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ISSN 1327-8231

ECONOMICS, ECOLOGY AND

THE ENVIRONMENT

Working Paper No. 33

Transitional Economics and

Economic Globalization: Social and
Environmental Consequences

by

Clem Tisdell

August 1999

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

 ISSN 1327-8231
WORKING PAPERS ON
ECONOMICS, ECOLOGY AND THE
ENVIRONMENT

Working Paper No. 33 *

Sea Turtles as a Non-Consumptive

Tourism Resource In Australia

by

Clem Tisdell †

© All rights reserved

*
This is a slightly revised version of a paper presented at the 74th Annual WEA Conference held in
San Diego, California, July 6-10, 1999, and presented in the ASE Session, ‘The Social Economist
on Civilization with Some Variegated Forms II’ organised and Chaired by Professor John C.
O’Brien. I wish to thank Darrel Doessel and John Mangan for suggestions used for the first draft,
Professor Thomas O. Nitsch for his valuable comments on the presented paper and session
participants for their feedback.
†
Department of Economics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
Email: [Link]@[Link]
WORKING PAPERS IN THE SERIES, Economics, Ecology and the Environment are
published by the School of Economics, University of Queensland, 4072, Australia, as follow
up to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Project 40 of which
Professor Clem Tisdell was the Project Leader. Views expressed in these working papers are
those of their authors and not necessarily of any of the organisations associated with the
Project. They should not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of
the Project Leader. It is planned to publish contributions to this series over the next few
years.

Research for ACIAR project 40, Economic Impact and Rural Adjustments to Nature
Conservation (Biodiversity) Programmes: A Case Study of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous
Prefecture, Yunnan, China was sponsored by the Australian Centre for International
Agricultural Research (ACIAR), GPO Box 1571, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.

The research for ACIAR project 40 has led in part, to the research being carried out in this
current series.

For more information write to Emeritus Professor Clem Tisdell, School of Economics,
University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
 TRANSITIONAL ECONOMIES AND ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION:
SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

As former communist countries have proceeded with market reforms, they have

become more enmeshed in the international economy and their involvement in

economic globalisation continues to grow. While economic theory suggests that this

should bring several economic advantages to transitional economies (such as greater

diversity of choice of commodities, lower costs as a result of greater economic

specialisation, enhanced economic growth as a result of liberalization of capital and

technology transfers), the social and environmental consequences of globalisation

have in many cases not been favourable so far.

Unemployment is emerging as a major problem in some transitional economies, social

safety nets (especially for women, children and the elderly) have been breached, and

basic needs are no longer being met across the board as in communist days. In most

cases, inequality of income has increased and a bimodal distribution may be emerging

in many other economies. Those on the low welfare- (income-) side of the bimodal

distribution are casual workers, those in the informal sector, the unemployed and the

handicapped, including the elderly. Those on the right-hand bulge of the income

distribution curve seem to be the permanently employed (a declining proportion of

population) and rich entrepreneurs and capitalists

The paper suggests that structural adjustment policies may be altering the shape of the

Kuznets curve of income distribution form an inverted-U to a bimodal form in both

capitalist and former communist-counties.

Transitional processes have failed to overcome many of the environmental problems

experienced by former communist countries. This is particularly so in transitional

economies which have experienced negative economic growth, such as Russia. It is

partly a consequence of lack of investment in capital stock. Lack of economic growth

makes it difficult to implement environmental reforms and maintain social services.

It is also noted that economic globalisation in terms of trade and capital inflows

(including aid) makes transitional economies more dependent on the rest of the world.

They can therefore be more easily subjected to external strategic economic bargaining

or threats.
TRANSITIONAL ECONOMIES AND ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION:

SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

1. Introduction

In a comparatively short period of time, the former centrally planned economies have

been confronted by two dimensions of market forces: (a) the creation of internal

markets and (b) the opening up of their economies to the market forces of the outside

world; the process of economic globalisation. These two dimensions are interacting:

as economic globalisation becomes a more pervading factor in an economy,

international competition forces the reform of internal markets to proceed even further

than before. As a result of this interactive process, the governments of the former

centrally planned economies (CPEs) have increasingly lost control over the operations

of their economies and are finding it impossible to provide the level of social security

and employment previously prevailing in the centrally planned system. Income and

welfare inequality has grown. The problems have been compounded in those former

CPEs (such as Russia) which because of economic and political disruption, have

experienced massive declines in the national income. Indeed, Russia has been

saddled with economic decline – negative economic growth.

