In this age of overlapping and mutually reinforcing deep global crises (financial convulsions, global warming, mass migrations, militarism, inequality, selfish nation-states, etc.), there needs to be more realistic dialogue about radical alternatives to the status quo. Most literature produced heretofore has focused on the surface causes of these crises without much attention given to the sorts of major societal changes needed in order to deal with the crises we face. This book moves the debate beyond the critiques and the false or not fully realised alternatives, to focus on what can be termed "practical utopias". The contributors to this book outline a range of practical proposals for constructing pathways out of the global economic, ecological and social crisis. Varieties of Alternative Economic Systems eschews a single blueprint but insists on dealing directly with the deep structural problems and contradictions of contemporary global capitalism. It provides a diverse array of complementary proposals and perspectives that can inform both theoretical thinking and practical action. This volume will be of interest to academics and students who study political science, ecological economics, international politics and socialism.

Now in its third edition, Cost-Benefit Analysis has been updated, offering readers the perfect introduction to project, programme and policy appraisal using basic tools of financial and economic analysis. The key economic questions of any social cost-benefit analysis are: do the benefits of the project or policy exceed the costs, no matter how widely costs and benefits are spread, and irrespective of whether or not project impacts, such as environmental effects, are reflected in market prices? And which group or groups of individuals receive the benefits and which bear the costs? This book addresses these questions with an emphasis on putting the theory presented in the book into practice. This third edition has several attractive features: Readers are encouraged to develop their own skills by applying the tools and techniques of cost-benefit analysis to case studies and examples, including an analysis of a project which is developed throughout the book. The book emphasizes the use of spreadsheets which are invaluable in providing a framework for the cost-benefit analysis. A dedicated chapter provides guidance for writing up a report which summarises the analysis which has been undertaken. New pedagogical features, including Technical Notes and Examples, have been added as an aid to readers throughout the text. An appendix provides 14 additional case studies which can be developed in class or as assignment projects. Additional material for instructors and students is provided through Support Material maintained by Routledge. This updated edition is an ideal text for a course on cost-benefit analysis where the emphasis is on practical application of principles and equipping students to conduct appraisals. It is also a useful handbook for professionals looking for a logical framework in which to undertake their cost-benefit analysis work.

Capitalism and its Critics offers an accessible account of major theories of capitalism from the industrial revolution to the present day. The book provides a comprehensive account of the economic and social thought of key theorists from Adam Smith and Karl Marx to David Harvey and Thomas Piketty. Capitalism has long been the subject of passionate debate, and today such contestations are perhaps more timely than ever. For its advocates, capitalism brings democracy and freedom and is the cornerstone of modernity and of progress. For its critics, capitalism is based on the exploitation of labour and is responsible for the destruction of the environment as well as colonialism. Whether capitalism survives the century, or whether an alternative social system emerges, may very well determine the fate of humanity. Capitalism and its Critics gives a comprehensive critical analysis of the most important theorists of capitalism, including Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Joseph Schumpeter, Karl Polanyi, F.A. Hayek, J.M. Keynes, David Harvey, and Thomas Piketty. The book discusses some of the main debates about capitalism and considers alternatives in the twenty-first century. The 12 chapters are loosely chronologically organised around the main approaches and historical phases in the history of capitalism. Central themes of the book are the ideas of capitalist crisis and of tensions between democracy and capitalism in the making of modernity. A highly readable, informative and engaging text, Capitalism and its Critics is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding capitalism and its alternatives.

Should there be firmer restrictions on trade, with more policies aimed at protecting its environmental impacts, or would the environment benefit most from unrestricted free trade? Do importing countries have a responsibility only to their local ecosystems, or are they also responsible for environmental degradation caused by the production of traded goods in exporting countries? Trading the Environment examines both the dependence and the effects of international trade on the earth's life support systems and looks at ways in which trading regulations could be adapted to promote ecologically sustainable economic development. It addresses the issues from a fully integrated approach, focusing on the interrelations between ecosystems, economic development and trade. The authors provide a carefully constructed ecological and economic analysis of trade and the environment, examine the existing legal and institutional frameworks and set out 16 recommendations to achieve environment beneficial trade at both national and international levels. Trading with the environment was originally commissioned by the Swedish government and is already regarded thereon essential reference. It makes an excellent introduction as well as constructive analysis, both for students and for policy-makers and professional economics and other scientists working on the issues. Published in 1995

Economics of Ecological Resources presents new or recently published work on ecological economies, sustainability, poverty, resource degradation and decision-making under uncertainty.The book explores the allocation of resources in jointly determined ecological-economic systems. An introductory chapter examines the work of other major contributors to the field of ecological economics and introduces Professor Perrings's work and the material in this volume. The first of three parts is concerned with the dynamics of joint systems and with the implications for the control and conservation of ecological resources. The second part focuses on the conditioning effect of the economic environment on private decisions in low income resource-dependent economies. The final part considers the way that decision makers handle the uncertainty that is an integral feature of the evolution of the ecological-economic system. Economics of Ecological Resources will be of interest to academics, researchers and students of ecological and environmental economics.

