Robert Pollin
Distinguished Professor of Economics and Co-Director of Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) | University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA, UNITED STATES
Robert Pollin's research centers on macroeconomics and the economics of building a clean-energy economy in the U.S and globally.
Expertise (5)
Green Economy
Clean Energy Economics
Green Jobs
Green New Deal
Conditions for Low-Wage Workers
Biography
Robert Pollin's research centers on macroeconomics, conditions for low-wage workers in the U.S. and globally, the analysis of financial markets, and the economics of building a clean-energy economy in the U.S and globally.
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Education (3)
New School for Social Research: Ph.D., Economics
New School for Social Research: M.A., Economics
University of Wisconsin-Madison: B.A., History
Links (2)
Select Recent Media Coverage (8)
Is America Ready for ‘Degrowth Communism’?
The Atlantic online
2024-05-08
Robert Pollin comments in an article about “degrowth communism,” a theory arguing that the best approach to fight climate change is for wealthy nations to cut back on consumption and reduce the “material throughput” that creates demand for energy and drives economic growth. “It’s easy to say we need a socialist revolution to solve the climate crisis, but that’s not going to happen in the timescale,” he says.
How to ‘decouple’ emissions from economic growth? These economists say you can’t.
Grist online
2024-03-04
Robert Pollin comments in an article about the prospects for decoupling economic activity and carbon emissions. Pollin says faster decoupling is simply a matter of money and political will. If policymakers invest 2.5% of global GDP each year — about $4.5 trillion — then the world economy can completely decarbonize within 40 to 50 years, while boosting GDP through the creation of new jobs in the clean energy industry, Pollin says.
Americans Have Already Lived Through a Shutdown
The Nation online
2023-09-29
Robert Pollin, co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, comments on how limits to Biden’s economic programs leave working families vulnerable in a government shutdown. “The American Rescue Act, the IRA, and CHIPS—25 percent of all three bills is going to road repair, road construction, and bridges. There are good climate provisions there, but there’s nothing for sustaining the family investments in the American Rescue Act, and that could have been integrated into this,” he says.
Is a Livable Future Still Possible? Chomsky and Pollin Discuss the IPCC Report.
Truthout online
2023-04-03
In this exclusive interview, Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin offer remarkable insights on what the new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report means, and implications for action, on both the political and financial front.
No Evidence to Support FED 2% Inflation Target – Robert Pollin
theAnalysis.news online
2023-01-19
The inflation conference at Political Economy Research Institute at UMass Amherst (PERI) presented mounting evidence that raising the rate of interest will only raise unemployment and weaken the bargaining power of low-wage workers and the poor that are already hit hard by the pandemic across the world. Robert Pollin joins Sharmini Peries on theAnalysis.news.
Rising Interest Rates Intended to Create Unemployment – An Interview withBob Pollin
TheAnalysis.news online
2022-07-08
Robert Pollin is interviewed about central banks raising interest rates to create more desperation among workers and weaken their bargaining power.
The Political Economy of Saving the Planet
Boston Review online
2020-09-16
Robert Pollin and economist colleague Noam Chomsky discuss prospects for change, the connections between climate and the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether eco-socialism is a viable option for mobilizing people in the struggle to create a green future.
Trump Calls COVID-19 “Foreign Virus” as Lack of Universal Healthcare Makes the Pandemic Worse
Demoncracy Now! online
2020-03-12
In a video interview, Robert Pollin, distinguished university professor of economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says the lack of universal healthcare in the U.S. is exacerbating the coronavirus crisis due to “the absurdity that people cannot feel confident that they are going to get medical treatment” when they need it most.
Select Publications (5)
Neoliberalism’s Bailout Problem
Boston ReviewGerald Epstein and Robert Pollin
2021-06-24
UMass Amherst economists Robert Pollin and Gerald Epstein write about the role that government bailouts play in neoliberalism.
Wanted: Shovel-Ready Projects for a Green New Deal
The NationRobert Pollin
2020-04-09
"In advancing a Green New Deal for the United States under current conditions, it is important to take seriously issues around how best to time the launch various components of the overall project."
The Deficit Is Exploding! And That’s a Good Thing.
The NationRobert Pollin
2020-04-09
"One huge question about the stimulus package that nobody seems to be asking is: Where does the money come from to pay for it?" Robert Pollins says the fact that nobody’s asking where the money is coming from shows how much our politics have changed since 2008.
Green Economics and Decent Work: A Viable Unified Framework
International Labour Organization (ILO) Report :"Greening with Jobs"Robert Pollin
2019-12-19
The 2018 International Labour Organization (ILO) report Greening with Jobs, part of their World Employment and Social Outlook series, could not possibly be focused on a more critical issue. This is because climate change literally represents an existential threat to life on earth as we know it. ...
The Case for Medicare for All
The Wall Street JournalRobert Pollin
2019-03-28
A single-payer, “Medicare for all,” health insurance system in the U.S. could finance good-quality coverage for all residents while reducing health-spending by about 10 percent, writes Robert Pollin, distinguished professor of economics at UMass Amherst and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute.
