Fish or steel? New evidence on the environment-economy trade-off in developing Vietnam

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Date

2021-11-01

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Repository Usage Stats

19
views
100
downloads

Citation Stats

Abstract

Trade and investment have contributed to the improvement of living standards in developing countries, but have also put severe pressure on natural environments. How do citizens in low-income countries manage this trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection? Using a discrete choice experiment conducted as part of three large, face-to-face nationally representative surveys of Vetnamese citizens (N=>12,500 respondents per wave), we find that prospective economic benefits increase public support for investment projects, whereas potential environmental harm resulting from investment decreases the public appetite for them. When economic and environmental factors are considered jointly, our results point to the existence of an environmental risk threshold. Environmental costs beyond that threshold lead citizens to reject investment projects, even when they generate considerable economic benefits. Our results challenge the theory that individuals in low-income countries prioritize development over environmental protection, and have implications for political leaders in designing their countries’ future investment policies.

Department

Description

Provenance

Subjects

Citation

Published Version (Please cite this version)

10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105603

Publication Info

Nguyen, Q, and E Malesky (2021). Fish or steel? New evidence on the environment-economy trade-off in developing Vietnam. World Development, 147. pp. 105603–105603. 10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105603 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/25973.

This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.

Scholars@Duke

Malesky

Edmund Malesky

Professor of Political Science

Malesky is a specialist on Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam. Currently, Malesky's research agenda is very much at the intersection of Comparative and International Political Economy, falling into three major categories: 1) Authoritarian political institutions and their consequences; 2) The political influence of foreign direct investment and multinational corporations; and 3) Political institutions, private business development, and formalization.


Unless otherwise indicated, scholarly articles published by Duke faculty members are made available here with a CC-BY-NC (Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial) license, as enabled by the Duke Open Access Policy. If you wish to use the materials in ways not already permitted under CC-BY-NC, please consult the copyright owner. Other materials are made available here through the author’s grant of a non-exclusive license to make their work openly accessible.