There are of course many economies other than the CPEs which are involved in

transition because of structural adjustment policies. In fact virtually every country is

caught up in this process as they are urged to move from inward-looking economic

policies to open-type market policies. Small government, low taxes, user-pays

maximum use of contracting out by governments have become the prevailing policy

prescriptions of the day. The proposed mission is to expand the private sector, reduce

the size of the public sector, strengthen property rights regimes and let competitive

1
markets hold sway. Apart from the former CPEs, this renewed laissez-faire approach

has or is altering the economic landscape of a diversity of countries, for example,

African countries, e.g., Tanzania, South Asian countries, e.g., India, as well as

countries which were less inward-looking and socialistic, such as Australia. The

transition in mixed economies has however been much less dramatic and traumatic

than in the case of the former CPEs, many of which are still a considerable way from

completing their economic transition to a smoothly operating market economy

supported by stable democratic institutions. In many ways, this is not surprising

because they are being expected to achieve in a few years institutional structures (of

which market systems are one) which have taken centuries to evolve in Western

countries. Rapidly enforced artificially promoted institutions, as favoured by ‘big

bang’ theorists, are unlikely to be workable and stable (Cf. Intriligator, 1998).

Without roots in an evolutionary socio-political new processes, institutions are

unlikely to become firmly and quickly embedded in a society, as the Russian case

illustrates. By contrast, China adopted a slower evolutionary approach to economic

reform, but still an accelerated one compared with economic evolution in the West.

Compared to Russia, its economic fortunes have proven to be much better but China

still faces major obstacles to completing its economic transition, as discussed below.

In relation to transition to a market economy, note that there are two alternative

models of the ideal market system. There are (1) the laissez-faire type model

espoused first by Adam Smith in 1776 and (2) the social market economy model

presented by several German writers (Riha, 1992; Böhm, 1950; Eucken, 1952). The

latter is based on a modified market system in which the importance of social

responsibility is stressed, particularly the need to provide social security and support

2
in a market system. The social market economy model therefore is more favourable

to a mixed economic system (but not necessarily one in which there is considerable

state ownership of industry) than is the laissez-faire model. However, the laissez-faire

ideal has dominated recent proposals for economic transition and structural

adjustment policies (as proposed by bodies such as the IMF and World Bank).

Despite statements about the need to provide social safety nets (for those who have

really fallen out of the economic act) social security has been increasingly relegated to

a back seat to make way for economic efficiency.

In accordance with laissez-faire doctrine, there has been reduced emphasis on the

existence of market failure as a reason for government economic intervention. Such

externalities as exist are often attributed to institutional failures by free marketeers –

failure in particular of governments to establish suitable property regimes and systems

of rights supported by adequate social arrangements ensuring their enforceability with

low transaction costs. The occurrence of corruption and bribery can add considerably

to transaction costs. Nevertheless, the fact has to be faced that even after all property

rights are bestowed to the extent that this is economic (and it is clear from the work of

Demsetz (1967) and North (1981) that property rights depend on economics),

externalities will continue to exist. This is especially so in relation to natural

environments. In addition, laissez-faire economic policies appear to be inadequate for

meeting many goals of sustainable development. This matter is not easily resolved by

the laissez-fare market approach. Therefore a gap in policy proposals has emerged

between those neoclassical economists favouring a laissez-faire approach to economic

development and many ecological eocnomists concerned about the sustainability of

development under such conditions. This gap is far from being eliminated, although

3
increasing use of market mechanisms such as tradeable emission permits, is providing

one means to help bridge it.

Thus the laissez-faire market model as in particular promoted by a considerable group

of American economists, and international bodies (such as the IMF and the World

Bank) as an ideal one for countries in transition is one about which many social

economists and ecological economists have serious reservations.

This paper will consider how some of the former CPEs are coping with social security

problems in their transition and how environmental and sustainable development

issues are being addressed, and then discuss some of the general policy issues raised

by the process of economic globalization. Bur first consider some general

background about provision of social welfare support and globalization.

