Ariadne report: Strong evaluation of climate policies required to meet climate targets

In a new Ariadne Report, Hertie School researchers Dr. Duncan Edmondson, Oskar Krafft, Christian van Ballegooy and Professor of Climate Policy Christian Flachsland analyse the governance framework and methods of the evaluation of policy measures in the building sector and assess their effects on subsequent policy design. The research concludes that key metrics such as reliable data, evaluation of all policy programs, good timing of evaluations and their inclusion in political reform processes are not available to the extent necessary for an effective assessment of the policy measures.

According to the researchers, the scope of current evaluations is limited, with distributional impacts, governance capacities, and dynamic cost effectiveness being the most notable omissions. The results also show that existing data protection laws are an obstacle for the federal government in accessing regional data, contributing therefore to undermined enforcement and accountability.

The quality and rigor of policy evaluations have great implications for the establishment of targets and strategies, meaning that an imprecise evaluation can result in the imprecise projection of greenhouse gas reduction effects of future policy measures. Considering that residential buildings directly contribute 11% to greenhouse gas emissions in Germany, effective policy design is required to meet climate targets.

Among other recommendations, the authors propose the development of a publicly accessible building stock database, the expansion of local inspectorate training and expertise, and the introduction of reporting requirements. Additionally, evaluation standards and data transparency should be enhanced.

Read the full report here.

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