IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolec/v196y2022ics092180092200074x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The rise and fall of La Graufesenque: The fate of development based on a non-renewable resource

Author

Listed:
  • Terreaux, Jean-Philippe

Abstract

Even a very gradual depletion of some natural resources can lead to significant disruption to entire societies. Indeed, societies which appear at first glance to be flourishing may in fact be hiding a deep-seated fragility. This phenomenon is illustrated by the results of an archaeological dig in La Graufesenque, an ancient Roman city located in the south of France, which suffered a sudden and brutal demise following years of economic prosperity built on its ceramics trade. In our study, we develop a model to show how forest exploitation at the time can go a good way to explaining this collapse. We combine different data from archaeology, history and economics to show how the case of La Graufesenque allows us to better understand the dynamics of our modern world, which is also faced with dwindling reserves of certain natural resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Terreaux, Jean-Philippe, 2022. "The rise and fall of La Graufesenque: The fate of development based on a non-renewable resource," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:196:y:2022:i:c:s092180092200074x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107412
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092180092200074X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107412?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. Michel Moreaux & Jean-Pierre Amigues & Jean-Philippe Terreaux, 1990. "Exploitation d'une ressource non renouvelable, possibilité de stockage et règle d'Hotelling," Revue Économique, Programme National Persée, vol. 41(2), pages 335-368.
    2. Margaret E. Slade & Henry Thille, 2009. "Whither Hotelling: Tests of the Theory of Exhaustible Resources," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 1(1), pages 239-259, September.
    3. Knut Einar Rosendahl & Diana Roa Rubiano, 2019. "How Effective is Lithium Recycling as a Remedy for Resource Scarcity?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 74(3), pages 985-1010, November.
    4. Robert M. Solow, 1974. "The Economics of Resources or the Resources of Economics," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Chennat Gopalakrishnan (ed.), Classic Papers in Natural Resource Economics, chapter 12, pages 257-276, Palgrave Macmillan.
    5. Bocar Samba Ba & Philippe Mahenc, 2019. "Is Recycling a Threat or an Opportunity for the Extractor of an Exhaustible Resource?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 73(4), pages 1109-1134, August.
    6. Peter Temin, 2006. "The Economy of the Early Roman Empire," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 20(1), pages 133-151, Winter.
    7. Roberto Ferreira da Cunha & Antoine Missemer, 2020. "The Hotelling rule in non‐renewable resource economics: A reassessment," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(2), pages 800-820, May.
    8. Marta García Morcillo, 2020. "Mentality, motivation, and economic decision‐making in Ancient Rome: Cicero and Tullia's shrine," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 73(3), pages 623-643, August.
    9. Roel van Veldhuizen & Joep Sonnemans, 2018. "Nonrenewable Resources, Strategic Behavior and the Hotelling Rule: An Experiment," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(2), pages 481-516, June.
    10. Peter Temin, 2012. "The Roman Market Economy," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 9896.
    11. Gérard Gaudet, 2007. "Natural resource economics under the rule of Hotelling," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 40(4), pages 1033-1059, November.
    12. Kemp, Murray C & Long, Ngo Van, 1980. "On Two Folk Theorems Concerning the Extraction of Exhaustible Resources," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(3), pages 663-673, April.
    13. Tilton, John E., 1996. "Exhaustible resources and sustainable development : Two different paradigms," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1-2), pages 91-97.
    14. Scheidel,Walter & Morris,Ian & Saller,Richard P. (ed.), 2007. "The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521780537.
    15. Harold Hotelling, 1931. "The Economics of Exhaustible Resources," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39, pages 137-137.
    16. Roberto Ferreira da Cunha & Antoine Missemer, 2020. "The Hotelling rule in non‐renewable resource economics: A reassessment," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(2), pages 800-820, May.
    17. Tchernia, Andre, 2016. "The Romans and Trade," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198723714, Decembrie.
    18. Reuveny, Rafael & Decker, Christopher S., 2000. "Easter Island: historical anecdote or warning for the future?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 271-287, November.
    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. Jiaxin Wang, 2022. "Did China’s “National Sustainable Development Plan of Resource-Based Cities” Promote Economic Growth?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-17, July.

