Uncovering the Connections Among Sustainability, Governance and GDP

作     者：Tan Xiaomei Brett Rose 

作者机构：2400 41^st Street NW Apt. 312 Washington DC 20007 USA 8620 Westwood Center Drive Vienna VA 22182 USA 

出 版 物：《Chinese Journal of Population,Resources and Environment》 (中国人口·资源与环境（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2007年第5卷第1期

页      面：9-16页

学科分类：02[经济学] 0201[经济学-理论经济学] 020101[经济学-政治经济学] 

主　　题：sustainability governance GDP ecological footprint 

摘      要：This paper examines the connections among sustain- ability, governance and GDP, using the data from 123 countries. Sustainability is found to be related with GDP in two contradic- tory ways. On the one hand, growth in GDP strengthens a nation’s ability to maintain favorable environmental conditions into the future. On the other hand, GDP growth is built on more consump- tion of natural resources, and therefore generates a larger “foot- print on the Earth. Governance plays a key role in sustainable development. However, it is not helping to reduce our footprint on the Earth. In fact, good governance is linked to a larger footprint. This reflects our materialist value and human impulse. When a society prefers the comfort and well-being of human beings to the welfare of its environment, democratic governance might be used as an effective tool against nature.