Analyst for World Service division of The WEFA Group, 1990 - 1991.
Journal Articles
Environmental and Technology Policies for Climate Change and Renewable Energy Carolyn Fischer and Richard Newell Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | Related Discussion Paper 04-05
Output-Based Allocation of Emissions Permits for Mitigating Tax and Trade Interactions Carolyn Fischer and Alan K. Fox Land Economics | forthcoming
International Technology-Oriented Agreements to Address Climate Change Helen de Coninck, Carolyn Fischer, Richard G. Newell, and Takahiro Ueno Energy Policy | forthcoming
Do Market Failures Justify Tightening Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards Ian Parry, Carolyn Fischer and Winston Harrington Energy Journal | forthcoming
Is There a Rationale for Rebating of Environmental Levies? Alain L. Bernard, Carolyn Fischer, Alan K. Fox Resource & Energy Economics | 2007 | Vol. 29, No. 2 | pp. 83-101 | Related Discussion Paper 01-31
Emissions Pricing, Spillovers, and Public Investment in Environmentally Friendly Technologies Carolyn Fischer Energy Economics | Related Discussion Paper 04-02
Carbon Abatement Costs: Why the Wide Range of Estimates? Carolyn Fischer and Richard Morgenstern The Energy Journal | 2006 | Vol. 27, No. 2 | pp. 73-86 | Related Discussion Paper 03-42-REV
On the Importance of the Supply Side in Demand-Side Management Carolyn Fischer Energy Economics | 2005 | Vol. 27, No. 1 | pp. 165 - 180 | Related Discussion Paper 04-11
Project-based mechanisms for emissions reductions: balancing trade-offs with baselines Carolyn Fischer Energy Policy | 2005 | Vol. 33, No. 14 | pp. 1807 - 1823 | Related Discussion Paper 02-23 doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2004.02.016
Competition in markets for depletable resources with setup
costs Carolyn Fischer Environmental and Resource Economics | 2005 | Vol. 30, No. 3 | pp. 243 - 257 | Related Discussion Paper 98-25
How trade politics affect invasive species control Michael Margolis, Jason F. Shogren and Carolyn Fischer Ecological Economics | February 2005 | Vol. 52, No. 3 | 305-313
Optimal Investment in Clean Production Capacity Carolyn Fischer, Michael A. Toman, and Cees Withagen Environmental and Resource Economics | 2004 | Vol. 28, No. 3 | pp. 325-345 | Related Discussion Paper 02-38
Monopoly Extraction of an Exhaustible Resource with Two Markets Carolyn Fischer, Ramanan Laxminarayan Canadian Journal of Economics | 2004 | Vol. 37, No. 1 | pp. 178-188 | Related Discussion Paper 04-08
Sequential Development and Exploitation of an Exhaustible Resource: Do Monopoly Rights Promote Conservation? Carolyn Fischer and Ramanan Laxminarayan Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | 2004 | Vol. 49., No. 3 | pp. 500-515
The Complex Interactions of Markets for Endangered Species Products Carolyn Fischer Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | 2004 | 48 (2) | pp. 926 - 953 | Related Discussion Paper 02-21
Instrument Choice for Environmental Protection when Technological Innovation is Endogenous Carolyn Fischer, Ian W.H. Parry, and William A. Pizer Journal of Environmental Economics and Management | 2003 | Vo. 45 | pp. 523-545 | Related Discussion Paper 99-04
Combining Rate-Based and Cap-and-Trade Emissions Policies Carolyn Fischer Climate Policy | 2003 | 3S2 | S89-S109. | Related Discussion Paper 03-32
Climate Change Policy Choices and Technical Innovation Carolyn Fischer Minerals and Energy | 2003 | 2 | pp. 1-9
How Important is Technological Innovation in Protecting the Environment? Ian W. H. Parry, William A. Pizer and Carolyn Fischer Journal of Regulatory Economics | 2003 | 23 | pp. 237-255 | Related Discussion Paper 00-15
How Large are the Welfare Gains from Technological Innovation Induced by Environmental Policies? Ian W.H. Parry, William A. Pizer, and Carolyn Fischer Journal of Regulatory Economics | 2003 | Vol. 54 | pp. 39-60 | Related Discussion Paper 01-28
Read This Paper Later: Procrastination with Time-Consistent Preferences Carolyn Fischer Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization | 2001 | Vol. 46, No. 3 | pp. 249-269
Multinational Taxation and International Emissions Trading Carolyn Fischer Resource & Energy Economics | 2001 | forthcoming | Related Discussion Paper 01-18
Using Emissions Trading to Regulate U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: An Overview of Policy Design and Implementation Issues Michael A. Toman, Carolyn Fischer, and Suzi Kerr National Tax Journal | September 1998 | Vol. 51, No. 3 | pp. 453-464
Rewarding Automakers for Fuel Economy Improvements Carolyn Fischer and Paul R. Portney New Approaches on Energy and the Environment: Policy Advice for the President | Richard D. Morgenstern and Paul R. Portney, eds. | RFF Press | 2004 | Chapter 6
Economic Issues Related to Design of a Domestic Permit Trading System Carolyn Fischer Global Warming in Asian Pacific | Chi-Cheng, Robert Mendelsohn and Daigee Shaw, editors | Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar Publishing, Ltd. | 2003
Multilateral Trade Agreements and Market-Based Environmental Policies Carolyn Fischer, Sandra Hoffmann, and Yutaka Yoshino In Critical Issues in International Environmental Taxation: International and Comparative Perspectives, Volume 1 | Janet Milne, Kurt Deketelaere, Larry Kreiser, and Hope Ashiabor, eds. | Richmond, UK: Richmond Law and Tax Ltd. | 2003
Air Pollution Control Policy Options for Metro Manila
C. Fischer, A. Krupnick, R. Morgenstern, K. Rolfe, B. Rufo, and J. Logarta Asian Development Bank (ADB) | 2002 Manila, Philippines, ADB Draft Report.
