Learning by Doing in the Presence of an Open Access Renewable Resource: Is Growth Sustainable?

This paper focuses on the impact of technological progress (modeled as learning by doing) on economic growth when one of the inputs in production is an open access renewable resource. Technological progress is found to indi- rectly induce resource depletion, such that sustainable growth will not occur in autarky under certain preferences, and is possible in trade only if the resource sector contracts over time or shuts down completely. Comparisons of steady state welfare in autarky and free trade reveal that for very high or low world prices of the resource-based good, it is possible for the economy to gain from trade. However if the price is intermediate, it will instead lose.