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Artificial nighttime lights and the “real” well-being of nations: ‘Measuring economic growth from outer space’ and welfare from right here on Earth

Journal of Economics and Political Economy

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Title Artificial nighttime lights and the “real” well-being of nations: ‘Measuring economic growth from outer space’ and welfare from right here on Earth
 
Creator AMAVILAH, Voxi Heinrich; REEPS PO Box 38061 Phoenix, AZ 85069-8061 USA vhsamavilah@gmail.com amavilah@msn.com
 
Subject Artificial lights and economic growth; Nighttime lights and growth; Growth and welfare; Nighttime lights and real well-being (welfare).
H23; O15; D62; I12; O47; I31; R13; Q52.
 
Description Abstract. GDP remains too much of an imprecise measure of the standard of living. There is a need for either substitutes or complements. Nighttime lights are a reasonable indicator of the extent, scale, and intensity of socio-economic activities, but a poor measure of national welfare. However, if nighttime lights are understood to constitute externalities, then their effects can be used to adjust measured growth for welfare. From that angle, nighttime lights appear to exert sub-optimal positive externalities in developing countries, and supra-optimal negative externality in developed countries. This means that even if we assume equal growth rates in developing and developed countries, welfare is enhanced by increasing nighttime lights in developing countries and reduced by increasing nighttime lights in developed countries.Keywords. Artificial lights and economic growth, Nighttime lights and growth, Growth and welfare, Nighttime lights and real well-being (welfare).JEL. H23, O15, D62, I12, O47, I31, R13, Q52.
 
Publisher Journal of Economics and Political Economy
Journal of Economics and Political Economy
 
Contributor
 
Date 2018-07-18
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion


 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://www.kspjournals.org/index.php/JEPE/article/view/1637
10.1453/jepe.v5i2.1637
 
Source Journal of Economics and Political Economy; Vol 5, No 2 (2018): June; 209-218
Journal of Economics and Political Economy; Vol 5, No 2 (2018): June; 209-218
2148-8347
 
Language eng
 
Relation http://www.kspjournals.org/index.php/JEPE/article/view/1637/1707
 
Rights Copyright (c) 2018 Journal of Economics and Political Economy
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0