Jevons Paradox

What Jevons Paradox means

The Jevons paradox is the observation that making a resource cheaper to use, by using it more efficiently, tends to increase how much of it we use in total, because the saving makes new uses worth having. That is the definition. Owning it changes what we expect from an improvement. We stop assuming a saving will show up as a saving, and start asking where it will be spent instead. We stop reading the rebound as greed, because it runs on ordinary people responding to a lower price. Before, we would promise the board that the faster process would cut the hours. After, we ask whether it will fill the hours with more, and whether that is what we wanted.

Not to be confused with

Jevons paradox is the extreme case of the rebound effect, not a synonym for it. A rebound means some of the saving is eaten by extra use. Jevons is the case where all of it is, and more, so total use rises.

Jevons Paradox examples: where it shows up

• At work: the tool that made each task quick made the queue of tasks endless, and the team is busier than before.
• With money: the cheaper flights did not save us money on flights; they bought us more flying.
• In the news: cars that sip petrol were supposed to cut the country's fuel bill, and the country drove more.

Where it sits

Open to walk. See where Jevons Paradox sits on the sky →

Nearest on the sky

• Diminishing Returns
• The Red Queen Hypothesis
• Stocks and Flows
• Matthew Effect
• Comparative Advantage
• Economies of Scale

A filled dot marks a star that is already open to walk.