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Genuine Dissaving and Optimal Growth

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  • Simone Valente

    (ETH Zurich - Institute of Economic Research)

Abstract

Green accounting theories have shown that negative genuine savings at some point in time imply unsustainability. Consequently, recent studies advocate the use of the genuine savings measure for empirical testing: a negative index implies sustainability be rejected. This criterion is not forward-looking: positive current genuine savings do not rule out ’genuine dissaving’ in the future. This paper derives a one-to-one relationship between the sign of longrun genuine savings and the limiting sustainability condition in the capital-resource model: if the sum of the rates of resource regeneration and augmentation exceeds (falls short of) the discount rate, long-run genuine savings are positive (negative). Testing this limiting condition allows to reveal whether current genuine savings are delivering a false message.

Suggested Citation

  • Simone Valente, 2005. "Genuine Dissaving and Optimal Growth," Others 0505009, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpot:0505009
    Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 17
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Genuine Saving; Green Accounting; Renewable Resources; Sustainable Development; Technological Progress.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • D90 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - General

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