Distributional Equity in the Employment and Wage Impacts of Energy Transitions

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists
Year: 2024
Volume: 11
Issue: S1
Pages: S261 - S298

Authors (3)

Ben Gilbert (Colorado School of Mines) Ben Hoen (not in RePEc) Hannah Gagarin (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We use restricted-access, geocoded data on the near-universe of workers in 23 US states to quantify the impact of wind energy development on local earnings and employment, by race, ethnicity, sex, and educational attainment. We find significant impacts that persist for several years beyond the project construction phase. Our estimates are larger than those from previous studies but still small relative to typical economic multipliers for fiscal spending or investment in other industries. We find the largest percentage increases for black workers and workers who either do not have a high school diploma or who have a college degree. We also find the economic gains for men to be much larger than those for women. Finally, we find estimates from data aggregated to the county level to be significantly lower than our worker-level estimates. We suggest a number of areas for further study building off the justice implications of our findings.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jaerec:doi:10.1086/732186
Journal Field
Environment
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25