Do developing countries enjoy latecomers’ advantages in environmental management and technology? — analysis of the environmental Kuznets curve

Taguchi, Hiroyuki (2001): Do developing countries enjoy latecomers’ advantages in environmental management and technology? — analysis of the environmental Kuznets curve. Published in: International Review for Environmental Strategies , Vol. 2, No. 2 : pp. 263-276.

Abstract

Developing countries are under pressure to deal with a variety of environmental problems, such as industrial pollution, urban environmental issues, the deterioration of ecosystems, and global warming, while they are expected to simultaneously achieve high economic growth. In this context, they urgently need to leapfrog over environmental difficulties through progressive environmental management and technology by utilizing their “latecomers’ advantages” to the maximum extent possible. By utilizing the analytical framework of the environmental Kuznets curve (EK curve), this study examines whether or not developing countries actually enjoy latecomers’ advantages in environmental management and technology, depending on their stages of development. The study’s main findings are as follows: (1) regional analysis focusing on selected East Asian countries shows that both the EK curve trajectories and observed facts are generally consistent with the hypothesis that developing countries do enjoy latecomers’ advantages; and (2) a regression analysis using cross-sectional data provides significant confirmation of the existence of latecomers’ advantages for addressing the well known environmental problem of sulfur emissions.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Environmental Kuznets curve, Latecomers’ advantages in environmental management and technology, Economic development and environmental conservation, Leapfrog environmental difficulties, Technology transfers to developing countries
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q56 - Environment and Development ; Environment and Trade ; Sustainability ; Environmental Accounts and Accounting ; Environmental Equity ; Population Growth

References

Asian Development Bank. 1997. Environment and natural resources. In Emerging Asia: Changes and challenges. Manila: Asian Development Bank. 199-266.

Asian Development Bank. 2000. Asian Environment Outlook 2001 (Second Discussion Draft). Manila: Asian Development Bank.

ASL & Associates. 1996. Assessing historical global sulfur emission patterns for the period 1850–1990. U.S. Department of Commerce. <http://www.asl-associates.com/sulfur.htm>.

Cleveland, C. J. and M. Ruth. 1997. When, where, and by how much do biophysical limits constrain the economic process? A survey of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen’s contribution to ecological economics. Ecological Economics 22:203–223.

Grossman, G. M. and A. B. Krueger. 1995. Economic growth and the environment. Quarterly Journal of Economics 112:353–378.

Heston, A. and R. Summers. 1995. The Penn World Tables, Version 5.6. <http://datacentre.chass.utoronto.ca/pwt/index.html>.

Irie, Y., Y. Kobayashi and T. Morita. 2000. Policy analysis on alternative development paths based on the environmental Kuznets curve–empirical proof using time serial data on SO2 and simulation analysis. Breakaway session at the 2000 meeting of Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, 30 September, at Tsukuba International Conference Room, Japan.

Islam, Nazrul. 1996. Income-environment relationship: Is Asia different? Background paper for Emerging Asia:Changes and Challenges. Asian Development Bank. 1997.

Japanese Environment Agency. 1998. Annual report on the state of the environment. Tokyo, Japan.

Kaufmann, R. K., B. Davidsdottir, S. Garham, and P. Pauly. 1998. The determinants of atmospheric SO2 concentrations: Reconsidering the environmental Kuznets curve. Ecological Economics 25:209–220.

Marland, G., T. A. Boden and R. J. Andres. 2000. Global, regional, and national fossil fuel CO2 emissions. In Trends: A compendium of data on global change. Oak Ridge, Tenn. U.S.A.: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy. <http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/trends/emis/tre_coun.html>.

Matusoka, S., R. Matsumoto, I. Kawauchi and M. Iwase. 2000. The capacity building of environmental management in East Asia. In View Point to the East Asia 11-4: 92-105.

Ministry of the Environment. 2001. International environment cooperation toward sustainable development. <http://www.env.go.jp/earth/coop/index.html>.

Panayotou, T. 1995. Environment degradation at different stages of economic development. In Beyond Rio: The environment crisis and sustainable livelihoods in the Third World. Edited by I. Ahmed and J. Doelman. London: Macmillan Press. 13-36.

Vincent, J. R. 1997. Environment and development in a resource-rich economy: Malaysia under the new economic policy. Cambridge: Harvard Institute for International Development.

World Bank. 1992. Development and the environment. World development report. Washington, D.C: Oxford University Press.

World Bank. 2000. World development indicators 2000. CD-ROM.