A short life for the Zen theory of the green economy? I think not

So, I read an article in the Globe and Mail yesterday that, at first glance, does not seem to bode well for the so-called Zen theory of the green economy.

A key step in theoretical developments is comparing theory with the real world. This has rarely slowed down neo-liberals from advocating withdrawal of the state from certain sectors which are key to long term growth, despite evidence that shows it's not always a good idea. That doesn't mean that there are no insights to be gained from studying such theory. Similarly, empirical evidence that places doubt on the Zen theory of the green economy is not evidence that there is no insight to be gained from this theoretical innovation. Rather, we could be led to ponder the true complexity of reality and the need for a diversity of conceptual lenses to understand some of the numerous aspects of any given problematic.

The article that I initially mentioned, talks about the results of a survey carried out by the Solutions Research Group , which asks Canadians and Americans where they would be willing to cut expenditures if they had to reduce spending. The most interesting result was that the internet and cell phone usage were at the end of the list. I was initially quite surprised at the results, thinking that they verified, to some extent, the Zen theory of the green economy (which, I should emphasize, is written to poke fun at the limitations of consumer theory as much as it aims to make strides in theoretical innovation). That's because it showed internet and cellular consumption as things that consumers were not willing to give up. Then I read the rest of the list ...

This is the list that was provided:

1. Big-ticket events (eg. concerts, sports)
2. Movie-going
3. DVD buying
4. Magazine subscription renewals/newsstand
5. Cable/satellite TV extras
6. Video game buying
7. Home phone
8. Mobile/wireless phone
9. DVD Rentals
10. Home Internet

I then became disheartened, realizing that every one of the things that consumers were willing to give up if they had to reduce expenditures were cultural goods, entertainment, expenditures in the information economy... etc. I then engaged in some particularly advanced logical consideration of the issue to determine that if every object belonged to the classes of goods that are mentioned above, then the survey must have largely included the kinds of goods that are often seen as promising for the green economy. A little investigation on the internet seems to have confirmed this is the case, given the main research focus of the company who carried out the survey.

This means that the survey results could be a useful indication as to which cultural, entertainment and information age goods have strong potential to succeed in an economy that provides us with pleasures of the mind that have relatively low natural resource inputs. Since the survey does not appear to have included durable goods such as new computers, new cars, new houses, consumption of gas, or other resource-intensive products such as random crap that we buy and can't easily classify into groups such as described by the survey, then it can't be said to have any direct bearing on the integrity of the theory.

Without access to the full findings of the research carried out by the Solutions Research Group, however, I can't really say much more about the link between their research and my previous work which repackaged some ancient philosophical insights into traditional consumer theory.

For the get-rich-quick folks in the crowd, the relation between the Zen theory of the green economy and the survey that I mentioned, this could bode well for stock values among internet and cellular providers. So ... BUY, BUY, BUY!!!. Just do yourself a favour and read up a bit on rent dissipation and recent changes in the regulatory environment in Canada before you actually consider doing so (at which point, you may change your mind).

Since I have some other work to do (namely, study for an exam where I have to be able to reiterate some stages relating to the derivation of some statistical tools that should prove quite useful for carrying out some details of my research interests), this essay-a-day project will have to be limited to a handful of comments on this new research.