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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

Jevons paradox en · PROPN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈdʒɛvənz paɹədɒks/

Etymology

Named after English economist William Stanley Jevons (1835–1882).

Meanings

  1. The proposition that technological progress that increases the efficiency with which a resource is used tends to increase (rather than decrease) the rate of consumption of that resource.
    • One well-known example is electricity usage, where the Jevons paradox explains how making appliances more energy efficient can backfire by stimulating demand. 2019 November 1, Oliver Burkeman, “Not enough hours in the day? Well, finding more may not help”, in The Guardian:

Forms

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the Jevons paradox canonical lexicographic
Jevons' paradox alternative lexicographic

Relateds

law of demand · supply and demand