2. Transition, Globalization and Social Security – General Background

Increasing support for laissez-faire market systems combined with globalisation

resulted in a retreat in recent years from acceptance of the concept of the welfare

state. The reasons for this retreat are probably complex, at least in the Western world.

Possibilities include:

1. A resurgence of social Darwinism.

2. The view that the tax burdens associated with a welfare state result in

considerable disincentive to economic growth and that economic growth is the

surest way to increase the incomes of all through ‘trickle-down’ effects.

3. Social security schemes breed a mentality (amongst recipients) of economic

dependence, individuals have in incentive to exploit the system and fail to

4
 provide for their own future. In its crudest form, it is believed that state

provision of social services encourages ‘bludgers’ and an unwillingness of

some individuals to engage in self-help by saving, work and so on.

4. In some cases, it is believed that such a system, for example the supply of free

education, provides greater benefits to the rich than the poor and consequently

benefits individuals who could afford to pay. Thus social service provision

may have undesirable distribution consequences and transition costs might be

reduced by eliminating some transfers.

5. Taxes to support social security or social services are often viewed as

instruments which reduce international competitiveness and the ability of a

country to compete in a global market for increased foreign investment and for

exports. Incidentally, environmental taxes are often viewed in the same way.

6. The unemployed and the destitute may be blamed by some for their own

plight. For example, it may be believed that they do not seriously want to

work or that their destitution is a consequence of lack of prudence on their

part.

One can find shortcomings in most of these arguments. For example, the trickle-

down effect can be very uneven or a long-time in coming, individuals such as the

seriously handicapped may be incapable of engaging in self-help, involuntary

unemployment does occur (as was very well documented by Keynes), the fact that

some of the rich gain social benefits ought not be used as an excuse for depriving the

poor or the handicapped of such benefits. There is a strong moral and economic case

for trying to provide a degree of equality of economic opportunity to the children of

the poor via the provision of social services such as education and health benefits. As

5
pointed out later, children have been amongst the main social causalities of the

globalization process.

As for whether social security payments reduce international competitiveness of a

country imposing these, one should be careful not to come to hasty conclusions.

Some social services improve human capital, may reduce crime rates, raise economic

productivity and help to reduce involuntary unemployment. Up to a point, provision

of social services and state policies to meet basic needs may enhance the productivity

of a nation and even increase its international competitiveness. Beyond a point, it is

of course possible that the extra tax burden imposed by a welfare state would reduce

the international competitiveness of a welfare state. But economic efficiency and

economic growth is not the end objective of a good society. Equity and justice must

also be taken into account. A nation may therefore, choose to forgo some

international competitiveness to foster greater social equity. Its economic penalty for

doing so in terms of lost international economic opportunities, may be greater the less

is the willingness of other nations to provide social services for their citizens. From

this point of view, the process of economic globalisation is a threat to social justice

and security, both in the former CPEs and elsewhere.

Supporters of economic globalisation and of structural adjustment policies see these

as powerful initiatives to achieve rapid economic growth throughout the world. Such

growth it is believed provides promise for the economically disadvantaged. If the

theory of Kuznets (1963, 1973) were to hold economic grow in LDCs, including the

former CPEs, would initially increase economic inequality and with sufficient

economic growth, subsequently reduce this inequality. In those former CPEs which

6
have experienced economic growth income inequality has increased during transition,

and there is no sign that such inequality is likely to decline in the near future.

Furthermore, those transitional economies which have experienced declining real

income, such as Russia, have experienced massive increased in income inequality and

the incidence of poverty. In their case, the Kuznets income distribution curve has not

exhibited reversibility. Growing income inequality in the transitional economies has

been reinforced by reduced entitlements for the poor in Sen’s sense (Sen, 1981).

Apart from being optimistic about the prospects for eventually increasing income

equality with economic growth, Kuznets also expressed support for Pareto’s view that

income, after taking account of all entitlements, is likely to be unequally distributed in

line with Pareto distribution (Tintner, 1953, p. 37). However, Kuznets clearly did not

adopt Pareto’s view based on slowly circulating elites, that the inequality of this

distribution remains virtually unchanged with socio-political change.