In addition to constituting an evolving area of inquiry within the social sciences, agricultural certification, and particularly its Fair Trade and organic components, has emerged as a significant tool for promoting rural development in the global South. This book is unique for two reasons. First, in contrast to existing studies that have tended to examine Fair Trade and organic certification as independent systems, the studies presented in this book reveal their joint application within actual production settings, demonstrating the greater complexity entailed in these double certification systems through the generation of contradictions and tensions compared with single certification systems. Second, the authors, who are both Asian, reveal the realities of applying Fair Trade and organic certification systems within Asian agriculture. In doing so, they challenge the fact that most Fair Trade studies have been undertaken by Western scholars who have tended to focus on Latin American and African producers. Drawing on a wealth of grounded case studies conducted in India, Thailand, and the Philippines, this pioneering study on double certification makes a significant contribution to studies on Fair Trade and organic agriculture beyond Asia.

Although the history of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is dominated by a process of centralisation, growing pressures to integrate agri-environmental problems into the CAP have revealed the need to embrace decentralised approaches in an efficient federal structure. Indeed, in recent years it has become increasingly evident that the agricultural sector must undergo fundamental changes in order to enter an era of sustainable development. The authors do not believe that this will be an easy process, not only because agricultural policies in Europe are dominated by specific interest groups, but primarily because integrating environmental aspects into the CAP requires difficult institutional change at different levels. Centralised decision making at the EU level has characterised recent agricultural policy and the authors argue that centralised and hierarchical governance structures may fail to produce adequate solutions if they are not linked to regional and more diverse institutional arrangements. They demonstrate how these new institutional arrangements should be designed and how this change can be organised. In particular, they highlight the need for cooperation, and the participation of farmers, as a strategy to cope with agri-environmental issues and resource management problems. Addressing the value of co-operative strategies to achieve sustainable development and cope with agri-environmental problems, this book will be of great interest to agricultural economists and those with an interest in ecological reforms of agricultural policies. It will also be particularly relevant to policymakers within EU nations, as well as policymakers within the countries of Eastern and Central Europe who will be amongst the first to be admitted to the EU in the next wave of expansion.

This book discusses important recent developments in the theory, concepts and empirical applications of ecological economics and sustainable development. The editors have assembled a fascinating collection of papers from some of the leading scholars in the field of ecological economics. Topics covered include: * the contribution of classical economics to ecological economics * alternatives to the growth paradigm and Gross Domestic Product * valuation in ecological economics and indicators of natural resource scarcity * case studies of sustainable development * critical reviews of the environmental Kuznets curve * green national accounting. This will be an invaluable text for scholars, policy analysts and students interested in sustainable development and ecological, environmental and resource economics.

The market for residential solid waste management and disposal has experienced dramatic changes over the past 20 years. This collection of outstanding published research examines these changes and thoroughly analyzes the strategies popularized by municipal governments over the past two decades. Kerbside recycling, unheard of in the 1970s, is currently available to 46% of Americans. Thousands of towns across the nation have also implemented user fees requiring households to pay a fee for every bag of garbage they generate. These policy shifts have attracted the attention of environmental economists interested in knowing the best strategy for managing solid waste. The editors, both long-time scholars of these trends, offer theoretical solutions for the optimal pricing of garbage and recycling collection. They provide original data collection and suggest appropriate econometric techniques that correct for statistical biases. A policy focus provides information relevant to municipal governments as well as researchers. This excellent volume will be useful for policymakers, students and scholars in environmental economics.

This book asks an important question of how management of the environment may benefit firms. The authors take an objective, neutral perspective on the extent to which environmental issues should, or should not, be addressed within the management of business corporations. The Environment in Corporate Management includes an up-to-date treatment of business practices, norms and standards, using the tools of microeconomic and industrial organisation analysis to provide an ordered and consistent picture. The analysis is couched within stakeholder theory, which determines how costs and benefits are defined for the firm. Utilising the most recent information the book also focuses on the underlying long-term trends. Actual examples and case studies illustrate the discussions. The authors conclude by highlighting the inevitable need to link environment and finance, for better stakeholder relationships and business performance. This unique book is written clearly and accessibly, but with a firm grounding in academia to challenge scholars and researchers in areas including environmental studies, business, economics and finance. Practitioners will also find the book of great interest.

