NILF inviterer til forskningsseminar og diskusjon

Vi inviterer til et tankevekkende seminar om utfordringer for økonomisk (beslutnings)teori i et samfunn som konfronteres med økologiske problemer såvel som fordelingsspørsmål.

Economics as a study of choice is wedged between the scarce means and desirable ends of human decision-making. Absolute scarcity of means, as defined by the laws of physics, imposes specific constraints on our choices in an increasingly full world. Our ends are similarly constrained by the rigidity of human nature in some choice sets, and its plasticity and cultural influence in others. As humanity marches full steam ahead into the century of the environment, coming to terms with our means, realizing our ends, and crafting a consilient science of choice is the challenge and opportunity of our generation. This presentation presents the choice of allocation mechanisms - ranging from markets to collective action - as dependent on key social and ecological characteristics of the resources in question. Examples of applied problem-solving are shared from an approach to transdisciplinary learning, including the steps of problem identification, analysis, synthesis, and communication.

These papers serve as a useful background for todays discussions:

• Farley, J., Erickson, J.D. and H. Daly: Introduction chapter in Ecological Economics: a Workbook for Problem-Based Learning, Island Press, Washington, DC, 2005 (PDF, 211 KB)
• Farley, J., Erickson, J.D. and H. Daly: Chapter 4 in Ecological Economics: a Workbook for Problem-Based Learning, Island Press, Washington, DC, 2005 (PDF, 123 KB)
• Gowdy, J. and J.D. Erickson: «The Approach of Ecological Economics», Cambridge Journal of Economics 29(2): 207-222, 2005 (PDF, 129 KB)
• Gowdy, J. and J.D. Erickson: «Ecological Economics at a Crossroads», Ecological Economics 53(1): 17-20, 2005 (PDF, 82 KB)

Jon D. Erickson er associate professor ved University of Vermont i USA. Han er en internasjonalt anerkjent økologisk økonom som har arbeidet i mange år med problemer relatert til distriktsutvikling, livskvalitet, samfunnsplanlegging, arealkonflikter, vannressurser, nå i det seneste HIV/AIDS-problemer i utviklingsland. Jon har M.Sc. og Ph.D. fra Cornell University.

Han har blant skrevet Ecological Economics: A Workbook for Problem-Based Learning (Island Press, 2005), Ecological Economics of Sustainable Watershed Management (Elsevier, 2007), Frontiers in Ecological Economic Theory and Application (Edward Elgar, 2007) and The Great Experiment in Conservation: Light from the Adirondack Prism (Syracuse University Press, forthcoming).

Jon has served on the boards of the International and U.S. Societies for Ecological Economics, Conservation and Research Foundation, Adirondack Research Consortium, Burlington Electric Commission, and Saratoga Open Space Project, and is currently executive editor of the Adirondack Journal of Environmental Studies.

Velkommen!