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New evolutionary foundations: Theoretical requirements for a science of sustainability

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  • Waring, Timothy M.

Abstract

Ecological economics stands in theoretical and ethical opposition to many aspects of neoclassical economic theory. Despite their sound critiques of that theory, ecological economists have not settled on an alternative theory of human behavior. As a potential alternative, Norgaard's socioecological coevolutionary framework remains underspecified in terms of variation, heredity, and selection. I review concepts and insights on human behavior from evolutionary biology and evolutionary social science in order to supply new theoretical tools for ecological economic problems, and help refine the coevolutionary framework. I argue that a synthetic evolutionary theory of human behavior provides a sufficient alternative to the neoclassical perspective, and that cultural evolutionary theory is a necessary prerequisite of a mature economic science, ecological, coevolutionary or otherwise. Finally, I suggest some potential topics that such a mature theory might begin to tackle.

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  • Waring, Timothy M., 2010. "New evolutionary foundations: Theoretical requirements for a science of sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 718-730, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:69:y:2010:i:4:p:718-730
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    1. William E. Rees, 2023. "The Human Ecology of Overshoot: Why a Major ‘Population Correction’ Is Inevitable," World, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Anderson, Mark W. & Teisl, Mario & Noblet, Caroline, 2012. "Giving voice to the future in sustainability: Retrospective assessment to learn prospective stakeholder engagement," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 1-6.
    3. Lo, Alex, 2014. "The Problem of Methodological Pluralism in Ecological Economics," MPRA Paper 49543, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Falk, Thomas & Zhang, Wei & Meinzen-Dick, Ruth Suseela & Bartels, Lara, 2021. "Games for triggering collective change in natural resource management: A conceptual framework and insights from four cases from India," IFPRI discussion papers 1995, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. Nhu Tuyên Lê & Marjolijn Bloemmen & Roxana Bobulescu & Claudio Vitari, 2015. "Microeconomic degrowth: The case of Community Supported Agriculture," Post-Print halshs-01923276, HAL.
    6. Gowdy, John & Krall, Lisi, 2013. "The ultrasocial origin of the Anthropocene," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 137-147.
    7. Nhu Tuyên Lê & Marjolijn Bloemmen & Roxana Bobulescu & Claudio Vitari, 2015. "Microeconomic degrowth: The case of Community Supported Agriculture," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) halshs-01923276, HAL.
    8. Luciano Ferreira Silva & Arnoldo José Hoyos Guevara & Ernesto D. R. Santibanez Gonzalez & Paulo Sergio Gonçalves Oliveira, 2019. "Evolution toward environment sustainable behavior: search for survival in the plastic industry in Brazil," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 1291-1320, June.
    9. Bina, Olivia & Vaz, Sofia Guedes, 2011. "Humans, environment and economies: From vicious relationships to virtuous responsibility," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 170-178.
    10. Abatecola, Gianpaolo & Breslin, Dermot & Kask, Johan, 2020. "Do organizations really co-evolve? Problematizing co-evolutionary change in management and organization studies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    11. Kallis, Giorgos & Norgaard, Richard B., 2010. "Coevolutionary ecological economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 690-699, February.
    12. 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.
    13. Schlüter, Maja & Baeza, Andres & Dressler, Gunnar & Frank, Karin & Groeneveld, Jürgen & Jager, Wander & Janssen, Marco A. & McAllister, Ryan R.J. & Müller, Birgit & Orach, Kirill & Schwarz, Nina & Wij, 2017. "A framework for mapping and comparing behavioural theories in models of social-ecological systems," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 21-35.
    14. Bloemmen, Marjolijn & Bobulescu, Roxana & Le, Nhu Tuyen & Vitari, Claudio, 2015. "Microeconomic degrowth: The case of Community Supported Agriculture," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 110-115.
    15. Arnold, Marlen, 2015. "The lack of strategic sustainability orientation in German water companies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 39-52.

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