IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolec/v160y2019icp168-182.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Georgescu-Roegen versus Solow/Stiglitz: Back to a controversy

Author

Listed:
  • Germain, Marc

Abstract

Within the framework of an optimal growth model with a non renewable resource, this paper seeks to answer the question of whether a production function that ignores the constraints of physics on the production process (such as the Cobb-Douglas) can generate a good medium-term approximation of the trajectory of the economy obtained with a “true” production function, which takes these constraints into account. Two functions that respect these constraints are considered: (i) the CES function and (ii) a function called ATF, designed specifically for the purposes of this paper and which has the property of being closer to the Cobb-Douglas than is the CES.

Suggested Citation

  • Germain, Marc, 2019. "Georgescu-Roegen versus Solow/Stiglitz: Back to a controversy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 168-182.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:160:y:2019:i:c:p:168-182
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.01.012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800918309571
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.01.012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fagnart, Jean-François & Germain, Marc, 2015. "Energy, complexity and sustainable long-term growth," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 87-93.
    2. Fagnart, Jean-François & Germain, Marc, 2011. "Quantitative versus qualitative growth with recyclable resource," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(5), pages 929-941, March.
    3. Benchekroun, Hassan & Withagen, Cees, 2011. "The optimal depletion of exhaustible resources: A complete characterization," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 612-636, September.
    4. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    5. Joseph E. Stiglitz, 1974. "Growth with Exhaustible Natural Resources: The Competitive Economy," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 41(5), pages 139-152.
    6. Paul E. Brockway & Matthew K. Heun & João Santos & John R. Barrett, 2017. "Energy-Extended CES Aggregate Production: Current Aspects of Their Specification and Econometric Estimation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-23, February.
    7. Benchekroun, Hassan & Withagen, Cees, 2011. "The optimal depletion of exhaustible resources: A complete characterization," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 612-636, September.
    8. Jean-François Fagnart & Marc Germain, 2015. "Energy, complexity and sustainable long-term growth," Post-Print hal-01533558, HAL.
    9. Bretschger, Lucas & Schaefer, Andreas, 2017. "Dirty history versus clean expectations: Can energy policies provide momentum for growth?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 170-190.
    10. van der Werf, Edwin, 2008. "Production functions for climate policy modeling: An empirical analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 2964-2979, November.
    11. Ayres, Robert U. & van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M. & Lindenberger, Dietmar & Warr, Benjamin, 2013. "The underestimated contribution of energy to economic growth," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 79-88.
    12. Lindenberger, Dietmar & Kümmel, Reiner, 2011. "Energy and the state of nations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 6010-6018.
    13. Stamford da Silva, Alexandre, 2008. "Growth with exhaustible resource and endogenous extraction rate," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 1165-1174, November.
    14. David I. Stern and Astrid Kander, 2012. "The Role of Energy in the Industrial Revolution and Modern Economic Growth," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3).
    15. Solow, Robert M., 1997. "Georgescu-Roegen versus Solow-Stiglitz," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 267-268, September.
    16. Anderson, Curt L., 1987. "The production process: Inputs and wastes," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, March.
    17. Stefan baumgärtner, 2004. "The Inada Conditions for Material Resource Inputs Reconsidered," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 29(3), pages 307-322, November.
    18. Lindenberger, Dietmar & Kuemmel, Rainer, 2011. "Energy and the State of Nations," EWI Working Papers 2011-11, Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universitaet zu Koeln (EWI).
    19. R. M. Solow, 1974. "Intergenerational Equity and Exhaustible Resources," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 41(5), pages 29-45.
    20. Matthew K. Heun & João Santos & Paul E. Brockway & Randall Pruim & Tiago Domingos & Marco Sakai, 2017. "From Theory to Econometrics to Energy Policy: Cautionary Tales for Policymaking Using Aggregate Production Functions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-44, February.
    21. Daly, Herman E., 1997. "Georgescu-Roegen versus Solow/Stiglitz," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 261-266, September.
    22. Chow, Gregory C., 1997. "Dynamic Economics: Optimization by the Lagrange Method," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195101928.
