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The sustainability and desirability of the traditional economies of Australian Aborigines: Controversial issues

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  • Tisdell, Clement

Abstract

Aborigines have been present in Australia for around 65,000 years. This article investigates the sustainability characteristics of their economies and the contention that they were affluent. Contemporary tests of economic sustainability are applied. Hence attention is paid to the ability of their economic systems to promote the longevity of existence of Homo sapiens and their effectiveness in achieving intergenerational equity. Also, satisfaction of the three-pillar requirement for sustainability (namely that social, environmental and economic sustainability ought to be simultaneously satisfied) is taken into account. The view that traditional Aborigines were affluent is examined, and reasons are given why they were reluctant to acquire and accumulate material goods. Their failure to develop agriculture was consequential for their cultural and economic sustainability. This aspect is explored. Traditional Aboriginal socio-economic systems are found to be highly sustainable and may have resulted in affluence. Does this mean they were or are desirable? Difficulties in determining this are addressed.

Suggested Citation

  • Tisdell, Clement, 2018. "The sustainability and desirability of the traditional economies of Australian Aborigines: Controversial issues," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 1-8.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:57:y:2018:i:c:p:1-8
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2017.11.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jean-Jacques Hublin & Abdelouahed Ben-Ncer & Shara E. Bailey & Sarah E. Freidline & Simon Neubauer & Matthew M. Skinner & Inga Bergmann & Adeline Le Cabec & Stefano Benazzi & Katerina Harvati & Philip, 2017. "New fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco and the pan-African origin of Homo sapiens," Nature, Nature, vol. 546(7657), pages 289-292, June.
    2. S. Kathleen Lyons & Kathryn L. Amatangelo & Anna K. Behrensmeyer & Antoine Bercovici & Jessica L. Blois & Matt Davis & William A. DiMichele & Andrew Du & Jussi T. Eronen & J. Tyler Faith & Gary R. Gra, 2016. "Holocene shifts in the assembly of plant and animal communities implicate human impacts," Nature, Nature, vol. 529(7584), pages 80-83, January.
    3. Tisdell, Clem, 1988. "Sustainable development: differing perspectives of ecologists and economists, and relevance to LDCs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 373-384, March.
    4. Clement Tisdell & Serge Svizzero, 2020. "The Ability in Antiquity of Some Agrarian Societies to Avoid the Malthusian Trap and Develop," Forum for Social Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(2), pages 202-227, April.
    5. Sander van der Kaars & Gifford H. Miller & Chris S. M. Turney & Ellyn J. Cook & Dirk Nürnberg & Joachim Schönfeld & A. Peter Kershaw & Scott J. Lehman, 2017. "Humans rather than climate the primary cause of Pleistocene megafaunal extinction in Australia," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-7, April.
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    1. Tisdell, Clement A., 2020. "The Fiftieth year of Economic Analysis and Policy: How, why, and to what extent has it changed?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 1-9.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Affluence; Agricultural development; Australian Aborigines; Hunters and gatherers; Steady-state economies; Sustainable development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N00 - Economic History - - General - - - General
    • P49 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Other
    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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