    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. Vicknair, David & Tansey, Michael & O'Brien, Thomas E., 2022. "Measuring fossil fuel reserves: A simulation and review of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approach," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    2. Roberto Ferreira da Cunha & Antoine Missemer, 2020. "The Hotelling rule in non‐renewable resource economics: A reassessment," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(2), pages 800-820, May.
    3. Johnson Kakeu, 2023. "Concerns for Long-Run Risks and Natural Resource Policy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 84(4), pages 1051-1093, April.
    4. Courage Mlambo, 2022. "Non-Renewable Resources and Sustainable Resource Extraction: An Empirical Test of the Hotelling Rule’s Significance to Gold Extraction in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-17, August.
    5. Gérard Gaudet & Stephen W. Salant, 2018. "Modeling Nonrenewable Resources Use with Multiple Demands and Multiple Sources," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 70(4), pages 737-755, August.
    6. Devarajan, Shantayanan & Fisher, Anthony C, 1981. "Hotelling's "Economics of Exhaustible Resources": Fifty Years Later," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 19(1), pages 65-73, March.
    7. Fabre, Adrien & Fodha, Mouez & Ricci, Francesco, 2020. "Mineral resources for renewable energy: Optimal timing of energy production," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    8. van den Bremer, Ton & van der Ploeg, Frederick & Wills, Samuel, 2016. "The Elephant In The Ground: Managing Oil And Sovereign Wealth," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 113-131.
    9. Cuddington, John T. & Nülle, Grant, 2014. "Variable long-term trends in mineral prices: The ongoing tug-of-war between exploration, depletion, and technological change," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 224-252.
    10. Nassani, Abdelmohsen A. & Aldakhil, Abdullah Mohammed & Zaman, Khalid, 2021. "Ecological footprints jeopardy for mineral resource extraction: Efficient use of energy, financial development and insurance services to conserve natural resources," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    11. Kheiravar, Khaled H, 2019. "Economic and Econometric Analyses of the World Petroleum Industry, Energy Subsidies, and Air Pollution," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt3gj151w9, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    12. Sweeney, James L., 1993. "Economic theory of depletable resources: An introduction," Handbook of Natural Resource and Energy Economics, in: A. V. Kneese† & J. L. Sweeney (ed.), Handbook of Natural Resource and Energy Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 17, pages 759-854, Elsevier.
    13. Amigues, Jean-Pierre & Kama, Alain Ayong Le & Moreaux, Michel, 2015. "Equilibrium transitions from non-renewable energy to renewable energy under capacity constraints," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 89-112.
    14. Bocar Samba Ba & Philippe Mahenc, 2019. "Is Recycling a Threat or an Opportunity for the Extractor of an Exhaustible Resource?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 73(4), pages 1109-1134, August.
    15. Johannes Pfeiffer, 2017. "Fossil Resources and Climate Change – The Green Paradox and Resource Market Power Revisited in General Equilibrium," ifo Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsforschung, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 77.
    16. Kakeu, Johnson & Nguimkeu, Pierre, 2017. "Habit formation and exhaustible resource risk-pricing," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 1-12.
    17. Giuseppe Di Vita, 2004. "Natural Resources Dynamics: Another Look," Working Papers 2004.110, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    18. Missemer, Antoine & Nadaud, Franck, 2020. "Energy as a factor of production: Historical roots in the American institutionalist context," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    19. Bazhanov, Andrei V., 2022. "Extraction path and sustainability," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    20. Konrad, Kai A. & Thum, Marcel, 2023. "Elusive effects of export embargoes for fossil energy resources," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).

    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:ecolec:v:196:y:2022:i:c:s092180092200074x. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon .

    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.