Workshop

Abstract: Efforts to assess the possibilities for decoupling economic growth from negative environmental impacts have examined their historical relationship, with varying and inconclusive results. Part of the problem is ambiguity arising from definitional changes to GDP. I review the history of structural revisions to GDP on both the national level and on international comparisons of purchasing power parity, compare decoupling results using various historical definitions of GDP on the same environmental indicator, and demonstrate that changing the GDP data vintage does impact decoupling results in qualitatively important ways.

Note: Please be prepared to wear a mask at all times while at DIW Berlin, including during the seminar.