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The Political Economy of Structural Reform in Natural Resource Use: Observations from New Zealand
Abstract
Jared Diamond’s popular book ‘Collapse’ takes material from archaeological findings as well as more recent experiences with environmental challenge to suggest that humans face a significant challenge if we are to avoid a global crisis in resource availability and consequent social collapse. While many economists and even Diamond himself may be optimistic that humans have the inventiveness to avoid such a catastrophe, the way in which we are most likely to do that is through restructuring our institutions and our economies to identify and appropriately respond to resource challenges as they occur.
In this paper I outline and illustrate some ways in which the political economy of structural reform to address natural resource issues is similar to and different from non-environmental structural reforms. In particular I will contrast the two issues in the New Zealand context where non-environmental structural reform is well advanced while natural resource/environmental reform varies from well advanced to nascent.
Citation
Kerr, Suzi. 2006. "The Political Economy of Structural Reform in Natural Resource Use: Observations from New Zealand," paper prepared for National Economic Research Organisations meeting, Paris, June 2006.
Motu code: MYS0091
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