The Growth Imperative

Abstract

There are compelling reasons to believe there is an unhealthy growth imperative inherent in private enterprise market systems that threatens the environment. Unfortunately, many who criticize a dysfunctional growth imperative fail to make a compelling case. This article argues that too often ecological and Marxist economists fail to answer crucial parts of skeptics’ arguments and instead assume their conclusions, and offers an alternative defense of the unhealthy growth imperative hypothesis based on perverse incentives, institutional biases, and endogenous preference formation.JEL codes: 044, 030, 013