I am a retired economics professor. My areas of interest are evolutionary theory, social evolution, inequality and power, the human threats to non-human nature, ultrasociality (ants, termites, and humans with agriculture), the agricultural transition, hunter-gatherer societies, climate change, uncivilization.
Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen was described by Paul Samuelson as ‘an economist’s economist’. This boo... more Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen was described by Paul Samuelson as ‘an economist’s economist’. This book honors him by discussing his theories on a wide range of issues but particularly on environmental and energy economics. It is a dynamic tribute which extends his work to address the problems the human race will face in the 21st century.
The TEEBAgriFood ‘Scientific and Economic Foundations’ report addresses the core theoretical issu... more The TEEBAgriFood ‘Scientific and Economic Foundations’ report addresses the core theoretical issues and controversies underpinning the evaluation of the nexus between the agri-food sector, biodiversity and ecosystem services and externalities including human health impacts from agriculture on a global scale. It argues the need for a ‘systems thinking‘ approach, draws out issues related to health, nutrition, equity and livelihoods, presents a Framework for evaluation and describes how it can be applied, and identifies theories and pathways for transformational change.
KEY MESSAGES • Information alone often fails to motivate change. Manipulation of data has led con... more KEY MESSAGES • Information alone often fails to motivate change. Manipulation of data has led consumers to doubt scientific results, serving special interests at the expense of public benefit. Information overload implies the need for synthesis to enable better access and impact. • Rationalizations against the need for change include: fatalism, arguing that business is already changing of its own accord, that cheap food is more important than good food, and that the marketplace will adjust for externalities. • These views do not address the long-term systemic consequences of the global corporate model of food systems in a society that derives calories from corn syrup and protein from hamburger resulting in obesity and disease. • Free market, neoliberal policies are incapable of resolving externalities that affect public goods such as ecosystem services. Faith in the infallibility of the market is a shortcoming of mainstream economics. • Path dependency is a key barrier to change in ...
It is argued that mainstream economics, with its present methodological approach, is limited in i... more It is argued that mainstream economics, with its present methodological approach, is limited in its ability to analyze and develop adequate public policy to deal with current environmental problems and sustainable development. This book provides an alternative approach. Building on the strengths and insights of Post Keynesian and ecological economics and incorporating cutting edge work in such areas as economic complexity, bounded rationality and socio-economic dynamics, the contributors to this book provide a trans-disciplinary approach to deal with a broad range of environmental concerns.
In this commentary we critically discuss the suitability of payments for ecosystem services and t... more In this commentary we critically discuss the suitability of payments for ecosystem services and the most important challenges they face. While such instruments can play a role in improving environmental governance, we argue that over‐reliance on payments as win‐win solutions might lead to ineffective outcomes, similar to earlier experience with integrated conservation and development projects. Our objective is to raise awareness, particularly among policy makers and practitioners, about the limitations of such instruments and to encourage a dialogue about the policy contexts in which they might be appropriate.
Integrated assessment models of climate change typically analyze the case of a doubling of atmosp... more Integrated assessment models of climate change typically analyze the case of a doubling of atmospheric CO2.over the pre-industrial concentration of about 270 ppm. This is a serious shortcoming since under a scenario in which all accessible fossil fuels are burned, atmospheric CO2 concentrations will more than quadruple. We introduce an analytical framework that endogenously accounts for potential climate change events related to this “mega-greenhouse” and examine economic implications of two alternative mitigation strategies: one in which only the rates of annual emissions are reduced, and one that places absolute limits on the total amount of carbon released into the atmosphere.
Industrial agriculture has had great success in producing abundant, low-cost food. World hunger h... more Industrial agriculture has had great success in producing abundant, low-cost food. World hunger has been declining for decades, and food production per capita has increased sharply since the 1960s. But this success has come with costs that raise questions about the sustainability and the unintended effects of the global “rationalization” of food production. Environmental costs include the degradation of groundwater, surface water, soils, and biologic diversity. Social costs include a growing rural-urban divide, a worldwide obesity epidemic, and antibiotic resistance. This paper takes an evolutionary perspective to look at global agriculture as an interlocking system of technologies, belief systems, and institutions that reinforces growth and technological complexity over stability and long-run sustainability. The point is made that this system did not “naturally” evolve but is the result of accidents of history, lock-in, and path dependencies, and most importantly, the active govern...
Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen was described by Paul Samuelson as ‘an economist’s economist’. This boo... more Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen was described by Paul Samuelson as ‘an economist’s economist’. This book honors him by discussing his theories on a wide range of issues but particularly on environmental and energy economics. It is a dynamic tribute which extends his work to address the problems the human race will face in the 21st century.
The TEEBAgriFood ‘Scientific and Economic Foundations’ report addresses the core theoretical issu... more The TEEBAgriFood ‘Scientific and Economic Foundations’ report addresses the core theoretical issues and controversies underpinning the evaluation of the nexus between the agri-food sector, biodiversity and ecosystem services and externalities including human health impacts from agriculture on a global scale. It argues the need for a ‘systems thinking‘ approach, draws out issues related to health, nutrition, equity and livelihoods, presents a Framework for evaluation and describes how it can be applied, and identifies theories and pathways for transformational change.
KEY MESSAGES • Information alone often fails to motivate change. Manipulation of data has led con... more KEY MESSAGES • Information alone often fails to motivate change. Manipulation of data has led consumers to doubt scientific results, serving special interests at the expense of public benefit. Information overload implies the need for synthesis to enable better access and impact. • Rationalizations against the need for change include: fatalism, arguing that business is already changing of its own accord, that cheap food is more important than good food, and that the marketplace will adjust for externalities. • These views do not address the long-term systemic consequences of the global corporate model of food systems in a society that derives calories from corn syrup and protein from hamburger resulting in obesity and disease. • Free market, neoliberal policies are incapable of resolving externalities that affect public goods such as ecosystem services. Faith in the infallibility of the market is a shortcoming of mainstream economics. • Path dependency is a key barrier to change in ...
It is argued that mainstream economics, with its present methodological approach, is limited in i... more It is argued that mainstream economics, with its present methodological approach, is limited in its ability to analyze and develop adequate public policy to deal with current environmental problems and sustainable development. This book provides an alternative approach. Building on the strengths and insights of Post Keynesian and ecological economics and incorporating cutting edge work in such areas as economic complexity, bounded rationality and socio-economic dynamics, the contributors to this book provide a trans-disciplinary approach to deal with a broad range of environmental concerns.
In this commentary we critically discuss the suitability of payments for ecosystem services and t... more In this commentary we critically discuss the suitability of payments for ecosystem services and the most important challenges they face. While such instruments can play a role in improving environmental governance, we argue that over‐reliance on payments as win‐win solutions might lead to ineffective outcomes, similar to earlier experience with integrated conservation and development projects. Our objective is to raise awareness, particularly among policy makers and practitioners, about the limitations of such instruments and to encourage a dialogue about the policy contexts in which they might be appropriate.
Integrated assessment models of climate change typically analyze the case of a doubling of atmosp... more Integrated assessment models of climate change typically analyze the case of a doubling of atmospheric CO2.over the pre-industrial concentration of about 270 ppm. This is a serious shortcoming since under a scenario in which all accessible fossil fuels are burned, atmospheric CO2 concentrations will more than quadruple. We introduce an analytical framework that endogenously accounts for potential climate change events related to this “mega-greenhouse” and examine economic implications of two alternative mitigation strategies: one in which only the rates of annual emissions are reduced, and one that places absolute limits on the total amount of carbon released into the atmosphere.
Industrial agriculture has had great success in producing abundant, low-cost food. World hunger h... more Industrial agriculture has had great success in producing abundant, low-cost food. World hunger has been declining for decades, and food production per capita has increased sharply since the 1960s. But this success has come with costs that raise questions about the sustainability and the unintended effects of the global “rationalization” of food production. Environmental costs include the degradation of groundwater, surface water, soils, and biologic diversity. Social costs include a growing rural-urban divide, a worldwide obesity epidemic, and antibiotic resistance. This paper takes an evolutionary perspective to look at global agriculture as an interlocking system of technologies, belief systems, and institutions that reinforces growth and technological complexity over stability and long-run sustainability. The point is made that this system did not “naturally” evolve but is the result of accidents of history, lock-in, and path dependencies, and most importantly, the active govern...
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Papers by John Gowdy