The Employment Effects of Sustainable Development Policies

U21Global Working Paper No. 011/2005

19 Pages Posted: 25 May 2010

See all articles by Judith M. McNeill

Judith M. McNeill

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Jeremy B Williams

Zayed University

Date Written: June 1, 2005

Abstract

As ecological economists we research passionately those issues that will give us a clearer understanding of the complex interaction between the economy and the environment. We believe this to be vital for implementing environmental policies that will have fewer unanticipated or irreversible side effects. However, this paper will argue that whilst we are absorbed in this task, we are tending to ignore some of the simpler political realities associated with attempts to implement sustainable development. When governments reduce access to a threatened natural resource such as groundwater or forests, those who do not share the ecological economist’s views, or those who simply have not stopped to think about it, see only the immediate impacts of the loss of jobs and reduced income multiplier effects in regions. Media reporting of only the most explosive aspects of issues exacerbates a loss of popular support for conservation measures. The debate surrounding the Tasmanian timber industry in the 2004 federal election in Australia provides a graphic example.

Keywords: Ecological economics, Environmental policies, Sustainable development, Australia

Suggested Citation

McNeill, Judith M. and Williams, Jeremy B, The Employment Effects of Sustainable Development Policies (June 1, 2005). U21Global Working Paper No. 011/2005 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1614628 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1614628

Judith M. McNeill (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

Jeremy B Williams

Zayed University ( email )

P.O. Box 19282
Dubai
United Arab Emirates