The environmental Kuznets curve when the environment exhibits hysteresis

Ram Ranjan, James Shortle

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

The relevance and implications of the environmental Kuznets hypothesis are examined in the presence of stock effects and non-linearities associated with pollution generation. Stock effects lead to hysteresis and irreversibilities in environmental quality that are overlooked when emphasis is placed on the flow effects of pollutants only. It is demonstrated here that an optimal growth plan in the presence of stock effects shifts the focus away from prescribing economic growth as a panacea for environmental ills. Implications for currently industrializing economies are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)204-215
Number of pages12
JournalEcological Economics
Volume64
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 15 2007

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Environmental Science
  • Economics and Econometrics

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