We discuss the recent emergence of "deliberative ecological economics", a field that highlights the potential of deliberation for improving environmental governance. We locate the emergence of this literature in the long concern in ecological economics over the policy implications of limited views of human action and its encounter with deliberative democracy scholarship and the model of communicative rationality as an alternative to utilitarianism. Considering criticisms over methods used and the focus of research in deliberative decision-making, we put forward a research agenda for deliberative ecological economics. Given the promising potential of deliberative processes for improving the effectiveness and legitimacy of environmental decision-making, work in this area could help advance both theory and practice in environmental governance.
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
The hope that policy-making is a rational process lies at the heart of policy science and democratic practice. However, what constitutes rationality is not clear. In policy deliberations, scientific, democratic, moral, and ecological concerns are often at odds. Harold Lasswell, in instituting the contemporary policy sciences, found that John Dewey's pragmatist philosophy provided an integrative foundation that took into account all these considerations. As the policy sciences developed with a predominantly empirical focus on discrete aspects of policy-making, this holistic perspective was lost for a while. Contemporary theorists are reclaiming pragmatist philosophy as a framework for public policy and administration. In this article, key postulates of pragmatist philosophy are transposed to policy science by developing a new theoretical model of transactive rationality. This model is developed in light of current policy analyses, and against the backdrop of three classical policy science theories of rationality: linear and bounded rationalism; incrementalism; and mixed-scanning. Transactive rationality is a "fourth approach" that, by integrating scientific, democratic, moral, and ecological considerations, serves as a more holistic, explanatory, and normative guide for public policy and democratic practice. Adapted from the source document.
In his text Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino (1974) describes the fictional city of Baucis, a land suspended in the clouds, in which humans maintain a purposeful and mysterious physical detachment from the earth. Calvino's imagining of Baucis visualises a conceptualisation of humans as divorced from nature1; a lingering residue of the post-Enlightenment obsession with reason and progress that casts nature as separate from and inferior to humans. In the context of the current ecological crisis, in which the perpetual abuse of human and natural resources threatens the sustainability of the planet and all earthly life, reconsideration of the relationship between humans and the non-human natural world becomes profoundly relevant. An overview of contemporary environmental theory, undertaken in the first section of this text, suggests that the widespread understanding of nature as an inferior realm that lacks the full degree of human rationality or culture, is giving way to conceptualisations of the relationship between humans and nature that highlight the interdependence and interrelatedness of all living organisms and systems. Sustainability scholar Stacy Alaimo ( 2010: 15-16) states: At this point in time, with global climate change proceeding even more rapidly than was projected, we hardly have the luxury of imagining any expanse of land or sea as beyond the reach of humanly-induced harm. Matters of environmental concern and wonder are always "here," as well as "there," simultaneously local and global, personal and political, practical and philosophical. This concept of the interrelatedness of global economic, technological, social, cultural and ecological systems, is significant in conceptualising the role that humans play in ecological degradation and exploitation.
The vast majority of environmental problems derive from human action, by dangerously disrupting the natural activity of the biosphere. However, as ecological problems are piling up also a greater ecological awareness is developing in the world, supported by several Non-Governmental Organizations – NGO. These organizations often lead governments in the creation of funds for the protection of ecosystems and endangered species. In fact, although legal regulations put pressure on governments to adopt greener policies, recent history shows that there is still a long way to go, since the ecological question does not obey merely the legal norms, but mainly to individual and community ethical values. This work examines the environmental crisis in the perspective of a real and global problem, linked to the concept of Sustainable Development – SD. It aims to instigate a greater sensitivity to environmental issues in the decision-making entities, encouraging them to be more involved in the adoption of more sustainable development models. The study relies on a critical review of the literature. To understand how it reached to a saturation point of the environment on a global scale, it highlights the environmental crisis and the awakening of consciences to the principles of SD, the hegemonic development of capitalism and the environmental ethics, in the context of carrying capacity of the planet. The environmental ethics and the planet's carrying capacity At the beginning of the new millennium the indicators show that mankind consumes natural resources 50% more than the Earth can provide. The ecological footprint is twice the 1966 ecological footprint (WWF, 2010), requiring 1.5 planets to satisfy the needs of the current society. A sustainable community is generally defined as one that is able to meet their needs without reducing the related odds for the next generations. The Earth resistance limits clearly indicate that as the consumption of energy accelerates more quickly decreases the real time available for species. Thus, an organism that consumes their livelihood faster than the environment produces them has no chance to survive (Tiezzi 1988). Throughout human evolution, it can be found registers of societies whose criteria to satisfaction of needs have their genesis in the carrying capacity of the environment (Fernandes, 2001), connecting to the cosmos and feeling part of it. In these societies, the man is connected by ties of training and information to land, air, water, plants and animals (Branco 1989). Closely linked to the society development is the concept of 'carrying capacity' expression originally proposed by the ecology, indicating the maximum theoretical density of individuals that the environment can support in the long-term (Odum 1997). This concept is much more complex when related to human societies. In fact, in these societies, the carrying capacity takes on a new dimension to incorporate other elements such as technology, accumulated knowledge and the relationship between social groups (Odum, 1997). It shows how human societies have skills to acquire and incorporate natural