Resumo

PEREZ-BLANCO, Carlos Dionisio. The dynamics of underdevelopment and its relationship to environmental deterioration. Econ. soc. territ [online]. 2012, vol.12, n.38, pp.81-105. ISSN 2448-6183.

Are developed countries responsible for environmental deterioration? Do developing countries have the right to pollute more? The paper refuses this hypothesis and shows that a dynamic of growth aimed towards consistent development in low income areas has to be necessarily sustainable; otherwise, it can undermine a country's development path. The paper surveys mainstream development economics theory and argues that there is a consistent relation between development and environmental standards. It is pointed out the problem that many underdeveloped countries face when trying to get out of a low income development trap and the consequences of these traps over its wealth (which includes natural capital); this wealth is precisely the main factor determining the capacity of a country to generate income in the future. Thus, an in depth knowledge of development traps dynamics is needed to prevent environmental deterioration from happening.

Palavras-chave : big push; Kuznets curve; dual economy; institutional quality; genuine wealth.

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