Applications of Ecological Economics 1: Growth and International Dependence

Bernardo Aguilar-González

Prescott College

GNP: The Problem of Missing Complexity

Costa Rica Panama

GNP/Capita $1460 $1512

Urban Unemployment 5.4% 16.8%

Foreign Debt Per Capita $1530 $2123

Population in Poverty 20% 525

Women in Labor Force 22.2 27.4

Deforestation Rate (of existing)

6.9% 0.9%

Area in Protected Areas 24% 17.3%

Progress?

The ISEW

The GPI

Are countries independent to develop?

Interdependence and Power.

Structural Adjustment Programs

• Reduce the size of the state.

• Deregulate the economy

• Emphasize the role of investment (capital), de-emphasize the role labor, the environment is seen in traditional or utilitarian way.