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Economic Growth as Environmental Policy? Reconsidering the Environmental Kuznets Curve

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  • RAYMOND, LEIGH

Abstract

Some research has posited that while initially damaging to the environment, continued economic growth eventually leads to superior environmental quality. This relationship is often described as an ‘Environmental Kuznets Curve’ (EKC), after a similar hypothesis regarding income inequality made by economist Simon Kuznets. Following such findings, the EKC is sometimes offered as a rationale for encouraging economic growth as the best environmental policy option. This paper reconsiders the policy-relevance of the EKC idea, drawing on a wide range of international data collected in the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) project. Specifically, it tests the theoretical arguments advanced by Arrow and others (1995) that EKC relationships are unlikely to hold for environmental problems that are intergenerational in time or spread across national boundaries. The results of this research substantially confirm those arguments, providing more evidence that the EKC idea is an inadequate guide for environmental policy makers around the globe.

Suggested Citation

  • Raymond, Leigh, 2004. "Economic Growth as Environmental Policy? Reconsidering the Environmental Kuznets Curve," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(3), pages 327-348, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jnlpup:v:24:y:2004:i:03:p:327-348_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Ichinose, Daisuke & Yamamoto, Masashi & Yoshida, Yuichiro, 2015. "The decoupling of affluence and waste discharge under spatial correlation: Do richer communities discharge more waste?," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(2), pages 161-184, April.
    2. Daisuke Ichinose & Masashi Yamamoto & Yuichiro Yoshida, 2013. "Bayesian Estimation of the Decoupling of Affluence and Waste Discharge under Spatial Correlation : Do Richer Communities Discharge More Waste?," IDEC DP2 Series 3-10, Hiroshima University, Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation (IDEC).
    3. Khan, Irfan & Zakari, Abdulrasheed & Dagar, Vishal & Singh, Sanjeet, 2022. "World energy trilemma and transformative energy developments as determinants of economic growth amid environmental sustainability," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    4. Ertürk, Mevlüde, 2016. "Çevre Kirliliği Ve Ekonomik Büyüme İlişkisi Gelişmiş ve Gelişmekte Olan Ülkelerin Veri Görselleştirme Kullanarak Karşılaştırılması [The Relation Between Environmental Pollution and Economic Growth ," MPRA Paper 69879, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 08 Mar 2016.
    5. Carmen van der Merwe & Martin de Wit, 2021. "An In-Depth Investigation into the Relationship Between Municipal Solid Waste Generation and Economic Growth in the City of Cape Town," Working Papers 07/2021, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics, revised 2021.
    6. Isabel Gallego-Alvarez & Mª Purificación Vicente-Galindo & Mª Purificación Galindo-Villardón & Miguel Rodríguez-Rosa, 2014. "Environmental Performance in Countries Worldwide: Determinant Factors and Multivariate Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(11), pages 1-26, November.
    7. Pierre Desrochers & Vincent Geloso & Joanna Szurmak, 2021. "Care to Wager Again? An Appraisal of Paul Ehrlich's Counterbet Offer to Julian Simon, Part 2: Critical Analysis," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(2), pages 808-829, March.
    8. Yaohui Wang, 2023. "A blessing or a curse? China’s Arctic involvement and its environmental policy to prevent further climatic change and pollution," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(8), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Akpan, Usenobong F. & Chuku, Agbai, 2011. "Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation in Nigeria: Beyond the Environmental Kuznets Curve," MPRA Paper 31241, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Chuku, Agbai, 2011. "Economic development and environmental quality in Nigeria: is there an environmental Kuznets curve?," MPRA Paper 30195, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Muhammad K Anser & Muhammad Usman & Danish I Godil & Malik S Shabbir & Mosab Ismail Tabash & Munir Ahmad & Aysha Zamir & Lydia B Lopez, 2022. "Does air pollution affect clean production of sustainable environmental agenda through low carbon energy financing? evidence from ASEAN countries," Energy & Environment, , vol. 33(3), pages 472-486, May.

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