The Evolving Relationship between Economy and Environment

This book sheds new light on the relationship between economy and the environment by approaching the issue from evolutionary and institutional economics. Building a framework of theory and empirical analysis, it provides an in-depth perspective on how economic growth and environmental policy interact and historically evolve. Orthodox environmental economics usually understands environmental issues under the rules of market economy, while environmental sciences subordinate economy to physical constraints of the environment. Instead of these hierarchical visions, this book recognizes economy and the environment as co-evolving systems.

The theoretical framework is elaborated based on the régulation and post-Keynesian theories combined. An idea of three-dimensional factors-capital, labor, and the environment-leads to conceptual and mathematical models, which will be applicable to wider analyses.

Using this framework, Japanese history is analyzed as a typical example of environmental policy development. Historical transformations of environmental policies and growth regimes are explained using indices and econometric analysis. Experiences of strict regulations with positive economic impacts are also identified.

These works lead to some interesting implications, which include mechanisms, the possibility, and conditions of "green growth''. This book proposes a new approach by bridging the gap between evolutionary-institutional economics and environmental economics, which should be stimulating to them both and possibly open the door for a new research avenue.

Autorentext
Kazuhiro Okuma, Tohoku University, Japan

Inhalt
Part I: Overview.- Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Evolutionary and Institutional Approach to Economy and the Environment.- Part II: Theoretical Analysis.- Chapter 3: Socioeconomic System as Reproductions of Economy, Humans and the Environment.- Chapter 4: Formalizing Triple Reproductions and Environmental Costs.- Chapter 5: Institutional Coordination in the Economy-environment Nexus and the Growth Regime.- Chapter 6: A Kaleckian Model for Economy-environment Analysis.- Part III: Long-term Transformation in Japan.- Chapter 7: Overview of Long-term Trends of the Economy-environment Nexus in Japan.- Chapter 8: Econometric Analysis of the Impacts of Environmental Measures on Growth.- Chapter 9. Interpreting the Historical Transformation.- Part IV: Conclusion.- Chapter 10: Searching for a Vision into the Future: Evolutionary Economy-environment Coordination.- Appendix: Data Sources and Estimation Methods.