IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v84y2019icpe347-e353.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Deforestation and economic development: Evidence from national borders

Author

Listed:
  • Crespo Cuaresma, Jesús
  • Heger, Martin

Abstract

Does economic development result in tree cover loss for poor countries, but not so for already more developed countries? Using a new subnational dataset and employing a quasi-experimental method, this paper addresses this question using tree cover loss data for 14 contiguous countries. The analysis uses geographical regression discontinuity (using national borders as discontinuities) and our findings show that Sub-Saharan Africa and low-income countries in general have the highest development-deforestation elasticity.

Suggested Citation

  • Crespo Cuaresma, Jesús & Heger, Martin, 2019. "Deforestation and economic development: Evidence from national borders," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 347-353.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:84:y:2019:i:c:p:e347-e353
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.12.039
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837718313115
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.12.039?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. Elias Papaioannou, 2014. "National Institutions and Subnational Development in Africa," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(1), pages 151-213.
    2. Keele, Luke J. & Titiunik, Rocío, 2015. "Geographic Boundaries as Regression Discontinuities," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(1), pages 127-155, January.
    3. Choumert, Johanna & Combes Motel, Pascale & Dakpo, Hervé K., 2013. "Is the Environmental Kuznets Curve for deforestation a threatened theory? A meta-analysis of the literature," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 19-28.
    4. Cropper, Maureen & Griffiths, Charles, 1994. "The Interaction of Population Growth and Environmental Quality," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(2), pages 250-254, May.
    5. Koop, Gary & Tole, Lise, 1999. "Is there an environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1), pages 231-244, February.
    6. Johanna Choumert & Pascale Combes Motel & K. Hervé Dakpo, 2013. "Is the Environmental Kuznets Curve for deforestation a threatened theory? A meta-analysis of the literature," Post-Print halshs-00806629, HAL.
    7. David S. Lee & Thomas Lemieux, 2010. "Regression Discontinuity Designs in Economics," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(2), pages 281-355, June.
    8. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
    9. Bhattarai, Madhusudan & Hammig, Michael, 2001. "Institutions and the Environmental Kuznets Curve for Deforestation: A Crosscountry Analysis for Latin America, Africa and Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 995-1010, June.
    10. Maxim L. Pinkovskiy, 2017. "Growth discontinuities at borders," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 145-192, June.
    11. Karen Ehrhardt‐Martinez & Edward M. Crenshaw & J. Craig Jenkins, 2002. "Deforestation and the Environmental Kuznets Curve: A Cross‐National Investigation of Intervening Mechanisms," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 83(1), pages 226-243, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Santiago, Anderson Ribeiro & Zarate do Couto, Hilton Thadeu, 2022. "Sampling plan for socioeconomic development indicators in Brazil: practical implications when considering precision and cost," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    2. Maria Alice Moz-Christofoletti & Paula Carvalho Pereda & Wesley Campanharo, 2022. "Does Decentralized and Voluntary Commitment Reduce Deforestation? The Effects of Programa Municípios Verdes," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 82(1), pages 65-100, May.
    3. Wilfredo L. Maldonado & Jessica A. Barbosa, 2023. "Determinants of Agricultural Fires: An Aggregative Games Approach," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2023_12, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    4. Leijten, Floris & Sim, Sarah & King, Henry & Verburg, Peter H., 2021. "Local deforestation spillovers induced by forest moratoria: Evidence from Indonesia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    5. Nicolae Stef & Sami Ben Jabeur, 2020. "Climate Change Legislations and Environmental Degradation," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(4), pages 839-868, December.
    6. Badoubatoba Mathieu DISSANI & Kossi AYENAGBO & Kodjo N’SOUVI, 2021. "The Impact of Deforestation on CO2 Emissions: Evidence from WAEMU," International Journal of Science and Business, IJSAB International, vol. 5(5), pages 75-87.
    7. Heger, Martin Philipp & Zens, Gregor & Bangalore, Mook, 2020. "Land and poverty: the role of soil fertility and vegetation quality in poverty reduction," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 115658, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Dacinia Crina Petrescu & Florina Bran & Carmen Valentina Radulescu & Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag, 2020. "Green Procurement through Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification in the Private Sector. Perceptions and Willingness to Buy of Private Companies from Romania," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 22(53), pages 1-42, February.