resources from other environments or societies (Odum, 1997). So, while poor countries cannot meet their needs with their own resources, technological resources and accumulation of knowledge, the rich countries' lifestyle based on high consumption of resources, energy and technology largely exceeded the carrying capacity of their territories. To satisfy their demand, they import energy, goods and services from poor countries, which mean an extension of the carrying capacity promoted by political, economic and even military mechanisms (Odum, 1997). If, for example, each person wishes to achieve the lifestyle of an American, it would not be possible to accommodate the entire planet's population. Americans represent 4% of world population, but consume 33% of energy and natural resources of the world (Medina, 2010). In the begin of this millennium the developed countries represented less than 25% of the world population, but consuming 75% of all the energy produced, 70% of fuels, 85% of timber and 72% of steel (Kraemer, 2003). This development model requires high rates of rejection of waste and effluents. Therefore, while developed societies perform as a model for all other societies, it rejects the maintenance of the natural system which systematically is destroyed (Medina, 2010). There have been several discourses grounded in ethics and solidarity to deal with the ecological crisis. Arruda (1998) appeals to the logics of the 'solidarity socio-economy', of the 'being' and the 'enough', as opposed to the logic of the 'big', of the 'only has value who owns' and the 'unlimited growth'. Similarly, Fernandes (2001) considers the 'ethics of the necessary', a reflection on what is the quality of life and the individual and social needs and desires, given the physical limits of the Earth, the technological uncertainties and the prospective of reducing inequalities between people. Acselrad (2006) argues that the 'discourse of efficiency' is the dominant model in liberal economies; the remaining ones correspond to alternative proposals to achieve sustainable development, all having the same common denominator – the reduction. Main findings Development is a geographical, vast, dynamic and constantly changing concept. What seems to be transversal to all communities is ensuring an improvement project of life quality. Thus, in every time and place, each social group acquires and adapts the resources according to their beliefs, values, culture, social organization and the dominant economic system. In the last half of the twentieth century, societies assumed the development as a right, and the governments were responsible for achieving it. However, the economic centred models that were adopted resulted in extreme inequalities between world northern and southern countries. Overall, cultural diversity was despised and adjusted to global hegemonic model, turning people into monocultural societies. The ecology radically reproves the rationality of modern society and the prevailing economic ideology, and various thinkers claim that the current capitalist expansion stage will result in further increase in social inequalities, injustices and intense devastation of nature. Even so, the socio-political dynamic continues incompatible with the carrying capacity of the planet, compromising the quality of life of future generations. Therefore, it is necessary to change mentalities and to promote an ethical attitude of respect for nature, as advocated by the world summits, environmental NGO and science, in order to test a new paradigm of social organization.
Part 1: Shepard Krech and his critics -- 1. Beyond The ecological Indian / Shepard Krech III -- 2. The ecological Indian and the politics of representation: critiquing The ecological Indian in the age of ecocide / Darren J. Ranco -- 3. Myths of the ecological whitemen: histories, science, and rights in North American-Native American relations / Harvey A. Feit -- Part 2: (Over)hunting large game -- 4. Did the ancestors of Native Americans cause animal extinctions in late-pleistocene North America? And does it matter if they did? / Robert L. Kelly and Mary M. Prasciunas -- 5. Rationality and resource use among hunters: some Eskimo examples / Ernest S. Burch Jr. -- 6. Wars over buffalo: stories versus stories on the Northern Plains / Dan Flores -- Part 3: Representations of Indians and animals -- 7. Watch for falling bison : the buffalo hunt as museum trope and ecological allegory / John Dorst -- 8. Ecological and un-ecological Indians : the (non)portrayal of Plains Indians in the buffalo commons literature / Sebastian F. Braun -- Part 4: Traditional ecological knowledge -- 9. Swallowing wealth : Northwest Coast beliefs and ecological practices / Michael E. Harkin -- 10. Sustaining a relationship : inquiry into the emergence of a logic of engagement with salmon among the southern Tlingits / Stephen J. Langdon -- Part 5: Contemporary resource management issues -- 11. The politics of cultural revitalization and intertribal resource management: the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission and the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota / Larry Nesper and James H. Schlender -- 12. Skull Valley goshutes and the politics of nuclear waste: environment, identity, and sovereignty / David Rich Lewis
Intro -- Smart Economic Decision-Making in a Complex World -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Endorsements -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Chapter 1 Introduction: Smart thinking in the real world of complexity -- What this book is all about -- Appendix: Background sources for, smart economic decision-making in a complex world -- References -- Chapter 2 The evolution of decision-making: Why institutions and capabilities matters -- Introduction -- Assumptions matter and behavioural economics -- The conventional wisdom and the different faces of behavioural economics -- The bounded rationality approach in context -- Satisficing and procedural rationality in context -- X-efficiency theory and external benchmarks for optimal behaviour -- Nudging versus constraints change and redesign -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3 How complexity affects decision-making -- Introduction -- Key points of overlap: Hayek and behavioural economics -- Assumptions matter -- Revisiting complexity and the expert -- Contemporary views on bottom-up decision making and individualized norms for rationality -- Ecological rationality and the spontaneous order -- Opening the door to intelligent design -- Opening the door to multiple equilibria: Casting shadows on the spontaneous order and ecological rationality -- Conclusion: Hayek's Golden nugget in decision-making theory -- References -- Chapter 4 Freedom of choice in a complex world -- Introduction -- Multiple equilibria in consumption -- Multiple equilibria in production: An introduction -- Multiple equilibria in production: X-inefficiency and managerial slack -- Multiple equilibria in production: X-inefficiency and agency -- Multiple equilibria in production: Some related scenarios -- Historical and logical time -- Rent seeking and x-efficiency -- Conclusion -- References.
