#14 Dr. Matilde Bombardini - U.S. Climate Politics

 We talk a lot about the “right” climate policies—carbon pricing, clean investment, regulation. But there’s a step before all of that: politics. Who wins elections. What voters actually do—not just what they say in surveys. And how politicians reposition when the climate gets hotter and the economy starts to transition. Today’s episode asks three concrete questions: 1. When a place experiences unusually extreme heat, does it measurably shift votes? 2. Do local green and brown jobs shape climate politics in predictable ways? 3. And crucially: when voters move, do politicians follow… or do they sometimes move the other way? My guest is Professor Matilde Bombardini, and we’re discussing her working paper “Climate Politics in the United States.” What makes this research stand out is the data: precinct-level election results—so we can compare neighborhoods within the same congressional district—and detailed measures of candidates’ environmental policy positions.  You’ll hear the headline results, how to interpret the magnitudes, and what their framework implies for the future probability of something like a carbon-pricing bill passing in the U.S.  Matilde Bombardini holds the Oliver E. and Dolores W. Williamson Chair in the Economics of Organizations and is Professor of Business and Public Policy at UC Berkeley Haas, affiliated with NBER, the BFI’s IOG group, CEPR, and CESifo.  For questions, comments or suggestions, you can contact me at arvid.viaene.ce@gmail.com