Abstract
The thesis that a ‘de-linking’ occurs between materials use and economic growth during economic development (the so-called ‘dematerialisation hypothesis’) is discussed. This chapter argues that dematerialisation is not a persistent trend in industrialised economies, but occurs during periods of rapid structural and technological change. Evidence suggests that periods of ‘rematerialisation’, when materials use is re-linked with economic growth, follow periods of dematerialisation. A theoretical explanation based on the idea of evolutionary patterns in materials use is proposed.
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De Bruyn, S. (1998). Dematerialisation and rematerialisation. In: Vellinga, P., Berkhout, F., Gupta, J. (eds) Managing a Material World. Environment & Policy, vol 13. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5125-2_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5125-2_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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