Historically, economic development has come at the cost of environmental degradation. Since the 1980s, neoliberalism rooted in neoclassical theory has dominated mainstream economic thought. The result has been a dramatic increase in environmental degradation in favor of economic growth. The neoliberal recommendations toward development are encapsulated in the Washington and post-Washington Consensuses which promote the liberalization of trade and foreign investment as well as a reliance on market mechanisms. Ultimately, the goal of neoliberalism is to generate growth regardless of the impact that it places on the environment. The case of China presents an example of an economy which pursued a market transformation and neoliberal goals. The severe environmental impact of China’s economic transformation and growth demonstrates the unsustainability of neoliberalism. Using China as a case study, this thesis evaluates the traditional development path and the need for a transition toward an alternative development paradigm which promotes environmental sustainability.
","abstract_html":"<p>Historically, economic development has come at the cost of environmental degradation. Since the 1980s, neoliberalism rooted in neoclassical theory has dominated mainstream economic thought. The result has been a dramatic increase in environmental degradation in favor of economic growth. The neoliberal recommendations toward development are encapsulated in the Washington and post-Washington Consensuses which promote the liberalization of trade and foreign investment as well as a reliance on market mechanisms. Ultimately, the goal of neoliberalism is to generate growth regardless of the impact that it places on the environment. The case of China presents an example of an economy which pursued a market transformation and neoliberal goals. The severe environmental impact of China’s economic transformation and growth demonstrates the unsustainability of neoliberalism. Using China as a case study, this thesis evaluates the traditional development path and the need for a transition toward an alternative development paradigm which promotes environmental sustainability.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Carpio-Thomas, Christian D."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Chiara Piovani","Markus Schneider","Robert Urquhart","Lisa Conant"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:02:03Z","subjects":["China","Development","Economics","Environment","Neoliberalism","Sustainability","Environmental Studies","Growth and Development"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1729","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Chiara Piovani","Markus Schneider","Robert Urquhart","Lisa Conant"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Carpio-Thomas, Christian D."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-02-03T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["China","Development","Economics","Environment","Neoliberalism","Sustainability","Environmental Studies","Growth and Development"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1729"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Historically, economic development has come at the cost of environmental degradation. Since the 1980s, neoliberalism rooted in neoclassical theory has dominated mainstream economic thought. The result has been a dramatic increase in environmental degradation in favor of economic growth. The neoliberal recommendations toward development are encapsulated in the Washington and post-Washington Consensuses which promote the liberalization of trade and foreign investment as well as a reliance on market mechanisms. Ultimately, the goal of neoliberalism is to generate growth regardless of the impact that it places on the environment. The case of China presents an example of an economy which pursued a market transformation and neoliberal goals. The severe environmental impact of China’s economic transformation and growth demonstrates the unsustainability of neoliberalism. Using China as a case study, this thesis evaluates the traditional development path and the need for a transition toward an alternative development paradigm which promotes environmental sustainability.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Interplay Between Economic Growth and the Environment: The Case of China"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Chiara Piovani","Markus Schneider","Robert Urquhart","Lisa Conant"],"dc:creator":["Carpio-Thomas, Christian D."],"dc:date.available":["2021-02-03T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Historically, economic development has come at the cost of environmental degradation. Since the 1980s, neoliberalism rooted in neoclassical theory has dominated mainstream economic thought. The result has been a dramatic increase in environmental degradation in favor of economic growth. The neoliberal recommendations toward development are encapsulated in the Washington and post-Washington Consensuses which promote the liberalization of trade and foreign investment as well as a reliance on market mechanisms. Ultimately, the goal of neoliberalism is to generate growth regardless of the impact that it places on the environment. The case of China presents an example of an economy which pursued a market transformation and neoliberal goals. The severe environmental impact of China’s economic transformation and growth demonstrates the unsustainability of neoliberalism. Using China as a case study, this thesis evaluates the traditional development path and the need for a transition toward an alternative development paradigm which promotes environmental sustainability.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1729"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"dc:subject":["China","Development","Economics","Environment","Neoliberalism","Sustainability","Environmental Studies","Growth and Development"],"dc:title":["The Interplay Between Economic Growth and the Environment: The Case of China"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:02:03Z"}