Title: Is economic growth sustainable? Environmental quality of Indian States after 1991

Authors: Sacchidananda Mukherjee, Vinish Kathuria

Addresses: Madras School of Economics, Gandhi Mandapam Road (Behind Govt. Data Centre), Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India. ' Madras School of Economics, Gandhi Mandapam Road (Behind Govt. Data Centre), Chennai 600025, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: This study attempts to investigate the relationship between Environmental Quality (EQ) and per capita NSDP (i.e., Environmental Kuznets Curve, EKC) of 14 major Indian States, in the light of their high economic growth in the post-liberalisation period. The analysis involves first ranking the States on the basis of their EQ, and then checking the relationship. The results indicate that the relationship between EQ and per capita NSDP is slanting S-shaped. Except Bihar, all the States are on the upward sloping curve of the EKC. The results suggest that the economic growth is mostly at the cost of EQ.

Keywords: environmental quality; economic growth; environmental Kuznets curve; EKC; economic liberalisation; India; sustainable development; sustainability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2006.010937

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2006 Vol.9 No.1, pp.38 - 60

Published online: 18 Sep 2006 *

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