This significant book investigates the political economy of environmental policy in Europe with a careful analysis of how EU directives are realised in the member states. The authors explore this issue through a comparative evaluation of the implementation of three pieces of EU environmental legislation in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Areas covered by the legislation include air emission standards for waste incinerators, the electricity supply industry, and the certification of environmental management systems. The results vary across cases even though overcompliance is observed in certain cases. The regularity arising from the different case studies is related to the determinants of the environmental outcomes that are observed. When environmental directives are implemented they are likely to interact with parallel policy processes and these interactions can exert a strong positive or negative influence on the success of the policy in question. The central policy problem is the fact that these interactions are very difficult to anticipate at the policy formulation stage. It leads the authors to propose that effective environmental policy should therefore be adaptable in order to cope with these unanticipated effects. This book covers a very important and topical issue by studying the genuine impact of environmental directives and increasing the readers' understanding of the way in which environmental federalism works in Europe. It will be welcomed by scholars of environmental law and political science, environmental economists, and environmental policymakers, advisors and consultants.

This important new book presents a state-of-the-art assessment of how economic models can be used by different levels of government to combat environmental problems. It considers policies for climate change and transport that can be used at federal and confederal levels of government. The authors examine the unique aspects of environmental policy making in a multi-layered government using empirical case studies covering Europe and the US. They consider the causes of pollution at three levels - federal government, local government and industries and firms. Concentrating on greenhouse gas abatement and the transport sector, they use quantitative techniques to compare alternative policy solutions. This quantitative approach overcomes problems of some inconclusive theoretical prescriptions, which often depend on combinations of particular parameter values. In addition, this method makes it possible to investigate the costs and benefits of a particular solution, and the distribution effects between different groups. This approach also provides insights into the economic consequences of the application of local versus national or federal policies. Climate Change, Transport and Environmental Policy provides the necessary analysis required for environmental policy making in that it uses a quantitative approach to balance the costs and benefits of alternative policy options. Climate Change, Transport and Environmental Policy is an important addition to the literature and will be welcomed by environmental policymakers at the local, regional, national and international level as well as scholars and postgraduate students in environmental economics and public policy.

Addresses a gap in the market between policy and academia. Broad readership given the focus on climate change action, a hugely topical area. Interdisciplinary approach - politics, IPE, international economics, and environmental economics. Written in an accessible voice/style.

Presenting critical insights on how economic activity is constrained by the environment's ability to provide material and energy resources, this timely Research Agenda explores how humanity shapes, and is shaped by, environmental change and sustainability challenges. Chapters highlight how, under these constraints, people may seek to improve their lives and standards of living without undermining the abilities of others to do so now or in the future. With contributions from top economic scholars, as well as from a range of other disciplines including ethics, law, and the physical and life sciences, this book explores how interdisciplinary insights can be integrated to provide meaningful investment and policy advice. Offering diverse understandings of the topic from both the Global North and South, this Research Agenda challenges previous economic conceptualizations of human-environment interactions, exploring resource use and environmental impact from micro- and macro-economic perspectives. Students of environmental and ecological economics will find this to be a thought-provoking and stimulating read. The suggestions for future research and use of clear case studies will also prove valuable for environmental law and ethics scholars, as well as environmental policy-makers. Contributors include: D.C. Andersen, Y. Bramoulle, L.P. Breckenridge, M. Faber, M. Frick, A. Kander, R. Kemp, D. Malghan, R.B. Norgaard, C. Orset, S.V. Ramani, M. Ruth, J. Sager, M. Sagoff, M.R. Sers, D.I. Stern, D.J. Thampapillai, E. van Leeuwen, M.d.M.R. Varas, P.A. Victor

Much environmental deterioration - the greenhouse effect, deleption of the ozone layer and acid rain - has an intrinsic international dimension. The lack of a supra-national authority requires that countries agree on the decision to co-operate for pollution control. Hence, negotiations on international environmental issues need to be approached through appropriate policy strategies. This book presents new and important papers which examine international environmental negotiations and agreements seeking to protect the global environment. Policy analysis is performed within a game-theoretic strategic framework. Issues discussed include: existence, size and environmental impacts of self-enforcing agreements, the role of an arbitrator in environmental negotiations, the problems of interactions between environmental and trade and industrial polices, the influence of uncertainty on negotiations and agreements, the role of myopia of negotiators and of asymmetric interests between developed and less developed countries. This book not only presents current debates but also provides stimuli for further research. International Environmental Negotiations will be of special interest to students, academics and professional environmentalists as well as policymakers.

