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How to be an Ecological Economist

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  • Malte Faber

    () (University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics)

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    Abstract

    To answer the question "How to be an Ecological Economist", we must start by defining the field of Ecological Economics. Mainstream Economics altogether lacks the concepts required to deal adequately with nature, justice and time. It was the absence of these three concepts in this otherwise great social science that led to the establishment of Ecological Economics. The interest in nature, justice and time is its defining characteristic. The main thesis of this paper is that our field is a fragile institution and that the professional existence of an ecological economist is no less fragile. However, this very fragility also represents freedom, scope for free thinking, conceptualising and research. Nevertheless, to be able to really use and in turn enjoy the full scope of this freedom, an ecological economist needs certain specific characteristics, in particular what is termed in the German philosophical tradition "Urteilskraft" and in English "power of judgement". A description of these characteristics is developed in this paper, providing an answer to the question "How to be an ecological economist?"

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    File URL: http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/md/awi/forschung/dp454.pdf
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    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 0454.

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    Length: 16 pages
    Date of creation: Oct 2007
    Date of revision: Oct 2007
    Handle: RePEc:awi:wpaper:0454

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    Keywords: ecological economics; mainstream economics; political economy; nature; justice; time; growth; power of judgement;

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    1. Faber, Malte & Frank, Karin & Klauer, Bernd & Manstetten, Reiner & Schiller, Johannes & Wissel, Christian, 2005. "On the foundation of a general theory of stocks," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 155-172, November.
    2. Becker, Christian & Faber, Malte & Hertel, Kirsten & Manstetten, Reiner, 2005. "Malthus vs. Wordsworth: Perspectives on humankind, nature and economy. A contribution to the history and the foundations of ecological economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 299-310, May.
    3. Solow, Robert M, 1985. "Economic History and Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(2), pages 328-31, May.
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    This item is featured on the following reading lists or Wikipedia pages:
    1. Talk:Ecological economics in Wikipedia (English)
    2. Ecological economics in Wikipedia (English)
    3. Economic history of the world in Wikipedia (English)
    4. 生態經濟學 in Wikipedia (Chinese)
    5. Économie écologique in Wikipedia (French)

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