Now however doubts must be raised about Kuznet’s hypothesis that inequality of

income (or economic welfare in the wider sense) can be expected to decline with

economic growth in more developed countries. With the increasing adoption of

laissez-faire economic policies, social changes are occurring which indicate that

income inequality is rising and more generally social-economic inequality is

increasing in more developed countries. Fears have been expressed that a bimodal

distribution of socio-economic welfare is emerging reminiscent of the Industrial

Revolution in which two distinct social classes were claimed to have emerged. Today

those on the lower tail of the welfare distribution consist of the unemployed and the

handicapped and increasing numbers in casual employment, often the unskilled or

7
those with limited skills easily replaced by machinery. At the other end of the

spectrum are the more successful and highly skilled. While this may be a parody,

there is little doubt that geographical separation of the economically successful and

‘economic failures’ has become more marked. This seems to have been signalled by

the increasing development of ghettos in Western countries, e.g., Australia.

Furthermore increasing economic separation of the economic situation of youth and

older persons has occurred. (Cf. Gregory, 1999) in recent times. Increasingly the

economically disadvantaged congregate together and those amongst them who have

any economic success now rapidly move to locations of higher socio-economic status

according to research results reported by Dr R. Gregory of the Australian National

University.

This process has serious adverse social consequences especially when linked with

devolution of economic responsibility and governance. It becomes increasingly

difficult to fund community-provided public facilities such as education in

disadvantaged communities, equality of opportunity for children is undermined. Such

enclaves become deepening poverty traps commonly described in many early

development textbooks concerned with economically backward regions.

3. Social Security, Transition and Globalization – The Situation of Former

CPEs

Possibly the major problem which the former CPEs have faced (and continue to face)

is how to reform their social security system, their provision of social services in line

with their market and institutional reforms. In the case of Russia, this aspect has been

poorly attended to, and difficulties have emerged for all former CPEs for delivery of

8
social security and social services. While CPEs have many drawbacks, they were

strong on their delivery of full employment, in providing for basic needs and in

making social support services widely available. However, the delivery of social

services was integrally linked with the production unit or organization employing

individuals. It was this unit which ‘supported’ employees who might otherwise be

unemployed, provided for health services, in many cases education, pensions and so

on. Where productive units made a loss, soft loans and other means of financial

support were usually available from the State so the ongoing social service

commitments of the productive (state) enterprises could continue to be met. Such a

system did not of course encourage the reduction of organizational slack and enhance

allocative efficiency.

Given the enterprise-dependent form of social service provision in the former CPEs, it

becomes immediately apparent that market reforms which corporatize or privatize

state enterprises will completely undermine the social security system developed by

the CPEs. With market reforms, the state no longer guarantees the financial

operations of enterprises and therefore their ability to meet social security provisions.

Profitability becomes a more important goal of productive units as market reforms

proceed. Thus enterprises are no longer willing to continue to employ workers with a

negative net marginal productivity. They increasingly prefer to employ labour on

contract rather than permanently so avoiding social service obligations.

Pressures to escape social security responsibilities at the enterprise level are likely to

grow where nascent private firms in the transitional economic system are able to

avoid social security costs. Furthermore, with globalization, enterprises in the former

9
CPEs are likely to argue that this type of social security system places them at a

competitive economic disadvantage compared to importers. Thus competitive

pressure generated by economic globalisation accelerate the dismantling of the

traditional social security system of CPEs. Already erosion of the traditional social

security system has been rapid. The consequence has been increasing unemployment,

greater socio-economic inequality and a rapid increase in poverty, particularly

amongst children and the elderly. In many respects also the socio-economic status of

females has suffered severely.

The above is probably most apparent in the Russian case where rapid market reform

was attempted. But it is now a serious problem being faced by China. Without

dismantling its state-owned enterprises, China was able to achieve rapid economic

growth largely due to the performance of its town-and-village enterprises (Tisdell,

1993). But in a globalising world and bearing in mind that China expects to join

WTO, it is now being forced by circumstances to privatize or corporatise its state-

owned enterprise. If this were to occur immediately, it would it is estimated result in

an overt unemployment rate of 30 per cent in urban China (Tisdell and Chai, 1998).

While possibly further economic growth induced by this further reform might reduce

this predicted rate of unemployment, massive initial urban unemployment with

potential for political disruption is a real possibility. Already political disturbances

have occurred in China’s Northeast as a result of China’s economic restructuring.

