Energy as a Source of Economic Growth and Social Mobility

The CSIS Energy Program assessed the existing academic literature, commissioned new research papers, convened an expert summit, and compiled the findings to produce Energy in America: Energy as a Source of Economic Growth and Social Mobility. This report analyzes the ways energy contributes to the challenges and opportunities facing ordinary Americans, covering the impacts of production, distribution, and consumption of energy products in the United States.

The report highlights the new, extra-energy objectives that energy policy is increasingly expected to advance and evaluates their historical efficacy. We conclude that while deliberate U.S. energy policy interventions have hitherto achieved mixed results, there are promising developments and best practices that decisionmakers ought to consider.

The Report : Energy as a Source of Economic Growth and Social Mobility examines the impact of energy on four key determinants of economic growth and social mobility: jobs; public and private innovation; state and local government revenues; and social and environmental justice. CSIS’s research, commissioned expert papers, and an expert workshop all contributed to this report.

The Research: In addition to CSIS’s own research, background papers on key issues were commissioned ahead of the summit to inform expert participants, discussions at the workshop, and this report.

The Workshop: Held in January 2019, experts gathered to consider energy’s contributions to the U.S. economy, the growing expectations of energy policy, and the track record of harnessing energy to create economic opportunity. The workshop concluded with participants’ views on what research should be prioritized to advance understanding and what should be better-appreciated regarding the changing role of energy in the U.S. economy.

This project is made possible by support from the Sloan Foundation. Click here for more on Energy in America