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Sustainable development and technology

Author

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  • Amin U. Sarkar

    (State University of New York)

Abstract

Amongst economists, politicians, environmentalists and others a relatively new phrase has come to the fore, a new cliche´: sustainable development. Its meaning is, however, somewhat obscure, often unique to the speaker. This paper clarifies some of the ideas that surround the concept of sustainable development, the role that technology plays in the ideas and how these concepts can be best put to use in terms of policy. Often the preconceived notions of the authors are imbedded in their idea of sustainable development, sometimes explicitly and othertimes implicitly and, as a result, the policy prescriptions they espouse are also affected. The paper begins with the evolution of the concept of sustainable development, examines economists' decision rules, evaluates the role of the state vis-a`-vis technology and then attempts to ferret out the policy implications. Finally, the paper concludes that sustainability should be a goal of any development plan and should include an explicit technology policy. A range of policy options exists to help pursue these goals, some of which are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Amin U. Sarkar, 1997. "Sustainable development and technology," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 97-102, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:envsyd:v:17:y:1997:i:2:d:10.1023_a:1018543831602
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1018543831602
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. 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.
    2. Sanjaya Lall, 1996. "Understanding Technology Development," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Learning from the Asian Tigers, chapter 2, pages 27-58, Palgrave Macmillan.
    3. Daly, Herman E., 1990. "Toward some operational principles of sustainable development," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 1-6, April.
    4. William McKillop & Amin Sarkar, 1996. "Sustainable development of forest resources in industrialized countries," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 14(3), pages 175-184, August.
    5. Rudiger Dornbusch, 1992. "The Case for Trade Liberalization in Developing Countries," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 6(1), pages 69-85, Winter.
    6. McKillop, William & Sarkar, Amin, 1996. "Sustainable development of forest resources in industrialized countries," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 14(3), pages 175-184, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Andreea Constantinescu & Simona Frone, 2014. "The role of technological innovation in sustainable economic development," Journal of Knowledge Management, Economics and Information Technology, ScientificPapers.org, vol. 4(1.1), pages 1-13, February.

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