Sustainability in a Risky World

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review: Insights
Year: 2025
Volume: 7
Issue: 2
Pages: 196-212

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

How much consumption is sustainable, if "sustainability" requires that welfare should not be expected to decline over time? We impose a sustainability constraint on a standard consumption/portfolio choice problem. The constraint does not distort portfolio choice, but it imposes an upper bound on the sustainable consumption-wealth ratio, which must lie between the riskless interest rate and the expected return on wealth (and if risky capital evolves according to a geometric Brownian motion, it lies exactly halfway between the two). Sustainability requires an upward drift in wealth and consumption to compensate future generations for the increased risk they face.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aerins:v:7:y:2025:i:2:p:196-212
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25