    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. Caravaggio, Nicola, 2020. "Economic growth and the forest development path: A theoretical re-assessment of the environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    2. Caravaggio, Nicola, 2020. "A global empirical re-assessment of the Environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    3. Boris OK Lokonon & Ichaou Mounirou, 2019. "Does foreign direct investment impede forest area in Sub‐Saharan Africa?," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(4), pages 230-240, November.
    4. Kinda, Harouna & Thiombiano, Noel, 2021. "The effects of extractive industries rent on deforestation in developing countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    5. Novice Patrick Bakehe, 2020. "L'accès à l’électricité: une solution pour réduire la déforestation en Afrique?," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 32(3), pages 338-348, September.
    6. Ajanaku, B.A. & Collins, A.R., 2021. "Economic growth and deforestation in African countries: Is the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis applicable?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    7. Salahodjaev, Raufhon, 2016. "Intelligence and deforestation: International data," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 20-27.
    8. Jean-Louis Combes & Pascale Combes Motel & Philippe Delacote, 2014. "Public expenses, credit and natural capital: Substitution or complementarity?," Working Papers halshs-00979191, HAL.
    9. Jesus Crespo Cuaresma & Olha Danylo & Steffen Fritz & Ian McCallum & Michael Obersteiner & Linda See, 2016. "Economic Development and Forest Cover: Evidence from Satellite Data," Department of Economics Working Papers wuwp215, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    10. Ajanaku, Bolarinwa & Collins, Alan R., 2020. "Economic growth and deforestation in developing countries: Is the Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis Still Applicable? Evidence from a Panel of Selected African Countries," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304271, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Wolfersberger, Julien & Delacote, Philippe & Garcia, Serge, 2015. "An empirical analysis of forest transition and land-use change in developing countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 241-251.
    12. Pablo-Romero, María P. & Sánchez-Braza, Antonio & Gil-Pérez, Jesús, 2023. "Is deforestation needed for growth? Testing the EKC hypothesis for Latin America," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    13. Afawubo, Komivi & Noglo, Yawo Agbényégan, 2019. "Remittances and deforestation in developing countries: Is institutional quality paramount?," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(4), pages 304-320.
    14. Zoubida Mahcane & Mayou Abdellah & Mohamed Zergoune & Miloud Lacheheb, 2019. "Land Degradation and Economic Development in Algeria," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 9(1), pages 137-142.
    15. Combes, Jean-Louis & Delacote, Philippe & Combes Motel, Pascale & Yogo, Thierry Urbain, 2018. "Public spending, credit and natural capital: Does access to capital foster deforestation?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 306-316.
    16. Wehkamp, Johanna & Koch, Nicolas & Lübbers, Sebastian & Fuss, Sabine, 2018. "Governance and deforestation — a meta-analysis in economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 214-227.
    17. Culas, Richard J., 2012. "REDD and forest transition: Tunneling through the environmental Kuznets curve," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 44-51.
    18. Leblois, Antoine & Damette, Olivier & Wolfersberger, Julien, 2017. "What has Driven Deforestation in Developing Countries Since the 2000s? Evidence from New Remote-Sensing Data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 82-102.
    19. Indarto, Jarot & Mutaqin, Dadang J., 2016. "An overview of theoretical and empirical studies on deforestation," MPRA Paper 70178, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Yi-Bin Chiu, 2012. "Deforestation and the Environmental Kuznets Curve in Developing Countries: A Panel Smooth Transition Regression Approach," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 60(2), pages 177-194, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Deforestation; Poverty; Economic development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

    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:lauspo:v:84:y:2019:i:c:p:e347-e353. 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: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    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.