Endogenous Population and Environmental Quality

This paper provides with empirical and theoretical studies of the relationship between population, economic growth and environmental quality. Using a simple endogenous growth model we obtain results close to empirical findings. We show existence of a sustainable balanced growth path (BGP) equilibrium in which perpetual economic growth goes in parallel with environmental quality preservation. At the BGP equilibrium, when all exogenous factors are controlled, a negative relationship between fertility rate and economic growth (termed neo-Malthusian relationship) and a negative relationship between population growth rate and environmental quality emerge.Environmental quality; Endogenous population; Endogenous growth; Deforestation

A semiparametric analysis of determinants of protected area.

We use a semiparametric additive model to study the relationship between protected area, income, trade, population, education, and political institutions in a sample of 89 countries. The results show the nonexistence of environmental Kuznets curve in the data sample. The study also points out the existence of nonlinearity in the relationship between protected area and the ratio of net secondary school enrollment.Education; environmental Kuznets curve; protected area; semipara-metric additive models

Energy consumption and income : a semiparametric panel data analysis.

This paper proposes a semiparametric analysis for the study of the relationship between energy consumption per capita and income per capita for an international panel dataset. It shows little evidence for the existence of an environmental Kuznets curve for energy consumption. Energy consumption increases with income for a majority of countries and then stabilizes for very high income countries. Neither changes in energy structure nor macroeconomic cycle/technological change have significant effect on energy consumption.Energy consumption, environmental Kuznets curve, semiparametric panel model, nonstationarity.

Growth and convergence in a model with renewable and non-renewable resources: existence, transitional dynamics, and empirical evidence

This paper studies an optimal endogenous growth model using physical capital, labor and two kinds of natural resources in the final goods sector and employing labor to accumulate knowledge. Based on results in calculus of variations, a direct proof of existence of optimal solution is provided. Analytical solutions for the planner case and the balanced growth paths are found for a specific CRRA utility and Cobb-Douglas production function. Transitional dynamics to the steady state from the theoretical model are used to derive three convergence equations of output intensity growth rate, exhaustible resource growth rate and renewable growth rate, which are tested based on data on production and energy consumption in 27 OECD countries.Optimal growth, existence of equilibrium, transitional dynamics, energy, renewable resource, non-renewable resource.

Economic Growth and CO2 Emissions: a Nonparametric Approach

This paper examines the empirical interplay between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions using panel data.Relying on nonparametric methods, we find evidence supporting specifications which assume the constancy of the relationship between per capita CO2 emissions and per capita GDP during the period of the study. Moreover, the usually adopted polynomial functional form is rejected against our nonparametric modelling. It is shown that the relationship between gas emissions and GDP displays more complex patterns, despite its monotonous shape, than the well-known Kuznets curve obtained from ad hoc parametric specifications. The economic development process has a negative effect on gas emissions, especially for the early and the advanced stages of development. As a result, developed countries as well as developing countries should make efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.CO2 emissions; Economic development; Environmental Kuznets curve; Nonparametric estimation; Panel data

Endogenous Fiscal Policies, Environmental Quality, and Status-Seeking Behavior.

This paper analyzes endogenous fiscal policy and public decision in an endogenous growth model where agents care about social status and environmental quality. The quest for a higher status is assimilated to a preference for capital wealth. The government uses income tax to finance infrastructure and environmental protection, and maximizes individual welfare. We find that accounting for preferences for social status and environmental quality may lead to an allocation of tax revenue in favor of cleanup effort to the detriment of infrastructure. It does not necessary have a negative impact on growth. Status seeking can however harm economic growth and environmental quality when its motive is important enough. Finally, we show that economic growth is consistent with environmental preservation but is not necessarily welfare-improving as in the case of absence of status-seeking behavior.Endogenous policy; endogenous growth; environmental quality; status-seeking; public expenditure; Wagner's law.

Optimization incentive and relative riskiness in experimental coordination games

We compare the experimental results of three stag-hunt games. In contrast to Battalio et al. (2001), our design keeps the riskiness ratio of the payoff-dominant and the risk-dominant strategies at a constant level as the optimisation premium is increased. We define the riskiness ratio as the relative payoff range of the two strategies. We find that decreasing the riskiness ratio while keeping the optimization premium constant increases sharply the frequency of the risk-dominant strategy. On the other hand an increase of the optimization premium with a constant riskiness ratio has no effect on the choice frequencies. Finally, we confirm the dynamic properties found by Battalio et al. that increasing the optimization premium favours best-response and sensitivity to the history of play.

A structural nonparametric reappraisal of the CO2 emissions-income relationship

Relying on a structural nonparametric estimation, we show that CO2 emissions clearly increase with income at low income levels. For higher income levels, we observe a decreasing relationship, though not significant. We also find that CO2 emissions monotonically increases with energy use at a decreasing rate.Nonparametric triangular systems, EKC, Energy use, CO2 emissions