The Environment as a Green Motor for the Economy

This document is intended as the first step in the research programme of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment on Modelling the Green Economy. With this program SEO Economic Research and the Ministry aim to make a start on bringing economics and policy closer together in the field of green growth.

The document reviews the scientific literature on the role of nature and the environment in green growth, in particular how nature and the environment have been approached in economic theory and modelling. The document also covers the methods for measuring green growth so as to assess the extent of green growth. By doing so, the document helps formulating the most important questions for a possible research programme on green growth.

Based on this document SEO Economic Research, in collaboration with the Ministry, organized a seminar at the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency on 13 March 2014. Fifty scientists and policy-makers attended the discussion. A concrete follow-up to the seminar was establishing the scientific Network Green Growth. SEO Economic Research organizes the network and acts as the staff office.