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Some Theoretical Connections Among Wealth, Income, Sustainability, and Accounting

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  • Martin L. Weitzman

Abstract

In theory, and under some quite strong assumptions, there exists an important rigorous quantitative relationship among the following four fundamental economic concepts: (1) "wealth"; (2) "income"; (3) "sustainability"; (4) "accounting". These four basic concepts are placed in quotation marks here because a necessary first step will be to carefully and rigorously define what exactly is meant by each concept. In this paper, I review what is known about this important four-fold quantitative relationship in an ultra-simplified setting. I identify some basic applications of this simplified economic theory of wealth and income (and sustainability and accounting). While the contents of this paper are expressed at a very high level of abstraction and require some restrictive assumptions, I believe that the fundamental four-fold relationship it sharply highlights is useful for understanding, at least in principle, what is "wealth" and what is its theoretical relationship to "income," "sustainability," and "accounting."

Suggested Citation

  • Martin L. Weitzman, 2016. "Some Theoretical Connections Among Wealth, Income, Sustainability, and Accounting," NBER Working Papers 22060, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:22060
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    1. Geir Asheim & Wolfgang Buchholz & Cees Withagen, 2003. "The Hartwick Rule: Myths and Facts," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 25(2), pages 129-150, June.
    2. Hartwick, John M, 1977. "Intergenerational Equity and the Investing of Rents from Exhaustible Resources," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 67(5), pages 972-974, December.
    3. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    4. Martin L. Weitzman, 1970. "Aggregation and Disaggregation in the Pure Theory of Capital and Growth: A New Parable," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 292, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
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    Cited by:

    1. McLaughlin, Eoin & Ducoing, Cristián & Hanley, Nick, 2024. "Challenges of wealth-based sustainability metrics: A critical appraisal," Accountancy, Economics, and Finance Working Papers 2024-05, Heriot-Watt University, Department of Accountancy, Economics, and Finance.
    2. Eli P Fenichel & Yukiko Hashida, 2019. "Choices and the value of natural capital," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 35(1), pages 120-137.
    3. Fangzhi Wang & Hua Liao & Richard S. J. Tol, 2023. "Baumol's Climate Disease," Papers 2312.00160, arXiv.org.
    4. Sugiawan, Yogi & Managi, Shunsuke, 2019. "New evidence of energy-growth nexus from inclusive wealth," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 40-48.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Q2 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics

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