11/01/2022

New pilot project in the district of Höxter
ConPolicy supports the development of consumer work in rural areas 

Due to limited catchment areas and economic constraints, consumers in rural areas cannot be adequately reached by the conventional counselling and support services of the consumer advise centers. Outreach work is a promising strategy for solving this problem.

Against this background, the pilot project 'Consumer work in rural areas' of the VZ NRW, financed by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the district of Höxter, is testing an innovative concept of outreach consumer work in the district of Höxter. The project involves the development of an overarching approach consisting of mobile offers in the district on site, central and digitally supported counselling as well as digital self-help. The aim of the project, which will run from October 2021 to the end of December 2023, is to establish low-threshold structures on site and to systematically integrate them into the conventional information and support infrastructure of the consumer advise centers. 

For this purpose, ConPolicy will provide ongoing scientific advice to the VZ NRW in a first work package through targeted workshops. In a further step, a customized evaluation concept will be developed to assess measures and effects. The third work package comprises the evaluation of the consumer work carried out in the district of Höxter. Finally, a report will present proposals on how the findings can be transferred to other rural regions in NRW and nationwide. 

Further information on the project can be found here.

10/27/2022

New study on behalf of PD – Berater der öffentlichen Hand
ConPolicy contributes to a feasibility study on a transparency system for the agricultural and food sector

In order to achieve the goal of sustainable, future-proof agriculture as set out in the coalition agreement of the Federal Government, PD – Berater der öffentlichen Hand GmbH is conducting an interdisciplinary feasibility study on a data-based transparency system for the agricultural and food sector with regard to sustainability performance and fair prices for producers on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). 

ConPolicy supports the PD in the preparation of this feasibility study regarding the political and legal framework conditions that have to be considered in the implementation of a data-based transparency system. ConPolicy's contribution consists of the stocktaking and evaluation of the relevant political and legal framework conditions, participation in working group meetings within the framework of the project as well as workshops with inputs and the presentation of the results of the stocktaking. In addition, the Institute will contribute to a results document including a recommendation on how to integrate the findings into the system to be developed.

Further information on the project can be found here. 

10/14/2022

Insights from project on green nudges support energy conservation
BDEW interviews ConPolicy

What role does nudging play in the current energy crisis? How can nudges help save energy? The German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) put these and other questions to ConPolicy project manager Dr. Annette Cerulli-Harms.

During the interview Dr. Cerulli-Harms explained that nudges can provide incentives for desirable behaviors such as energy conservation without limiting behavior through prohibitions or regulations. Many findings from the ConPolicy project on "green nudges" to encourage climate-friendly behavior for the National Climate Initiative (NKI) could also be applied to the topic of energy conservation. For example, standard and default settings - such as automatically switching off lights using timers or motion detectors – would be expected to work well. "Such measures [...] are implemented once, and cause an effect every time they are used," Dr. Annette Cerulli-Harms said in the interview. Nudges that target social behavior and herding effects and work with feedback might also motivate people to save electricity. Nudges have the greatest effect when they are associated with clear calls-to-action. Prompts such as "Set your refrigerator temperature two degrees higher" immediately make it clear what needs to be done. "If you then go on to show how much money can be saved as a result, many people join in. With phrases like 'Saving electricity is important,' on the other hand, it remains unclear where to start."

BDEW represents more than 1900 companies in the fields of electricity, natural gas and heat, as well as renewable energies, electro-mobility, energy networks, and water. The association is committed to secure and efficient energy supply and sustainable water management.

You can read the complete article here (in German).
Further information on the project 'Green Nudges' can be found here.