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Economics and biological evolution

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  • Alistair Munro

Abstract

The employment of insecticides raises the relative fitness of resistant insects; the use of antibiotics applies selection pressure in favour of resistant strains of bacteria; lower limits on fish net mesh size raises the advantages of smaller adults. These are some of the many examples of the unintended impact of human activity upon biological evolution. Often this evolution has economic significance, as it does in the examples quoted. This paper examines some of the principles involved and provides a preliminary analysis of the extent to which the economically optimal inducement of evolution differs from that arising when changes in selection pressures are not anticipated. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1997

Suggested Citation

  • Alistair Munro, 1997. "Economics and biological evolution," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 9(4), pages 429-449, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:9:y:1997:i:4:p:429-449
    DOI: 10.1007/BF02441760
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    Cited by:

    1. O'Shea, Lucy & Ulph, Alistair, 2008. "The role of pest resistance in biotechnology R&D investment strategy," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 213-228, March.
    2. Robert U. Ayres & Jeroen C.J.M. van den Bergh & John M. Gowdy, 1998. "Viewpoint: Weak versus Strong Sustainability," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 98-103/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    3. Jeroen Bergh, 2007. "Evolutionary thinking in environmental economics," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 521-549, October.
    4. Stéphane Mechoulan, 2007. "Market structure and communicable diseases," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(2), pages 468-492, May.
    5. Joëlle Noailly, 2008. "Coevolution of economic and ecological systems," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 1-29, February.
    6. Rammel, Christian & van den Bergh, Jeroen C. J. M., 2003. "Evolutionary policies for sustainable development: adaptive flexibility and risk minimising," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2-3), pages 121-133, December.
    7. Shogren, Jason F. & Crocker, Thomas D., 1999. "Risk and Its Consequences," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 44-51, January.
    8. van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M., 2008. "Optimal diversity: Increasing returns versus recombinant innovation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 68(3-4), pages 565-580, December.
    9. Guttormsen, Atle G. & Kristofersson, Dadi & Nævdal, Eric, 2008. "Optimal management of renewable resources with Darwinian selection induced by harvesting," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 167-179, September.
    10. Eppink, Florian V. & van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M., 2007. "Ecological theories and indicators in economic models of biodiversity loss and conservation: A critical review," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2-3), pages 284-293, March.
    11. Jeroen van den Bergh & John Gowdy, 2000. "Evolutionary Theories in Environmental and Resource Economics: Approaches and Applications," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 17(1), pages 37-57, September.
    12. Jeroen C.J.M. van den Bergh & Peter Nijkamp, 1998. "Advances in Environmental Economics: Analysis and Modelling," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 98-094/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    13. Nannen, Volker & van den Bergh, Jeroen C. J. M. & Eiben, A. E., 2008. "Impact of Environmental Dynamics on Economic Evolution: Uncertainty, Risk Aversion, and Policy," MPRA Paper 13834, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Jeroen Bergh & Giorgos Kallis, 2013. "A survey of evolutionary policy: normative and positive dimensions," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 281-303, October.
    15. Eric Nævdal, 2008. "Animal rationality and implications for resource management: the case of biological reserves for moose and pine," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 145-163, August.
    16. Gardner M. Brown & Jason F. Shogren, 1998. "Economics of the Endangered Species Act," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 3-20, Summer.
    17. Thomas Sterner & Jeroen van den Bergh, 1998. "Frontiers of Environmental and Resource Economics," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 11(3), pages 243-260, April.
    18. Jeroen C.J.M. van den Bergh, 2004. "Evolutionary Analysis of the Relationship between Economic Growth, Environmental Quality and Resource Scarcity," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 04-048/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    19. C. Martijn van der Heide & Jeroen C.J.M. van den Bergh & Ekko C. van Ierland, 1999. "Globalisation and Nature Policy: An Integrated Environmental-Economic Framework," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 99-090/3, Tinbergen Institute.
    20. Sylvie Geisendorf & Christian Klippert, 2022. "Integrated sustainability policy assessment – an agent-based ecological-economic model," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 1017-1048, July.
    21. Jeroen C.J.M. van den Bergh & Giorgos Kallis, 2009. "Evolutionary Policy," Papers on Economics and Evolution 2009-02, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    22. Feola, Giuseppe & Binder, Claudia R., 2010. "Towards an improved understanding of farmers' behaviour: The integrative agent-centred (IAC) framework," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(12), pages 2323-2333, October.
    23. R.K. Turner & J.C.J.M. van den Bergh & A. Barendregt & E. Maltby, 1998. "Ecological-Economic Analysis of Wetlands," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 98-050/3, Tinbergen Institute.

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