March 16, 2009
release prepared by the University of Illinois College of Law, an aggressive push for a “green economy” is well underway in the United States. Policymakers now routinely assert that green jobs can simultaneously improve environmental quality, reduce unemployment and spur economic growth. Yet, little if any due diligence has been made to assess the underlying research utilized to back up such claims.
The academics and researchers involved in this study, according to the release, have sought to provide a careful analysis to ensure an informed public debate takes place prior to spending billions of dollars on government programs and that any public policy decisions are made based on legitimate assumptions and projected outcomes.
Key findings of the study show that no definition for green jobs exists causing great discrepancy in how numbers are counted; that green job estimates often include huge numbers of clerical, bureaucratic and administrative positions that do not produce goods or services for consumption; and that problematic assumptions are made about economic predictions, prices and technology advancements leading some to ultimately favor mandates over free market realities. These serious flaws, as well as the failure to include technical data, render the prevailing green job estimates virtually unreliable.
Much of the study examines the methodology used by various special interest groups to calculate how many green jobs new energy policies would create. Starting with simple fundamentals, these studies do not define new job creation in an economically sound manner failing to account for employment productivity or efficient use of labor. These basic flaws make comparison of job claims almost impossible and thus fail to create a statistical consensus.
“Economic analysis is not a matter of justifying policy goals by making optimistic assumptions and ignoring those realities that fail to support your objectives,” said Bogart. “Our work here clearly shows that the foundations of these ‘green’ jobs claims do not measure up to the kind of research standards we should demand when evaluating change in direction for our economy.”
Located in southcentral Pennsylvania, York College offers more than 50 baccalaureate majors in professional programs, the sciences and humanities to its 4,600 undergraduate students. The College also offers master's programs in business, education and nursing. A center of affordable academic excellence, York is dedicated to the intellectual, professional and social growth of its students. The College helps them develop a concrete plan to attain academic growth and career success; encourages them to try in the “real world” what they learn in the classroom; and prepares them to be professionals regardless of the career they pursue.
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