A Theory of Endogenous Degrowth and Environmental Sustainability

Philippe Aghion, Timo Boppart, Michael Peters, Matthew Schwartzman and Fabrizio Zilibotti

No 20007, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: We develop and quantify a growth theory where consumers' preferences are defined over products with varying environmental impacts. Preferences are non-homothetic: Necessities are intensive in material inputs whose production leads to high emissions, while luxury goods, being more reliant on services, exhibit a comparatively lower environmental footprint. Directed innovation is the focal point of the study: it can be aimed at either enhancing the productivity of material production or refining the quality of luxury goods. Over time, innovation increasingly prioritizes quality improvement, consequently reducing the environmental impact of economic growth. The pace of structural transformation and the composition of GDP are both endogenous and susceptible to policy interventions. The shift towards quality-oriented growth may result in a decline in (mis)measured GDP growth without a decrease in welfare. Extending the model to a two-country trade scenario reveals that trade barriers could have a detrimental effect on environmental sustainability.

Keywords: Climate change; degrowth; Structural change; Weightless economy; Development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O14 O41 O44 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-03
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