Economic Growth and the Environment: A Review of Theory and Empirics
Abstract
This paper reviews both theory and empirical work on economic growth and the environment. We develop four simple growth models to help us identify key features generating sustainable growth. We show how some combination of technological progress in abatement, intensified abatement, shifts in the composition of national output and induced innovation are necessary for sustainable growth, and then demonstrate how growth models employing any one of these mechanisms generate other potentially refutable predictions on abatement costs, pollution levels, or emission intensities.Download Info
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.Bibliographic Info
Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 10854.Length:
Date of creation: Oct 2004
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:10854
Note: EFG EEE
Contact details of provider:
Postal: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Phone: 617-868-3900
Email:
Web page: http://www.nber.org
More information through EDIRC
Related research
Keywords:Other versions of this item:
- 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.
- F1 - International Economics - - Trade
- Q2 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation
This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:
- NEP-ALL-2004-11-22 (All new papers)
References
References listed on IDEASPlease report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- 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.
- Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-37, October.
- Brander, J.A. & Taylor, M.S., 1996.
"The Simple Economics of Easter Island: A Ricardo-Malthus Model of Renewable Resource Use,"
UBC Departmental Archives
96-08, UBC Department of Economics.
- Brander, James A & Taylor, M Scott, 1998. "The Simple Economics of Easter Island: A Ricardo-Malthus Model of Renewable Resource Use," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(1), pages 119-38, March.
- Brian R. Copeland & M. Scott Taylor, 2004.
"Trade, Growth, and the Environment,"
Journal of Economic Literature,
American Economic Association, vol. 42(1), pages 7-71, March.
- Copeland,B.R. & Scott Taylor,M., 2003. "Trade, growth and the environment," Working papers 10, Wisconsin Madison - Social Systems.
- Brian R. Copeland & M. Scott Taylor, 2003. "Trade, Growth and the Environment," NBER Working Papers 9823, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Christian Scholz & Georg Ziemes, 1999. "Exhaustible Resources, Monopolistic Competition, and Endogenous Growth," Environmental & Resource Economics, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 13(2), pages 169-185, March.
- Douglas Holtz-Eakin & Thomas M. Selden, 1992.
"Stoking the Fires? Co2 Emissions and Economic Growth,"
NBER Working Papers
4248, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Holtz-Eakin, Douglas & Selden, Thomas M., 1995. "Stoking the fires? CO2 emissions and economic growth," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 85-101, May.
- Copeland, Brian R & Taylor, M Scott, 1994.
"North-South Trade and the Environment,"
The Quarterly Journal of Economics,
MIT Press, vol. 109(3), pages 755-87, August.
- Copeland, B.R. & Taylor, M.S., 1993. "North-South Trade and the Environment," UBC Departmental Archives 93-02, UBC Department of Economics.
- William T. Harbaugh & Arik Levinson & David Molloy Wilson, 2002.
"Reexamining The Empirical Evidence For An Environmental Kuznets Curve,"
The Review of Economics and Statistics,
MIT Press, vol. 84(3), pages 541-551, August.
- William Harbaugh & Arik Levinson & David Wilson, 2000. "Reexamining the Empirical Evidence for an Environmental Kuznets Curve," Working Papers gueconwpa~00-00-07, Georgetown University, Department of Economics.
- William Harbaugh & Arik Levinson & David Wilson, 2000. "Reexamining the Empirical Evidence for an Environmental Kuznets Curve," NBER Working Papers 7711, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Smulders, Sjak & Gradus, Raymond, 1996.
"Pollution abatement and long-term growth,"
European Journal of Political Economy,
Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 505-532, November.
- Smulders, J.A. & Gradus, R.H.J.M., 1993. "Pollution abatement and long-term growth," Discussion Paper 1993-73, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
- Smulders, J.A. & Gradus, R.H.J.M., 1996. "Pollution abatement and long-term growth," Open Access publications from Tilburg University urn:nbn:nl:ui:12-72815, Tilburg University.
- Dasgupta,P. S. & Heal,G. M., 1985. "Economic Theory and Exhaustible Resources," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521297615.
- 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.
- Werner Antweiler & Brian R. Copeland & M. Scott Taylor, 1998. "Is Free Trade Good for the Environment?," NBER Working Papers 6707, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Antweiler, W. & Copeland, B.R. & Taylor, M.S., 1998. "Is Free Trade Good for the Environment?," UBC Departmental Archives 98-11, UBC Department of Economics.
- Andreoni, James & Levinson, Arik, 2001.
"The simple analytics of the environmental Kuznets curve,"
Journal of Public Economics,
Elsevier, vol. 80(2), pages 269-286, May.