Increased foreign direct investment in China especially in service industries, is likely

to accelerate this trend.

10
To some extent the situation can be summed up in a quote from Chai and one from

Riskin. Chai (1996, p. 254) pointed out:

‘Before the reforms a social security system financed by the communes in rural

areas and by urban enterprises in the cities reduced the economic insecurity

caused by inflation, unemployment, industrial accidents, illness, old age and so

on. With the end of the communes, financial problems have caused access to

social security in rural areas to diminish. In the cities, the enterprises still

provide social security for tenured workers but not for unemployed migrants

from rural areas or contract workers -–the latter accounting for an increasing

share of the urban workforce. The enterprise-financed system is disintegrating

but state-financed social security is still not in place’.

Riskin (1997, p. 367) observed:

‘the fate of ongoing attempts to reform state enterprises depends in part on the

reform of the social security system. State enterprises have been ‘mini

societies’, responsible for providing a host of social services for their

employees, including pensions, medical care, schooling and housing. Such

obligations are to be diverted onto the shoulders of government, central or

local or some combination, or shared by government and affected individuals.

Retirement pensions and unemployment compensation are two areas of

particular concern in this regard.’

China is responding by reforming its social security system as a matter of urgency.

But such reforms take time and may also given rise to undesirable features.

Responsibility for social security provision and provision of basic needs is being

increasingly devolved to local communities and to the provincial level. However,

11
given that great socio-economic inequality exists between provinces and local

communities in China, this tendency is likely to exacerbate geographical economic

inequality in China. Some of the poorest inland provinces find it increasingly difficult

to shoulder the burden of providing education, and fees for education have been

introduced so placing a burden particularly on the more disadvantaged members of

the community. A similar situation is developing in the provision of health services,

including immunization programmes against disease. The latter is especially

regrettable since some of these programmes have positive externalities.

According to Riskin (1997), urban poverty has grown in China as the economic

reforms have continued. With increasing unemployment, urban poverty has the

potential to get worse; much worse. Unfortunately, apart from rising income

inequality in transitional former CPEs, a sad feature has been growing incidence of

poverty amongst children and the elderly, groups which are unable to engage in self-

help to any great extent. Furthermore, such inequality in relation to children is a

serious blow to the ideal of equality of opportunity.

The emerging degree of income inequality and incidence of poverty varies

considerably amongst the former CPEs. Market-making and economic globalisation

nevertheless appears to have been strongly associated with increasing poverty

amongst most of the European former CPEs. Hope Sr. (1998, p. 65) observes:

‘the move towards greater market orientation in the late 1980s in Eastern

Europe and the CIS countries was also accompanied by an increase in poverty.

The incidence of income poverty increased sevenfold between 1988 and 1994

(from 4 per cent to 32 per cent) pushing the number of people living below the

12
 poverty line [in these countries] from a little less than 14 million to more than

119 million’.

More than half of this group in poverty was in Russia. In all probability, the situation

has worsened since 1994 given continuing political instability and economic decline.

Furthermore, poverty amongst children and he elderly (economically vulnerable

groups) rose rapidly in Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and Estonia and significantly for

several other eastern European former CPEs. For example, according to UNDP

statistics, cited by Hope Sr. 1998, child poverty in Russia stood at 62 per cent in 1993

(up from 40 per cent in 1989) and 43 per cent in Bulgaria (up from 2 per cent in

1989). Poverty amongst the elderly in Russian rose in the same period from 23 per

cent to 34 per cent and from Bulgaria from 4 per cent to 28 per cent. One suspects

that the situation has continued to get worse given Russia’s declining income and

political instability.

While the situation in Hungary of social policy is better than in many of the former

Soviet-style CPEs, Hungary’s social situation is nevertheless relatively grim. Real

social welfare payments fell greatly for all categories of social welfare between 1989

and 1996, except unemployment payments because there was zero unemployment in

1989. Overall social welfare payments fell in real terms by a quarter in this period of

7 years (Darvas, 1998, p. 77). The number of children registered by local

guardianship bodies as being at ‘risk’ of poverty rose from 35,321 in 1988 to 249.976

in 1996, more than a sevenfold increase (Darvas, 1998, p. 84). Very often children in

poverty are also indicators of mothers in poverty. It therefore, seems possible that

13
mothers in poverty in Hungary rose sharply in this period also. A similar less that

satisfactory position has emerged in many other transitional economies.

