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Can we afford the Green New Deal?

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  • Yeva Nersisyan
  • L. Randall Wray
Abstract
The cost of the Green New Deal is usually estimated in financial terms, adding the projected costs of the various programs which leads to the conclusion that large tax hikes would be needed to pay for it. In this paper, we apply the methodology developed by J. M. Keynes in How to Pay for the War to offer a better approach for evaluating the affordability of the GND. We argue that the cost of the GND must be measured in terms of real resources, not financial costs. Affordability cannot be determined by adding up the financial costs and weighing them against prospective tax increases. What is required instead is a careful accounting of the resources the GND will require, weighing those against resources it will release plus what is already in excess supply. Only then can we determine whether a reduction of aggregate demand is needed, and consequently, whether we need counter-inflationary measures, such as tax hikes. While we acknowledge the major uncertainties involved in estimating real resource costs, we argue that our approach to affordability is much more relevant than the mainstream one.

Suggested Citation

  • Yeva Nersisyan & L. Randall Wray, 2021. "Can we afford the Green New Deal?," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(1), pages 68-88, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:mes:postke:v:44:y:2021:i:1:p:68-88
    DOI: 10.1080/01603477.2020.1835499
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    1. L. Randall Wray, 2024. "Modern Money Theory," Springer Books, Springer, edition 3, number 978-3-031-47884-0, December.
    2. Pavlina R. Tcherneva, 2018. "The Job Guarantee: Design, Jobs, and Implementation," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_902, Levy Economics Institute.
    3. Geoffrey Heal, 2017. "Reflections—What Would It Take to Reduce U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050?," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 11(2), pages 319-335.
    4. L. Randall Wray, 2016. "Why Minsky Matters: An Introduction to the Work of a Maverick Economist," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10575.
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    Cited by:

    1. Olk, Christopher & Schneider, Colleen & Hickel, Jason, 2023. "How to pay for saving the world: Modern Monetary Theory for a degrowth transition," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120343, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Giuliano Toshiro Yajima, 2021. "The Employer of Last Resort Scheme and the Energy Transition: A Stock-Flow Consistent Analysis," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_995, Levy Economics Institute.
    3. Summa, Ricardo de Figueiredo, 2022. "Alternative uses of functional finance: Lerner, MMT and the Sraffiansh," IPE Working Papers 175/2021, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    4. Yeva Nersisyan & L. Randall Wray, 2021. "Can Biden Build Back Better? Yes, If He Abandons Fiscal "Pay Fors"," Economics Public Policy Brief Archive ppb_155, Levy Economics Institute.
    5. Olk, Christopher & Schneider, Colleen & Hickel, Jason, 2023. "How to pay for saving the world: Modern Monetary Theory for a degrowth transition," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    6. Françoise Drumetz & Christian Pfister, 2021. "The Meaning of MMT," Working papers 833, Banque de France.

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