- James Andreoni & Arik Levinson, 1998. "The Simple Analytics of the Environmental Kuznets Curve," NBER Working Papers 6739, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Adam B. Jaffe & Richard G. Newell & Robert N. Stavins, 2000.
"Technological Change and the Environment,"
NBER Working Papers
7970, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Stavins, Robert & Jaffe, Adam & Newell, Richard, 2000. "Technological Change and the Environment," Discussion Papers dp-00-47, Resources For the Future.
- Stavins, Robert & Jaffe, Adam & Newell, Richard, 2000. "Technological Change and the Environment," Working Paper Series rwp00-002, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
- Stern, David I., 2004.
"The Rise and Fall of the Environmental Kuznets Curve,"
World Development,
Elsevier, vol. 32(8), pages 1419-1439, August.
- David I. Stern, 2003. "The Rise and Fall of the Environmental Kuznets Curve," Rensselaer Working Papers in Economics 0302, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Department of Economics.
- Arik Levinson & M. Scott Taylor, 2004.
"Unmasking the Pollution Haven Effect,"
NBER Working Papers
10629, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- 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, 02.
- Steven N. Durlauf & Danny T. Quah, 1998.
"The New Empirics of Economic Growth,"
NBER Working Papers
6422, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Durlauf, Steven N. & Quah, Danny T., 1999. "The new empirics of economic growth," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & M. Woodford (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 4, pages 235-308 Elsevier.
- Steven N. Durlauf & Danny T. Quah, 1998. "The New Empirics of Economic Growth," Working Papers 98-01-012, Santa Fe Institute.
- S Durlauf & Danny Quah, 1998. "The New Empirics of Economic Growth," CEP Discussion Papers dp0384, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
- Durlauf,S.N. & Quah,D.T., 1998. "The new empirics of economic growth," Working papers 3, Wisconsin Madison - Social Systems.
- Rodriguez, Francisco & Sachs, Jeffrey D, 1999. " Why Do Resource-Abundant Economies Grow More Slowly?," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 277-303, September.
- Cole, M.A. & Rayner, A.J. & Bates, J.M., 1997. "The environmental Kuznets curve: an empirical analysis," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 2(04), pages 401-416, November.
- Jose Mendez & Lewis Gale, .
"A Note on the Empirical Relationship Between Trade, Growth and the Environment,"
Working Papers
2132836, Department of Economics, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University.
- Lewis R. Gale & Jose A. Mendez, . "A Note on the Empirical Relationship Between Trade, Growth and the Environment," Working Papers 96/3, Arizona State University, Department of Economics.
- Larry E. Jones & Rodolfo E. Manuelli, 2001.
"Endogenous Policy Choice: The Case of Pollution and Growth,"
Review of Economic Dynamics,
Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 4(2), pages 369-405, July.
- Larry E. Jones & Rodolfo E. Manuelli, 2000. "Endogenous policy choice: the case of pollution and growth," Staff Report 276, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
- Beverly Hirtle, 2008. "Credit derivatives and bank credit supply," Staff Reports 276, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
- R. M. Solow, 1973. "Intergenerational Equity and Exhaustable Resources," Working papers 103, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
- John, A & Pecchenino, R, 1994. "An Overlapping Generations Model of Growth and the Environment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 104(427), pages 1393-1410, November.
- Grossman, Gene M & Krueger, Alan B, 1995.
"Economic Growth and the Environment,"
The Quarterly Journal of Economics,
MIT Press, vol. 110(2), pages 353-77, May.
- Gene M. Grossman & Alan B. Krueger, 1994. "Economic Growth and the Environment," NBER Working Papers 4634, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Dale W. Jorgenson & Peter J. Wilcoxen, 1990. "Environmental Regulation and U.S. Economic Growth," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 21(2), pages 314-340, Summer.
- Selden Thomas M. & Song Daqing, 1994. "Environmental Quality and Development: Is There a Kuznets Curve for Air Pollution Emissions?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 147-162, September.
- Slade, Margaret E., 1982. "Trends in natural-resource commodity prices: An analysis of the time domain," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 122-137, June.
- Brock,W.A. & Taylor,M.S., 2004.
"The Green Solow model,"
Working papers
16, Wisconsin Madison - Social Systems.
- William Brock & M. Taylor, 2010. "The Green Solow model," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 127-153, June.
- William A. Brock & M. Scott Taylor, 2004. "The Green Solow Model," NBER Working Papers 10557, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Adam B. Jaffe & Karen Palmer, 1996.
"Environmental Regulation and Innovation: A Panel Data Study,"
NBER Working Papers
5545, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Adam B. Jaffe & Karen Palmer, 1997. "Environmental Regulation And Innovation: A Panel Data Study," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 79(4), pages 610-619, November.