    23. Joseph Stiglitz, 1974. "Growth with Exhaustible Natural Resources: Efficient and Optimal Growth Paths," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 41(5), pages 123-137.
    24. John Laitner, 2000. "Structural Change and Economic Growth," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 67(3), pages 545-561.
    25. Julian Thimme, 2017. "Intertemporal Substitution In Consumption: A Literature Review," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 226-257, February.
    26. Kümmel, Reiner & Lindenberger, Dietmar & Weiser, Florian, 2015. "The economic power of energy and the need to integrate it with energy policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 833-843.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Quentin Couix, 2019. "Natural resources in the theory of production: the Georgescu-Roegen/Daly versus Solow/Stiglitz controversy," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(6), pages 1341-1378, November.
    2. Maciej Malaczewski, 2018. "Natural Resources As An Energy Source In A Simple Economic Growth Model," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(4), pages 362-380, October.
    3. Martin de Wit & Matthew Kuperus Heun & Douglas J Crookes, 2013. "An overview of salient factors, relationships and values to support integrated energy-economic systems dynamic modelling," Working Papers 02/2013, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    4. Germain, Marc, 2020. "Limits to growth and structural change," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 204-221.
    5. Hala Abu-Kalla & Ruslana Rachel Palatnik & Ofira Ayalon & Mordechai Shechter, 2020. "Hoard or Exploit? Intergenerational Allocation of Exhaustible Natural Resources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-20, December.
    6. Marc Germain, 2020. "Limits to growth and structural change," Post-Print hal-03129992, HAL.
    7. Santos, João & Borges, Afonso S. & Domingos, Tiago, 2021. "Exploring the links between total factor productivity and energy efficiency: Portugal, 1960–2014," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    8. Dzhumashev, Ratbek, 2024. "The role of physical constraints on production," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    9. Meran, Georg, 2023. "Is green growth possible and even desirable in a spaceship economy?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    10. François Allisson & Antoine Missemer, 2020. "Some Historiographical Tools for the Study of Intellectual Legacies," Post-Print halshs-02931492, HAL.
    11. Lizhan Cao & Zhongying Qi, 2017. "Theoretical Explanations for the Inverted-U Change of Historical Energy Intensity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-19, June.
    12. Sasaki, Hiroaki & Mino, Kazuo, 2024. "Effects of exhaustible resources and declining population on economic growth with Hotelling’s rule," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    13. Jürgen Antony & Torben Klarl, 2019. "Non-Renewable Resources in a Ramsey Economy with Subsistence Consumption, Human and Physical Capital Accumulation: A full Characterization," Bremen Papers on Economics & Innovation 1904, University of Bremen, Faculty of Business Studies and Economics.
    14. Antony, Jürgen & Klarl, Torben, 2019. "Non-renewable resources, subsistence consumption, and Hartwick's investment rule," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 124-142.
    15. Meran, Georg, 2019. "Thermodynamic constraints and the use of energy-dependent CES-production functions A cautionary comment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 63-69.
    16. Lange, Steffen & Pohl, Johanna & Santarius, Tilman, 2020. "Digitalization and energy consumption. Does ICT reduce energy demand?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    17. Hooper, Emma, 2019. "Sustainable growth and financial markets in a natural resource-rich country," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 341-348.
    18. David I. Stern, 2010. "The Role of Energy in Economic Growth," CCEP Working Papers 0310, Centre for Climate & Energy Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    19. Antony, Jürgen & Klarl, Torben, 2023. "Subsistence consumption and natural resource depletion: Can resource-rich low-income countries realize sustainable consumption paths?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    20. Cameron Hepburn & Alex Bowen, 2013. "Prosperity with growth: economic growth, climate change and environmental limits," Chapters, in: Roger Fouquet (ed.), Handbook on Energy and Climate Change, chapter 29, pages 617-638, Edward Elgar Publishing.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Optimal growth; Production function; Exhaustible resource;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C63 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computational Techniques
    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth
    • Q32 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Exhaustible Resources and Economic Development
    • Q57 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Ecological Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:160:y:2019:i:c:p:168-182. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.