Market-based instruments are becoming the environmental management tool of choice and have provided a new perspective on the conventional wisdom about policy instruments. This book analyses the complexities of designing and implementing market-based instruments using case study experiences from the Nordic countries, Japan, France, The Netherlands, Germany and Britain, where a range of green taxes have been introduced. The contributors examine the role of political processes in designing, introducing and implementing green taxes and charges and analyse the extent to which political concerns complicate the approach favoured by environmental economists. The authors then focus on the implementation of market-based instruments to achieve environmental objectives and offer an ex-post evaluation of different countries' experiences with economic instruments. This volume brings together contributions from political scientists and environmental economists and will prove invaluable for academics, practitioners and policymakers interested in the experiences of countries where market-based instruments are well established.

Transportation networks are essential to the functioning of societies and economies and provide the infrastructure for the movement of people and goods over space and time. The existence and utilization of transportation networks are fundamental to the modern age and the negative effects of congestion and pollution associated with their increasing usage demand urgent attention.This book cogently addresses the question as to whether transportation networks are sustainable: that is, can they last, given the growing demands on the network, on the one hand, and the desire to alleviate the associated negative impacts, on the other. Anna Nagurney answers the question positively by providing a rigorous foundation for the formulation, analysis, and computation of solutions to such problems through the use of appropriate policies ranging from tolls and tradable pollution permits to the design of the networks themselves. Sustainable Transportation Networks will be of great value to students, researchers, and practitioners of transportation studies, environmental economics, regional science, and urban planning.

Concerns about natural resource scarcity, together with the increased awareness of environmental problems, has led to widespread interest in green accounting, which attempts to extend the standard national accounts to include the yields from natural and environmental resources. For this volume, Professors Lofgren and Li have selected the classic articles in this rapidly growing area, with particular reference to sustainability. They have also written an authoritative new introduction which offers a comprehensive overview of the literature both from a historical and a formal theoretical perspective. This volume will be an invaluable reference source for scholars and practitioners seeking an in-depth understanding of the main issues in this important field.

* New chapter specifically on electric vehicles * Increased international focus, with more examples from outside the USA * Pedagogical features including learning objectives at the start of each chapter, in-chapter questions and end-of-chapter suggested online activities * Student companion website material: multiple choice questions and homework exercises * Instructor companion website material: lecture slides, solution files for instructors; suggested questions for discussion forums to increase engagement; and activities to achieve the chapter learning objectives, including quizzes with answers, that instructors can use to assess student attainment

Environmental finance and green banking are central drivers of the transition to a sustainable economy and essential components in solutions to climate change. This book presents the latest research on theory and practices in these interdisciplinary fields, incorporating both public and corporate finance. It introduces three parts - environmental investing and financing, green banking and environmental policies in the public sector. The book explores the current trends, dynamics and ways forward for environmental finance and green banking, including fundamental theories (e.g., environmental Kuznets curve) and comparisons between traditional and green bond efficiency, corporate governance practices and disclosure, green central banking, climate finance, sustainable strategies, green Islamic banking, and public climate fund management in multi-country context. The contributors to this book highlight significant challenges ahead while recognizing potential opportunities, such as the revolution in green investments and trading in green bonds. This book is a welcome addition to the literature on environmental economics and finance and the economics of sustainability and climate change.

As an essential component for economic growth, energy has a significant impact on the global economy. The need to meet growing energy demand has prompted cutting-edge innovation in clean technology in an attempt to realise environmental and cost objectives, whilst ensuring the security of energy supply. This Handbook offers a comprehensive review of the economics of energy, including contributions from a distinguished array of international specialists. It provides a thorough discussion of the major research issues in this topical field of economics.Themes addressed include the theory of energy supply, demand and policy, empirical modelling of energy demand, holistic energy models, an analysis of coal, gas, electricity, oil and the 'markets' within which they operate, and a discussion of the current key energy policy issues. The topics of pricing, transmission, regulation, security, energy efficiency, new technologies and climate change are also discussed. The International Handbook on the Economics of Energy presents a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art research making it an indispensable reference for researchers, advanced students, practitioners and policy-makers alike.

