Uncovering the Connections Among Sustainability, Governance and GDP

This paper examines the connections among sustain- ability, governance and GDP, using the data from 123 countries. Sustainability is found to be related with GDP in two contradic- tory ways. On the one hand, growth in GDP strengthens a nation’s ability to maintain favorable environmental conditions into the future. On the other hand, GDP growth is built on more consump- tion of natural resources, and therefore generates a larger “foot- print” on the Earth. Governance plays a key role in sustainable development. However, it is not helping to reduce our footprint on the Earth. In fact, good governance is linked to a larger footprint. This reflects our materialist value and human impulse. When a society prefers the comfort and well-being of human beings to the welfare of its environment, democratic governance might be used as an effective tool against nature.