Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2016

Revisiting the Energy-Development Link

Evidence from the 20th Century for Knowledge-based and Developing Economies

  • Proposes a new innovative framework for the empirical investigation of the link between economy and natural resources
  • Sheds light on aspects of economic development which have so far not been examined in the current literature
  • Employs databases to carry out rigorous estimates of the energy intensity of economies across the world
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Economics (BRIEFSECONOMICS)

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
  2. Introduction

    • Kostas Bithas, Panos Kalimeris
    Pages 1-4
  3. A Brief History of Energy Use in Human Societies

    • Kostas Bithas, Panos Kalimeris
    Pages 5-10
  4. Defining the Energy Resources

    • Kostas Bithas, Panos Kalimeris
    Pages 11-15
  5. Exploring the Energy-Economy Link

    • Kostas Bithas, Panos Kalimeris
    Pages 17-22
  6. Re-evaluating Energy Intensity: A New Methodological Framework

    • Kostas Bithas, Panos Kalimeris
    Pages 23-37
  7. Empirical Analysis

    • Kostas Bithas, Panos Kalimeris
    Pages 39-71
  8. Discussion and Conclusions

    • Kostas Bithas, Panos Kalimeris
    Pages 73-82
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 83-89

About this book

Unravelling the intricate relationship between economic development and energy consumption, this book proposes an innovative framework for the empirical investigation of the link between the economy and natural resources. It proposes a novel set of indicators to shed light on those aspects of the economic process and development that determine their requirements in terms of natural resources. Employing updated databases, this book presents tables and diagrams to compare the conventional and the new estimates of the linkage between energy and economic development (Energy Intensity) throughout the world, over the last 100 years.

Whereas estimates based on the established framework for evaluating the link between energy resources and the economy indicate a strong decoupling trend, the new indicators follow substantially different paths which suggest a strong coupling between economic growth and energy use. These differences -which call into question the prevailing opinion of decoupling- are fundamental for the prospects of sustainability.

This book provides a valuable resource for economists, energy and environmental analysts, natural resource managers and policy makers. It is also intended for students of ecological economics, sustainability studies, natural resource and energy economics.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Institute of Urban Environment and Human Resources, Department of Economics and Regional Development, Panteion University, Athens, Greece

    Kostas Bithas, Panos Kalimeris

About the authors

Kostas Bithas is Professor of Environmental Economics and Natural Resources at the Department of Economics and Regional Development, Panteion University. He is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Systems Integration & Sustainability, Michigan State University, Manly Miles Building, East Lansing, MI 48823-5243, USA. 

Panos Kalimeris is an Economist M.Sc., Ph.D., Research Associate at the Institute of Urban Environment & Human Resources, Department of Economics and Regional Development, Panteion University, Athens, Greece.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access