Young, Carlos Eduardo Frickmann; (1997) Economic adjustment policies and the environment: A case study of Brazil. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

Text 10017436.pdf Download (9MB)

Abstract

Adjustment programmes in developing countries have been the subject of intense debate since the debt crisis in the early 1980s. Consideration of environmental consequences of adjustment policies has added a new dimension to the discussion. This thesis focuses on this issue, examining the links between adjustment policies and the use of natural resources. The first part of the thesis comprises a review of the international literature and the development of a macroeconomic model relating effective demand and the use of natural resources. The second part is dedicated to the analysis of environmental consequences of adjustment policies in Brazil. It starts with a brief review of macroeconomic policy in Brazil since the oil crisis in the mid-1970s. Then three environmental problems are looked at: deforestation in the Amazon, mineral depletion and industrial water and air pollution. In the three cases there are important links between adjustment policies and the worsening of environmental conditions. The thesis suggests two broad conclusions. First, while the final outcome of the adjustment policies may be positive or negative, a failure to integrate macroeconomic models with sustainability concerns has meant that existing 'models' of adjustment have not been able to identify the potential inconsistency between the requirements of macroeconomic reform and resource conservation. From the adjustment country perspective, consumption of natural capital is a simple and effective response to the requirements of short term improvement in the economic performance. The second conclusion is that adjustment programmes should be designed so that short-term disruption is at least partly offset by mitigating environmental policies.

Download activity - last month

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as CSVXMLJSON

Archive Staff Only

View Item