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Quo vadis: Does economic theory need a sustainability makeover?

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  • Wylie Bradford

Abstract

Prof. Marglin argues for a new economics and a new conception of welfare as part of the move to a sustainable future. However, the typical criticisms of the treatment of welfare in economics appear wide of the mark, and there are good reasons to regard this treatment as accurate enough for the job at hand. The critics appear to miss how demanding the job of reshaping economics in their (implicit) desired image would be, and how unproductive it might turn out to be to insist on such a reshaping as a precursor to serious action.

Suggested Citation

  • Wylie Bradford, 2014. "Quo vadis: Does economic theory need a sustainability makeover?," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 25(4), pages 551-562, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecolab:v:25:y:2014:i:4:p:551-562
    DOI: 10.1177/1035304614558005
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social justice; social policy; sustainability; welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D6 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics
    • B5 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches

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