Chosudovsky (1997) has argued that structural adjustment polices, the foundation of

policies for economic globalisation have in fact globalized and increased the

worldwide incidence of poverty. Although his view is unlikely to be welcomed by

institutions upholding the ‘Washington Consensus’, it cannot be dismissed without

consideration. There are worrying trends of increasing socio-economic deprivation in

most countries associated with growing economic inequality and a reduced social

conscience. This is reflected not only in falling national budgets in real terms for

social welfare but by declining official development assistance to the world’s poorest

countries. Rising incomes in the more developed world have been accompanied by

reduced charity.

4. The Environment, Transition and Globalisation

The likely impact of economic globalisation on the state of the national environment

is a matter for controversy. On the one hand, free trade should make for greater

efficiency of resource use. This means that the same level of economic output can be

produced using fewer resources than in a world of restricted trade nationally and

internationally. Thus one might imagine that freer markets and economic

globalisation will reduce the drain on natural resources and lower pollution per unit of

output.

While it is likely that freer trade will reduce resource use per unit of output, it by no

means follows that total pollution levels and resource use will be lower in a less

14
restricted world economy. To the extent that the system stimulates economic growth,

it accelerates resource-use and aggregate levels of pollution may actually increase (Cf.

Tisdell, 1999c, 1999b). A globalized economy may be increasingly dominated by the

view that weak conditions are required for economic sustainability rather than strong

ones. If so, this will favour the increasing conversion of natural resources into man-

made capital. To the extent that globalisation is relatively favourable to the economic

interests of multinational companies, the new freedom for these companies may

reinforce this process.

Nevertheless in those former CPEs which have developed a more open system of

government and have permitted the civil society to develop along with freedom of

expression, this helps to provide a check to the worst excesses of environmental

abuse. In such cases, less government protection is likely to be available to

enterprises engaging in offensive environmental behaviour than when they are owned

by the state.

The immense environmental abuse which existed in CPEs is well documented (see for

example Kallaste, 1994, Pryde, 1972). In transition, however, the CPEs have varied

greatly in their ability (and possibly will) to address their environmental problems.

Those former CPEs which have experienced declining income and investment such as

Russia and Bulgaria have not been able to deal very effectively with their

environmental problems. They have been forced to continue to use old equipment

which they have been hard pressed to maintain. Such equipment is inefficient,

resource-wasteful and polluting (Cf. Tisdell, 1999c). Most of their population is

concerned with coping with poverty and avoiding economic catastrophe so

15
environmental concerns tend to be a secondary consideration (Doktorov et al., 1993;

Genav, 1991). Overall with declining output it seems almost certain that pollution

levels in relation to output have risen in a country such as Russia. In addition

environmental degradation has gathered pace as once protected areas have become

subjects for economic exploitation with reduced central control. The desire to exploit

such natural resources is driven by dire economic circumstances. As yet market-

making in Russia has a long way to go before it yields demonstrable economic

benefits.

On the other hand, China has experienced considerable economic growth and has

been giving increasing attention to environmental policy since it began its economic

reforms. While it is still an inefficient user of energy, the efficiently of its energy use

is increasing (Tisdell, 1997). It is increasingly imposing taxes and charges on the

emission of pollutants. Nevertheless, it is difficult to control pollution emission by

town-and-village enterprises, and air and water pollution still remains a major

problem in China. Furthermore, with economic growth, there have been rising

demands for scarce natural resources, such as water. Water is in relatively short

supply in China and a geographical imbalance exists between its relative abundance in

southern China and its considerable scarcity in northeastern China (Tisdell, 1997b).

Greater demands on freshwater resources in China are liable to reduce riverflows even

more than in the past, further lower water quality and major dam construction, such as

the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river, is bound to bring about major ecological

changes.

16
Although the State Council (1994) has approved a white paper Agenda 21 to provide

development guidelines for China to achieve sustainable development in the 21st

century, its practical policy consequences are not entirely clear. So far China appears

to have followed weak rather than strong sustainability criteria in its development

process. Nevertheless, China’s Agenda 21 can be considered a significant document

because it recognizes the central importance of sustainability issues (both social and

environmental ones) for China’s future. Recognition is the first step towards positive

action.

