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"Sustainable" Economic Growth: The Ominous Potency of Structural Change

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  • López, Ramón E.
  • Yoon, Sang W.

Abstract

This paper examines the pattern of sustainable economic growth in both open and closed economies in the presence of an optimal pollution emission tax. This paper shows that in a small open economy, the optimal pollution tax remains constant even in a growing economy as the domestic production of dirty output is replaced by an ever growing volume of imports. The total amount of pollution decreases due only to structural change or output composition effect. The structural change effect reduces incentives to develop and adopt environmentallysaving technology. In a closed economy, however, the optimal pollution tax increases over time triggering relative price changes and inducing a powerful technique effect to substitute dirty production technology with clean technology. Sustainable growth is possible if the consumption elasticity of substitution is sufficiently large to induce an output composition effect that will offset the scale in a growing economy.

Suggested Citation

  • López, Ramón E. & Yoon, Sang W., 2014. ""Sustainable" Economic Growth: The Ominous Potency of Structural Change," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 7(2), pages 179-203, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:now:jirere:101.00000060
    DOI: 10.1561/101.00000060
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Brock, William A. & Taylor, M. Scott, 2005. "Economic Growth and the Environment: A Review of Theory and Empirics," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 28, pages 1749-1821, Elsevier.
    2. Arik Levinson & M. Scott Taylor, 2008. "Unmasking The Pollution Haven Effect," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 49(1), pages 223-254, February.
    3. Ghertner, D. Asher & Fripp, Matthias, 2007. "Trading away damage: Quantifying environmental leakage through consumption-based, life-cycle analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2-3), pages 563-577, August.
    4. Lopez, Ramon E. & Galinato, Gregmar I. & Islam, Asif M., 2009. "Pollution and the State: The Role of the Structure of Government," 2009 Conference (53rd), February 11-13, 2009, Cairns, Australia 48055, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    5. Kellard, Neil & Wohar, Mark E., 2006. "On the prevalence of trends in primary commodity prices," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 146-167, February.
    6. Lopez Ramon, 1994. "The Environment as a Factor of Production: The Effects of Economic Growth and Trade Liberalization," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 163-184, September.
    7. Werner Antweiler & Brian R. Copeland & M. Scott Taylor, 2001. "Is Free Trade Good for the Environment?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 877-908, September.
    8. Lopez, Ramon E. & Stocking, Andrew, 2009. "Bringing Growth Theory "Down to Earth"," Working Papers 48944, University of Maryland, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
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    Cited by:

    1. Simón Accorsi & Ramón E. López & Gino Sturla, 2018. "Input-Output table and Carbon Footprint: Estimation and Structural Decomposition Analysis," Working Papers wp475, University of Chile, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental sustainability; Structural change; Technique effect; Endogenous price;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth
    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

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