Socioeconomic metabolism as paradigm for studying the biophysical basis of human societies

A wide spectrum of quantitative systems approaches such as life cycle assessment or integrated assessment models are available to assess sustainable development strategies. These methods describe certain aspects of the biophysical basis of society, which comprises in-use stocks and the processes and flows that maintain and operate these stocks. Despite this commonality, the methods are often developed and applied in isolation, which dampens scientific progress and complicates communication between scientists and decision makers. As research on socioecological systems matures, more structure and classification are needed. We argue that the concept of socioeconomic metabolism (SEM), which was developed in material flow analysis and material flow accounting, is a powerful boundary object that can serve as paradigm for studying the biophysical basis of human society. A common paradigm can facilitate model combination and integration, which can lead to more robust and comprehensive interdisciplinary assessments of sustainable development strategies. We refine the notion of SEM, clarify the relation between SEM and the economy, and provide a list of features that we believe qualifies SEM as research paradigm. We argue that SEM as paradigm can help to justify alternative economic concepts, suggest analogies that make the concept more accessible, and discuss its limitations.