International Emissions Trading Design and Tax Shifting by Multinational Corporations Carolyn Fischer Critical Issues in International Environmental Taxation | Lawrence Kreiser, ed. | Riverwoods, IL: CCH Inc. | 2001
Using Emissions Trading to Regulate National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Carolyn Fischer, Suzi Kerr, Michael A. Toman Climate Change Economics and Policy: An RFF Anthology
| Michael A. Toman | Washington, DC: RFF Press | 2001
Environmentally and Economically Damaging Subsidies: Concepts and Illustrations
Carolyn Fischer and Michael A. Toman Climate Change Economics and Policy: An RFF Anthology
| Michael A. Toman | Washington, DC: RFF Press | 2001
Climate Change Policy Choices and Technical Innovation Carolyn Fischer Climate Change Economics and Policy: An RFF Anthology
| Michael A. Toman | Washington, DC: RFF Press | 2001
Purchase of Development Rights Programs and the Economics of Easements
H. Buist, C. Fischer, J. Michos and A. Tegene U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 1995
Short Articles, Issue Briefs, and Other Publications
Comparing Environmental and Technology Policies for Climate Mitigation and Renewable Energy Carolyn Fischer Seale Center Research Roundtable on Alternative Energy | Northwestern University Law School | Chicago, IL | April 18, 2008
Competing Environmental Labels Carolyn Fischer Montreal Natural Resources and Environmental Economics Workshop | University of Montreal | Montreal, Quebec | February 29, 2008
Competing Environmental Labels Carolyn Fischer EPA-NCER Workshop on Environmental Behavior and Decision-Making: Corporate Environmental Behavior | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) | New York, NY | January 15, 2008
Using RECs for Carbon Offsets: What are the Economic Issues? Carolyn Fischer FTC workshop on carbon offsets &renewable energy certificates | Federal Trade Commission | Washington, DC | January 8, 2008
Environmental and technology policies for climate mitigation Carolyn Fischer Institute for Public Utilities 9th Annual Regulatory Policy Conference | Institute for Public Utilities, Michigan State University | Charleston, SC | December 4, 2007
Spatial Management of Invasive Alien Species Carolyn Fischer Economics of Invasive Species in the Great Lakes | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | October 8, 2007 Economics Seminar, Universidad de Guanajuato, 10/12/07
When Revenue Recycling Isn't Enough: Permit Allocation Strategies to Minimize Intra- and International Emissions Leakage
Carolyn Fischer and Alan Fox University of California, Berkeley, Energy Institute seminar | August 24, 2007 15th EAERE Annual Conference | EAERE | University of Macedonia, Greece | June 28, 2007
10th GTAP Conference, Purdue, IN | June 7, 2007 (presented by Fox)
Climate Policy Network meeting | March 9, 2007
AEA meetings | AERE session | Chicago, IL | January 5, 2007
Are Consumers or Fuel Economy Policies Efficient? Carolyn Fischer Transportation and Climate Policy | Institute for Transportation Studies, UC-Davis | Asilomar, CA | August 23, 2007
The Complex Interactions of Markets for Endangered Species Products Carolyn Fischer European Summer School in Resource and Environmental Economics: Trade, Property Rights and Biodiversity | EAERE, FEEM, and VIU | Venice International University | July 6, 2007
Environmental and technology policies for climate mitigation Carolyn Fischer Innovation policy and Accelerating Clean Energy Technology | OECD | Paris | April 5, 2007 Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, Environmental Economics and Policy Seminar Series (presented by Richard Newell 4/3/07);
London School of Economics (presented by Richard Newell, 3/12/07)
A Bioeconomic Model of Community Incentives
for Wildlife Management Before and After CAMPFIRE Carolyn Fischer 8th Annual BIOECON Conference on the Economic Analysis of Ecology and Biodiversity | BIOdiversity and Economics for CONservation - BIOECON | Kings College, Cambridge, UK | August 30, 2006
How Can Renewable Portfolio Standards Lower Electricity Prices? Carolyn Fischer II Atlantic Workshop on Energy and Environmental Externalities | University of Vigo | A Toxa, Spain | June 26, 2006
A Bioeconomic Model of Community Incentives for Wildlife Management Carolyn Fischer FRAP Conference on Management of Conflicts Between Wildlife and Human Resource Use | UFZ | Leipzig, Germany | January 26, 2006
Output-Based Allocation of Emissions Permits for Mitigating Tax and Trade Interactions Carolyn Fischer DIW Energy, Transportation and Environment Seminar | German Institute for Economic Research | Berlin, Germany | January 24, 2006
Output-Based Allocation of Emissions Permits for Mitigating Tax and Trade Interactions Carolyn Fischer Economics Seminar | University of Oslo | Oslo | November 10, 2005