Decisión theory has become an indispensable tool in economics, psychology, political science, sociology and philosophy. However, in spite of its pervasive influence, it is not yet well known among social scientist. In this paper, I present the basics of decisión theory first of all. Then, after explaining the use of some decisión criteria under uncertainty, I discuss the normative properties and the limits of the subjetive expected utility theory (SEU). The limits of SEU models lead US to explore ntw approaches in decisión theory based on Herbert Simon's concept of bounded rationality, such as adaptive decision-maker models and the theory of ecological rationality. ; Peer reviewed
"What is the meaning of a rational relationship to the nature"? This ecologically based and at the same time philosophical question is of particular importance today. After all, the future of mankind depends on the answer to it. The trajectories of our reasoning on this topic are determined by how we interpret the concept of "rational" and what characteristics we fill its content with. In the 1990s, in the Russian philosophy of science, it was precisely the concept of "rationality" that turned out to be at the forefront of discussion (some philosophers focused on its logical components, others on historical ones). P.P. Gaidenko tried to find her own way. She proposed to look at rationality through the prism of a person's historically changing attitude to the world as to his immediate, and therefore concrete, environment ("life world"), the sphere of semantic certainty and symbolic comfort. From the point of view of P.P. Gaidenko, the types of scientific rationality change historically precisely because a person not only "cognizes" the world as something external, opposing him (as an object of consumption), he actually creates the surrounding "life" world and himself in it, and, what is especially important, does it conscious, i.e. expresses in the narration (telling, narrative) his attitude towards it. P.P. Gaidenko immerses the concept of "rationality" in the history of philosophy in order to show its specific nature, on the one hand, and to update the phenomenological interpretations of "rationality" in science, on the other. In this regard, the conceptual analysis of E. Husserl's ideas, undertaken in Gaidenko's works, is especially important. Such approach reveals the ecological potential of the very idea of distinction of types of rationality. The author believes that such a turn of the relevant topic is defiantly presented precisely in the epistemological narrative. The article notes that the current task of forming environmental consciousness in society thus acquires a theoretical personal dimension.
The approach of V. Hauff (Ed), in Unsere gemeinsame Zukunft. Der Brundtland-Bericht der Weltkommission fur Umwelt und Entwicklung ([Our Common Future: The Brundtland Report of the World Commission on the Environment and Development] Greven, 1987), to global prospects for development in a context of increasing ecological crisis is criticized for three specific deficits: it emphasizes conflict avoidance at the cost of a clear setting of global priorities; it places stock in technological & structural developments as positive regulators of change without any empirical foundation; & it fails to distinguish active from passive integration of the world market. These criticisms suggest several lines for conceptualizing global environmental policy, prompting a discussion of the respective merits of neoliberal & neo-Keynesian environmental policy, communicative rationality, & systemic ecological rationality. Initial steps toward developing a theoretical basis & empirical research strategy for structural environmental protection are suggested. 1 Figure, 36 References. A. Levine
How can huge populations be fed healthily, equitably and affordably while maintaining the ecosystems on which life depends? The evidence of diet's impact on public health and the environment has grown in recent decades, yet changing food supply, consumer habits and economic aspirations proves hard.This book explores what is meant by sustainable diets and why this has to be the goal for the Anthropocene, the current era in which human activities are driving the mismatch of humans and the planet. Food production and consumption are key drivers of transitions already underway, yet policy makers hesitate to reshape public eating habits and tackle the unsustainability of the global food system.The authors propose a multi-criteria approach to sustainable diets, giving equal weight to nutrition and public health, the environment, socio-cultural issues, food quality, economics and governance. This six-pronged approach to sustainable diets brings order and rationality to what either is seen as too complex to handle or is addressed simplistically and ineffectually. The book provides a major overview of this vibrant issue of interdisciplinary and public interest. It outlines the reasons for concern and how actors throughout the food system (governments, producers, civil society and consumers) must engage with (un)sustainable diets.