Post-industrial United States: a prototypical study of the breakdown of the impact of energy consumption on social and economical indicators
Previous research has indicated that increases in energy consumption in underdeveloped nations were accompanied by increases in social well-being. Questions have been raised, however, concerning the connection of energy consumption and social well-being in post-industrial societies. Three perspectives (hypotheses) have emerged: the expansionist postulates a continual positive relationship between energy consumption and social well-being; the decoupling postulates no connection between energy consumption and social well-being in advanced industrial societies; and the social-cultural postulates a negative impact of energy consumption on social well-being. This case study, taking the United States as a prototype of industrial development, tests the validity of these perspectives. Fifteen time series measuring the annual changes in per capita energy consumption, the economy, and social well-being were analyzed for the transitional and fully post-industrial periods (1929-1980) using the Box-Jenkins time-series methodology. There is no evidence that short-term changes in either energy consumption or more-traditional measures of economic prosperity causally effect changes in social well-being. There is also evidence that short-term changes in measures of economic prosperity are disparately connected in post-industrial societies.
- Research Organization:
- New York Univ., NY (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5224591
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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