Environmental and Technology Policies for Climate Change and Renewable Energy Carolyn Fischer Climate Change Policies and Induced Technological Change - National and International Perspectives | Statistics Norway | Oslo, Norway | October 20, 2005
Why the Supply Side Matters for Demand-Side Management Carolyn Fischer International Energy Program Evaluation Conference | IEPEC | Brooklyn, NY | August 17, 2005
The Future of Alternative Fuels (Commentary) Carolyn Fischer Energy 2050 | Resources for the Future | Washington, DC | July 20, 2005
Regulating Private Decisions to Optimally Manage Resources Carolyn Fischer 2005 Summer Workshop: Natural Resources at Risk | AERE | Jackson, WY | June 13, 2005 Environmental Economics Seminar, University of Gothenburg
Do Market Failures Justify Tightening Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards? Carolyn Fischer Joint Seminar in Resource Economics | University of Montreal, HEC, McGill, and Concordia | Montreal, Quebec | March 10, 2005
Environmental and Technology Policies for Climate Change and Renewable Energy Carolyn Fischer Seminar | Joint Global Change Research Institute | College Park, MD | November 16, 2004
The Appropriate Scope for National Wildlife Trade Reviews Carolyn Fischer Workshop on Economic Incentives and Wildlife Trade Policy | Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) | Geneva, Switzerland | December 1, 2003
Determining Project-Based Emissions Baselines with Incomplete Information Carolyn Fischer Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource | EAERE | Bilbao, Spain | June 29, 2003
Combining Rate-Based and Cap-and Trade Emissions Policies Carolyn Fischer Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource | EAERE | Bilbao, Spain | June 20, 2003
US Experiences with Emissions Trading Carolyn Fischer Economics for Environmental Policy-making | Environment Canada | Aylmer, Quebec | February 25, 2003
The Effects of Emissions Trading and Other Climate Policies
on Innovation Carolyn Fischer Climate Protection and Emissions Trading - U.S. and European Views | Egon Sohmen Foundation | Dresden, Germany | October 25, 2002
Economic Issues Related to Design of a Domestic Permit Trading System Carolyn Fischer Business Council for Sustainable Development | Washington, D.C. | July 1, 2002 Also presented at the Taipei Conference on Policies for Greenhouse Gases Reduction and Pollution Control in Asian-Pacific, Taiwan, November 2000.
Action Plan for Air Pollution Control in Metro Manila Carolyn Fischer Asian Development Bank (ADB) Workshop | ADB | Manila, The Philippines | June 1, 2002
Multilateral Trade Agreements and Market-Based Environmental Policies Carolyn Fischer Third Annual Global Conference on Environmental Taxation | Woodstock, VT | April 1, 2002
Output-Based Allocation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Carolyn Fischer Canadian Federal/Provincial Working Group on Air Quality Objectives and Guidelines (WGAQOG) | WGAQOG | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | October 1, 2001 Also presented at the Conseil d'analyse economique (French Council of Economic Advisors), Paris, France, December 2001.
Is There a Rationale for Rebating Environmental Levies? A. Bernard, C. Fischer, and M. Vielle Energy Modeling Forum | Laxenburg, Austria | June 1, 2001
Multinational Taxation and International Emissions Trading Carolyn Fischer Second Annual Global Conference on Environmental Taxation Issues | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | April 1, 2001 Also presented at the Concerted Action for Tradable Emissions Permits Workshop, sponsored by FEEM, Venice, Italy, December 2001.
Instrument Choice for Environmental Protection when Technological Innovation is Endogenous Carolyn Fischer Workshop on Innovation-Oriented Environmental Regulation: Theoretical Approaches and Empirical Analysis | European Commission Joint Research Centre/German Ministry for Research | Potsdam, Germany | May 1, 1999
Awards
Fellow, Norwegian Academy of Sciences, Center for Advanced Study on Environmental Economics, 2005.
Joseph L. Fisher Dissertation Award, Resources for the Future, 1996 - 1997.
Rackham Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Michigan, 1995 - 1996.
Summer Institute in Behavioral Economics, University of California at Berkeley, sponsored by the Russell Sage Foundation, Summer, 1996.
Third-Year Paper Prize, University of Michigan Department of Economics, 1994.
International Relations Senior Class Valedictorian, University of Pennsylvania, 1990.
Benjamin Franklin Scholar, University of Pennsylvania, 1986 - 1990.
Professional Activities
Committees: AERE Program Committee, 2005-2008.
Reviewer for Climate Policy Ecological Economics Environment and Development Economics Environmental and Resource Economics International Journal of Industrial Organization Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization Journal of Environmental Economics and Management Journal of Public Economics Journal of Regulatory Economics Resource and Energy Economics