China is likely to face major challenges in achieving its sustainable development

objectives as it enters the next millennium. Its likely entry into WTO may force it to

move further down the globalisation, free market path This could increase the

difficulty of China achieving its sustainability objectives (Cf. Tisdell and Chai, 1998)

6. Concluding Observations

Structural adjustment policies have been adopted and economic globalisation has

spread at the expense of the welfare state. The consequence has been massive losses

of social services and social security provided by the state. An associated effect has

been growing income inequality and a resurgence of poverty. Furthermore, the ideal

of providing equality of opportunity for children has been seriously undermined.

These trends are especially noticeable in the transition of the former CPEs which has

had to cope both with the introduction and extension of market systems nationally as

well as economic globalisation. Furthermore, as economic globalization proceeds

transitional economies are forced for competitive reasons to more thoroughly allow

laissez-faire markets to operate and reduce public expenditure on social policy.

17
The former CPEs seem to have been promised a pot of gold at the end of the market-

globalisation rainbow1. But for the present some, such as Russia, seem to have reaped

a bitter harvest with declining incomes, increasing inequality of income and a very

serious incidence of poverty amongst several vulnerable groups such as children, the

elderly and females. China has fared better but increasing unemployment and

decreased economic security are likely to take an increasing toll as privatization of its

state owned enterprises gathers momentum, a momentum being accelerated by the

economic globalisation process.

Whether or not a caring society will emerge at the end of the transition in which

income inequality is greatly reduced and poverty virtually eliminated remains to be

seen. The signs, however, in the more developed countries do not at present seem

very propitious. With their continuing development, they appear to have become

socially less caring. The incidence of poverty, inequality of opportunity amongst

children, and inequality of income have risen in many developed countries.

Expenditure on social services has declined in real terms along with overseas

development assistance.

Only those transitional economies which have experienced positive economic growth

have been able to take effective steps for dealing with their environmental problems.

Russia has, for example, not been able to deal effectively with its environmental

problems. Although transitional countries, such as China, experiencing economic

growth have had the capacity to formulate and execute more effective environmental

policies (and their environmental awareness and policies have shown considerable

improvement compared to the situation with central economic planning), market-led

18
economic growth is strongly biased in favour of the conversion of natural resource

and environmental capital into man-made capital. In a globalizing market-oriented

world, it may become increasingly difficult for governments to follow other than

weak sustainability conditions in their development process.

In conclusion, it might also be observed that the transition of many former CPEs has

weakened their international political independence and bargaining power. Russia for

example seems to have become highly dependent on Western loans and economic

concessions. This along with its ailing economy reduces its international political

influence. While China has more room to manoeuvre, it is becoming increasingly

dependent for the functioning of its economy on exports. It will be bound by further

obligations once it joins WTO. Consequentially it will increasingly become subject to

global surveillance in its economic and other policies (Cf. Chossudovsky, 1999).

Whether or not China will be a major power broker in such organisations committed

to the economic globalisation process cannot be decided in advance. It seems

plausible however, that the G-7 countries are currently the major political power

brokers with the position of the USA being of central importance.

Endnotes

1. As pointed out by Thomas O’Nitsch (1997, 1999) the collapse of centrally planned

economies and their transition toward capitalism is not synonomous with the demise

of social Marxism, or communism according to Marx. In fact, the centrally planned

economies did not reach Marx’s ideal of communism in which the state withers away.

In reality just the opposite occurred – the state became increasingly powerful and

pervasive. Of course, it is far from clear how a large state would operate in the

absence of both private property and state control. Marx’s ideal is probably unable

19
 to be achieved. Given this conundrum, a mixed economic system probably provides

the best prospects for combining a reasonable degree of social justice with the

avoidance of many of the economic disadvantages of comprehensive state control of

economic activity (Cf. Sun et al., 1999). At the same time, is likely to preserve an

acceptable degree of individual liberty.