'Boserup's contribution to our thinking on women's role in development cannot be underestimated. Her keen observations, her use of empirical data and her commitment to greater gender equality are still an inspiration to students, researchers and activists who are interested in a better and more equal world.' From the new Introduction by Nazneen Kanji, Su Fei Tan and Camilla Toulmin 'Women's Role in Economic Development has become a key reference book for anyone - student, scholar, or practitioner - interested in gender and development analyses. This book is important not only because it provided the intellectual underpinning of the Women in Development (WID) analysis, but also because of the lasting influence it had on the development of theoretical, conceptual, and policy thinking in the fields of women, gender, and development. The re-editing of Women's Role in Economic Development, with its new introduction, ensures students, academics, and practitioners continued access to an essential reference for those interested in the women and development literature.' - Gender and Development This classic text by Ester Boserup was the first investigation ever undertaken into what happens to women in the process of economic and social growth throughout the developing world, thereby serving as an international benchmark. In the context of the ongoing struggle for women's rights, massive urbanization and international efforts to reduce poverty, this book continues to be a vital text for economists, sociologists, development workers, activists and all those who take an active interest in women's social and economic circumstances and problems throughout the world. A substantial new Introduction by Nazneen Kanji, Su Fei Tan and Camilla Toulmin reflects on Boserup's legacy as a scholar and activist, and the continuing relevance of her work. This highlights the key issue of how the role of women in economic development has or has not changed over the past four decades in developing countries, and covers crucial current topics including: women and inequality, international and national migration, conflict, HIV and AIDS, markets and employment, urbanization, leadership, property rights, global processes, including the Millennium Development Goals, and barriers to change.

Controlling Pollution in Transition Economies examines and evaluates the recent experience of implementing pollution charges and the use of environmental permits in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia.The book focuses on controlling point-source air and water pollution. It describes and analyses the experience of implementing pollution charges and fines, and the interactions of these fiscal instruments with systems of pollution permits. The ten country case studies have been written by specialists who have been or are actively involved with the development or revision of pollution charges. Based on the experience of these countries, general conclusions are drawn for implementing pollution charge systems in other contexts. This book will encourage new theoretical and empirical work on the problem of implementing economic instruments (pollution charges), in combination with 'command-and-control' instruments (pollution permits). Practitioners and policy analysts as well as graduate students, academics, researchers and environmental consultants will find this book an important contribution to the existing literature.

This book offers original economic analyses on the economy-environment relationship in Eastern and Central Europe. Drawing on the Hungarian experience, it provides empirical evidence on the reform of environmental policy which can be applicable to similar problems in other transition economies.The macroeconomic shocks of the transition process in Central and Eastern Europe have been exceptional in both their intensity and speed. The implications of this adjustment process are examined in relation to their effects on environmental policy, with special emphasis on the rethinking of standard environmental policy recommendations for transition economies. The authors focus on a variety of issues including the environmental concerns raised by the privatization process and to what extent the less rigorous environmental regulations in Hungary attract foreign direct investment. There is also a critical overview of the existing literature and an examination of the costs of reducing air pollution and the use of the contingent valuation method to measure the economic benefits of improving air quality in Hungary. In addition the authors assess the effects of industrial restructuring on emissions and analyse incentive-based policy measures including prospects for emission trading. Their conclusions challenge the common perception that energy pricing policy is the most important policy measure to induce structural changes in transition economies that are beneficial to the environment. Economics for Environmental Policy in Transition Economies will be of interest to policymakers, academics and postgraduates working in the fields of transition economics, environmental economics and environmental valuation.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a growing struggle has arisen between those who would like to repeal existing environmental policy and those who would like to see greater environmental protection. On both sides, however, many of the arguments remain grounded in ideology. This book attempts to moderate the conflict by exploring methods to accurately measure and assess the effectiveness of environmental policies.Does Environmental Policy Work? examines our ability to assess the impact of environmental policies on the environment in particular, and on social welfare in general. The distinguished authors explore the theory of assessment, concentrating primarily on a conceptual examination of the evaluation process. They extend existing tools and identify alternative indicators and methods of appraisal. The focus then shifts to the use of these tools in real-world policy situations by applying them to a series of case studies from Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Although the authors base their assessment predominantly on economic efficiency, they also pay due regard to other interdisciplinary approaches and decision-making criteria. This comprehensive exploration of the theory and practice of environmental assessment will be of great interest to scholars of environmental economics, ecological economics and environmental science. The book will also provide guidance and direction for practitioners in the fields of environmental policy and management on how to effectively measure the outcomes of environmental policies.