David Rapson

Education

• Ph.D., Economics, Boston University, Boston, 2008
• M.A., Economics, Queen's University, Kingston ON, Canada, 2003
• A.B., Economics, Dartmouth College, Hanover NH, 1999

About

Professor Rapson is an industrial organization economist focused on energy markets, climate policy and their effects on the economy. His research integrates economic theory and econometrics to study electricity pricing, transportation decarbonization, oil and gas markets, and sanctions. He uses field experiments and quasi-experimental methods to analyze how incentives and information shape consumer behavior and technology adoption. 

Research Focus

Professor Rapson conducts research in energy and environmental economics, industrial organization, and applied microeconomics.

Selected Recent Publications

• “The Impact of the 2022 Oil Embargo and Price Cap on Russian Oil Prices,” with Lutz Kilian and Burkhard Schipper. Energy Journal (forthcoming).
• “Energy Prices and Electric Vehicle Adoption,” with J. Bushnell, E. Muehlegger. Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics (forthcoming).
• “The Limits and Costs of Full Electrification,” with J. Bushnell. Review of Environmental Economics & Policy (2024), 18(1), 26-44.
• “Global Transportation Decarbonization,” with E. Muehlegger. Journal of Economic Perspectives (2023), 37(3): 163-188.
• “Economics of Electric Vehicles,” with E. Muehlegger. Review of Environmental Economics & Policy (2023), 17(2): 274-294.
• “Subsidizing Low- and Middle-Income Adoption of Electric Vehicles: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from California,” with E. Muehlegger. Journal of Public Economics (2022), Volume 216. 
• Rapson, D., and K. Jessoe. "Knowledge Is (Less) Power: Experimental Evidence from Residential Energy Use." American Economic Review 104.4 (2014): 1417–1438.

Teaching

Dave Rapson teaches Principles of Microeconomics (undergraduate), Energy Economics (undergraduate/masters) and Industrial Organization (PhD).

Recent Grant Funding

• National Science Foundation, 2021. “Electric Vehicles: Economics of the Extensive and Intensive Margins” (Co-PI with F. Burlig and J. Bushnell). $600,000.
• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), 2021. “Estimating the Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Shifting Electric Vehicle Load” (Co-PI with F. Burlig and J. Bushnell). $75,000.
• Peninsula Clean Energy, 2021. “Understanding the Willingness to Enroll in Electric Vehicle Managed Charging Programs”. $220,000.