Greening Economic Stimulus: Lessons from the 2009 Recovery Act

About

Speaker: Joseph E. Aldy, Professor of the Practice of Public Policy, HKS

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated an economic crisis in the United States and around the world. Once the public health risk is managed, the U.S. economy will likely face its highest unemployment rate and largest shortfall of economic activity since the Great Depression. Other economies across the world are likewise suffering through significant economic contractions that necessitate economic recovery programs. Environmental stakeholders, the heads of the International Monetary Fund and the International Energy Agency, and major politicians have called for the greening of future economic stimulus so that it simultaneously promotes job creation and addresses the climate crisis.

Drawing from the lessons learned from the unprecedented U.S. spending on clean energy in the 2009 Recovery Act — from first-hand experience negotiating these provisions with Congress as a member of President Obama’s transition team, overseeing their implementation in practice at the White House, and conducting and synthesizing academic research on their performance — Joseph Aldy will explore the potential design of and prospects for climate-oriented economic stimulus.

Registration is required. Please click here to register in advance for this webinar.

Contact

For more information, email the Harvard Project Program Coordinator at casey_billings@hks.harvard.edu.

Conversations on Climate Change and Energy Policy

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