- Adam B. Jaffe et al., 1995. "Environmental Regulation and the Competitiveness of U.S. Manufacturing: What Does the Evidence Tell Us?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 33(1), pages 132-163, March.
- W.A. Brock & M. Scott Taylor, 2003.
"The Kindergarten Rule of Sustainable Growth,"
Public Economics
0303005, EconWPA.
- Brock,W.A. & Taylor,M.S., 2003. "The kindergarten rule of sustainable growth," Working papers 8, Wisconsin Madison - Social Systems.
- William A. Brock & M. Scott Taylor, 2003. "The Kindergarten Rule of Sustainable Growth," NBER Working Papers 9597, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Lans Bovenberg, A. & Smulders, Sjak, 1995.
"Environmental quality and pollution-augmenting technological change in a two-sector endogenous growth model,"
Journal of Public Economics,
Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 369-391, July.
- Smulders, J.A., 1995. "Environmental quality and pollution-augmenting technological change in a two-sector endogenous growth model," Open Access publications from Tilburg University urn:nbn:nl:ui:12-153411, Tilburg University.
- David Popp, 2002. "Induced Innovation and Energy Prices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(1), pages 160-180, March.
- Pezzey, John C V & Withagen, Cees A, 1998. " The Rise, Fall and Sustainability of Capital-Resource Economies," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(2), pages 513-27, June.
- Robinson, James A. & Srinivasan, T.N., 1993.
"Long-term consequences of population growth: Technological change, natural resources, and the environment,"
Handbook of Population and Family Economics,
in: M. R. Rosenzweig & Stark, O. (ed.), Handbook of Population and Family Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 21, pages 1175-1298
Elsevier.
- Srinivasan, T.N. & Robinson, J.A., 1995. "Long-Term Consequences of Population Growth: Technological Change, Natural Resources, and the Environment," Papers 748, Yale - Economic Growth Center.
- Hartwick, John M, 1977.
"Intergenerational Equity and the Investing of Rents from Exhaustible Resources,"
American Economic Review,
American Economic Association, vol. 67(5), pages 972-74, December.
- John Hartwick, 1976. "Intergenerational Equity and the Investing of Rents from Exhaustible Resources," Working Papers 220, Queen's University, Department of Economics.
- W.A. Brock & D. Starrett, 2003. "Managing Systems with Non-convex Positive Feedback," Environmental & Resource Economics, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 26(4), pages 575-602, December.
- Richard G. Newell & Adam B. Jaffe & Robert N. Stavins, 1998.
"The Induced Innovation Hypothesis and Energy-Saving Technological Change,"
NBER Working Papers
6437, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Richard G. Newell & Adam B. Jaffe & Robert N. Stavins, 1999. "The Induced Innovation Hypothesis And Energy-Saving Technological Change," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 114(3), pages 941-975, August.
- Stavins, Robert & Jaffe, Adam & Newell, Richard, 1998. "The Induced Innovation Hypothesis and Energy-Saving Technological Change," Discussion Papers dp-98-12-rev, Resources For the Future.
- Vincent, Jeffrey R., 1997. "Testing for environmental Kuznets curves within a developing country," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 2(04), pages 417-431, November.
- McCONNELL, KENNETH E., 1997. "Income and the demand for environmental quality," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 2(04), pages 383-399, November.
- Rose, A. & Chen, C. Y., 1991. "Sources of change in energy use in the U.S. economy, 1972-1982 : A structural decomposition analysis," Resources and Energy, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 1-21, April.
- William D. Nordhaus, 1992. "Lethal Model 2: The Limits to Growth Revisited," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 23(2), pages 1-60.
- Partha Dasgupta & Karl-Göran Mäler, 2003. "The Economics of Non-Convex Ecosystems: Introduction," Environmental & Resource Economics, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 26(4), pages 499-525, December.
- Hilton, F. G. Hank & Levinson, Arik, 1998. "Factoring the Environmental Kuznets Curve: Evidence from Automotive Lead Emissions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 126-141, March.
- Keeler, Emmett & Spence, Michael & Zeckhauser, Richard, 1972. "The optimal control of pollution," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 19-34, February.
- Solow, Robert, 1993. "An almost practical step toward sustainability," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 162-172, September.
- Tahvonen, Olli & Kuuluvainen, Jari, 1991. "Optimal growth with renewable resources and pollution," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(2-3), pages 650-661, April.
Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
This item has more than 25 citations. To prevent cluttering this page, these citations are listed on a separate page.
Lists
This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.Statistics
Access and download statisticsCorrections
When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:10854For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ().
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 references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.
If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link 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 profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

