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Economic growth and the diffusion of clean technologies : explaining environmental Kuznets

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Abstract

Production often causes pollution as a by-product. Once environmental degra- dation becomes too severe, regulation is introduced by which society forces the economy to make a transition to cleaner production processes. We model this transition as a change in "general purpose technology" and investigate how it interferes with economic growth driven by quality-improvements. The model gives an explanation for the inverted U-shaped pollution-income relation found in empirical research for many pollutants (Environmental Kuznets Curve). We provide an analytical foundation for the claim that the rise and decline of pol- lution can be explained by policy-induced technology shifts and intrasectoral changes.

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  • Sjak Smulders & Lucas Bretschger & Hannes Egli, 2005. "Economic growth and the diffusion of clean technologies : explaining environmental Kuznets," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 05/42, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    • Handle: RePEc:eth:wpswif:05-42
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    Cited by:

    1. Valente, Simone, 2008. "Intergenerational transfers, lifetime welfare, and resource preservation," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(1), pages 53-78, February.
    2. Naeem Akram* & Asma Gulzar**, 2013. "Climate change and economic growth : An empirical analysis of Pakistan," Pakistan Journal of Applied Economics, Applied Economics Research Centre, vol. 23(1), pages 31-54.
    3. Naeem Akram & Abdul Hamid, 2015. "Climate change: A threat to the economic growth of Pakistan," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 15(1), pages 73-86, January.
    4. Ricci, Francesco, 2007. "Channels of transmission of environmental policy to economic growth: A survey of the theory," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 688-699, February.
    5. Daniel Schiess & Roger Wehrli, 2008. "The Calm Before the Storm? - Anticipating the Arrival of General Purpose Technologies," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 08/81, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    6. Katsuyuki Shibayama & Iain Fraser, 2014. "Nonhomothetic Growth Models For The Environmental Kuznets Curve," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 55(3), pages 919-942, August.
    7. Sabrina Auci & Giovanni Trovato, 2018. "The environmental Kuznets curve within European countries and sectors: greenhouse emission, production function and technology," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 35(3), pages 895-915, December.
    8. Di Maria, Corrado & Valente, Simone, 2006. "The Direction of Technical Change in Capital-Resource Economies," MPRA Paper 1040, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Hannes Egli & Thomas Steger, 2007. "A Dynamic Model of the Environmental Kuznets Curve: Turning Point and Public Policy," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 36(1), pages 15-34, January.
    10. Simone Valente, 2006. "Trade, Envy and Growth: International Status Seeking in a Two-Country World," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 06/53, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    11. Dinda, Soumyananda, 2004. "Environmental Kuznets Curve: An Envelope of Technological Progress," MPRA Paper 28092, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised May 2010.
    12. Naeem Akram, 2012. "Is climate change hindering economic growth of Asian economies?," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 19(2), pages 1-18, December.
    13. Theo Eicher & Jeff Begun, 2008. "In Search of a Sulphur Dioxide Environmental Kuznets Curve: A Bayesian Model Averaging Approach," Working Papers UWEC-2007-19-P, University of Washington, Department of Economics.
    14. Donatella Baiardi, 2012. "Innovation and the environmental Kuznets curve: the case of CO, NMVOCs and SOx in the Italian regions," Quaderni di Dipartimento 156, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Quantitative Methods.
    15. Grischa Perino, 2008. "The merits of new pollutants and how to get them when patents are granted," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 40(3), pages 313-327, July.
    16. Timothy Swanson & Zacharias Ziegelhoefer, 2011. "Economic Frameworks for thinking about Growth, Sustainability and the role of State Intervention: Paths to Green Economies?," CIES Research Paper series 11-2012, Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute.
    17. Sunghoon Chung, 2012. "Environmental Regulation and the Pattern of Outward FDI: An Empirical Assessment of the Pollution Haven Hypothesis," Departmental Working Papers 1203, Southern Methodist University, Department of Economics.
    18. Karen Pittel, 2006. "A Kuznets Curve for Recycling," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 06/52, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    19. Andrade, André Luiz, 2009. "CO2 e crescimento econômico: uma análise para as emissões dos combustíveis líquidos de origem fóssil no Brasil [CO2 and economic growth: An analysis for emissions from burning fossil fuels in liqui," MPRA Paper 15313, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Carraro, Carlo & De Cian, Enrica & Nicita, Lea & Massetti, Emanuele & Verdolini, Elena, 2010. "Environmental Policy and Technical Change: A Survey," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 4(2), pages 163-219, October.
    21. Deborah Scharfy & Norman Boccali & Matthias Stucki, 2017. "Clean Technologies in Agriculture—How to Prioritise Measures?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-22, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environmental Kuznets curve; general purpose technology; growth; intrasectoral shifts;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models
    • Q20 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - General

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