Title: Growth, technological progress and sustainable development: preliminary evidence of Australia's sustainable development performance

Authors: Philip A. Lawn

Addresses: School of Economics, Flinders University of South Australia, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, 5001, Australia

Abstract: In economic parlance, sustainable development is a case of non-declining economic welfare where economic welfare is the difference between the benefits and costs of economic activity. For various reasons, a measure of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) inadequately serves as an indicator of economic welfare and, therefore, of sustainable development. With the use of a linear throughput representation of the economic process, a range of alternative economic indicators is put forward to assess a nation|s sustainable development performance. Calculation of these indicators for Australia for the period 1966-1967 to 1994-1995 suggests that Australia is failing to make the transition towards sustainable development - a consequence of Australia|s inefficiency, its addiction to growth and its failure to embrace the notions of sufficiency, equity and natural capital maintenance.

Keywords: sustainable development; performance indicators; Gross Domestic Product (GDP); Australia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2003.003329

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2003 Vol.2 No.2, pp.139 - 161

Published online: 08 Oct 2003 *

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