Date of Completion
Spring 5-1-2021
Thesis Advisor(s)
Kathleen Segerson
Honors Major
Economics
Disciplines
Econometrics | Environmental Studies
Abstract
This paper estimates the impacts that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, implemented in 2009, has had on labor market outcomes within the policy region. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a carbon cap-and-trade program that consists of ten states in the Northeast. Using a difference-in-difference framework, I found that, overall, there was no significant impact on the annual employment growth rate because of RGGI. When broken down into industry-specific effects, most industries still had no significant employment effects, although the mining industry did see a weakly significant 0.09 percentage point decrease in its annual employment growth rate. These estimates are based on the time period of 2001 – 2018. This paper provides initial evidence on how the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has impacted labor market outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Moffa, Kelly-Anne, "Environmental Policy and Employment: The Effect of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative on the Labor Market" (2021). Honors Scholar Theses. 817.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/srhonors_theses/817