Institutional Quality and Public Renewable Energy Investments : A panel quantile regression analysis on the effects ofcorruption on the renewable energy transition in middle-income countries

Abstract: To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative, renewable sources. Despite making up only 25% of total renewable energy investments, public investment is still vital due to its ability to encourage investments through policy measures and programs. In this paper we investigate how institutional quality, together with other financial, economic and policy variables, affects public renewable energy investments in middle-income countries. We account for the non-normal distribution of our data by conducting a panel quantile regression analysis for 64 middle-income countries. We present the results for the 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 quantiles, representing countries with low, moderate, or high levels of public renewable energy investments. Our main finding is that absence of corruption is a vital factor for public renewable energy investments, regardless of which stage of the renewable energy transition a middle-income country is in. In the light of corruption, potential market failures are discussed as a consequence which can create a downward spiral for further renewable energy investments. Furthermore, better financial stability will increase these investments as well. We also find that public investors seem to be unaffected by economic policy uncertainty, indicating that these investors play an important role in uncertain times when private investors refrain from investing due to the high uncertainty connected to the irreversibility of these investment projects.