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 PREVIOUS WORKING PAPERS IN THE SERIES
ECONOMICS, ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

1. Governance, Property Rights and Sustainable Resource Use: Analysis with Indian Ocean Rim
Examples by Clem Tisdell and Kartik Roy, November 1996.
2. Protection of the Environment in Transitional Economies: Strategies and Practices by Clem
Tisdell, November 1996.
3. Good Governance in Sustainable Development: The Impact of Institutions by [Link] and
[Link], November 1996.
4. Sustainability Issues and Socio-Economic Change in the Jingpo Communities of China:
Governance, Culture and Land Rights by Ren Zhuge and Clem Tisdell, November 1996.
5. Sustainable Development and Environmental Conservation: Major Regional Issues with Asian
Illustrations by Clem Tisdell, November 1996.
6. Integrated Regional Environmental Studies: The Role of Environmental Economics by Clem
Tisdell, December 1996.
7. Poverty and Its Alleviation in Yunnan Province China: Sources, Policies and Solutions by Ren
Zhuge and Clem Tisdell, December 1996.
8. Deforestation and Capital Accumulation: Lessons from the Upper Kerinci Region, Indonesia by
Dradjad H. Wibowo, Clement a. Tisdell and R. Neil Byron, January 1997.
9. Sectoral Change, Urbanisation and South Asia’s Environment in Global Context by Clem Tisdell,
April 1997.
10. China’s Environmental Problems with Particular Attention to its Energy Supply and Air Quality by
Clem Tisdell, April 1997.
11. Weak and Strong Conditions for Sustainable Development: Clarification of concepts and their
Policy Application by Clem Tisdell, April 1997.
12. Economic Policy Instruments and Environmental Sustainability: A Second Look at Marketable or
Tradeable Pollution or Environmental-Use Permits by Clem Tisdell, April 1997.
13. Agricultural Sustainability in Marginal Areas: Principles, Policies and Examples form Asia by
Clem Tisdell, April 1997.
14. Impact on the Poor of Changing Rural Environments and Technologies: Evidence from India and
Bangladesh by Clem Tisdell, May 1997.
15. Tourism Economics and its Application to Regional Development by Clem Tisdell, May 1997.
16. Brunei’s Quest for Sustainable Development: Diversification and Other Strategies by Clem
Tisdell, August 1997.
17. A Review of Reports on Optimal Australian Dugong Populations and Proposed
Action/Conservation Plans: An Economic Perspective by Clem Tisdell, October 1997.
18. Compensation for the taking of Resources Interests: Practices in Relations to the Wet Tropics and
Fraser Island, General Principles and their Relevance to the Extension of Dugong Protected Areas
by Clem Tisdell, October 1997.
19. Deforestation Mechanisms: A Survey by D.H. Wibowo and R.N. Byron, November 1997.
20. Ecotourism: Aspects of its Sustainability and Compatibility by Clem Tisdell, November 1997.
21. A Report Prepared for the Queensland Commercial Fisherman’s Organisation by Gavin Ramsay,
Clem Tisdell and Steve Harrison (Dept of Economics); David Pullar and Samantha Sun (Dept of
Geographical Sciences and Planning) in conjunction with Ian Tibbetts (The School of Marine
Science), January 1998.
22. Co-Evolutions in Asia, Markets and Globalization by Clem Tisdell, January 1998.
23. Asia’s Livestock Industries: Changes and Environmental Consequences by Clem Tisdell, January
1998.
24. Socio-Economics of Pearl Culture: Industry Changes and Comparisons Focussing on Australia and
French Polynesia by Clem Tisdell and Bernard Poirine, August 1998.
25. Asia’s (Especially China’s) Livestock Industries: Changes and Environmental Consequences by
Clem Tisdell, August 1998.
26. Ecotourism: Aspects of its Sustainability and Compatibility with Conservation, Social and Other
Objectives, September 1998.
27. Wider Dimensions of Tourism Economics: A Review of Impact Analyses, International Aspects,
Development Issues, Sustainability and Environmental Aspects of Tourism, October 1998.
28. Basic Economics of Tourism: An Overview, November 1998.
29. Protecting the Environment in Transitional Situations, November 1998.

24
30. Australian Environmental Issues: An Overview by Clem Tisdell, December 1998.
31. Trends and Developments in India’s Livestock Industries by Clem Tisdell and Jyothi Gali,
February 1999.
32. Sea Turtles as a Non-Consumptive Tourism Resource in Australia by Clevo Wilson and Clem
Tisdell, August 1999.

25