¡Economía implica cuidado!

Der vorliegende Beitrag versucht den Einfluss und die Größenordnung der akademischen Bildung in den Wirtschaftswissenschaften, vor allem der Standardlehrbücher, abzuschätzen und fragt kritisch, auf welchem Bildungsverständnis die moderne Wirtschaftswissenschaft implizit beruht.

The last 15 years have seen extensive research into ecosystem service valuation (ESV), spurred by the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005 (Baveye, Baveye & Gowdy, 2016). Ecosystem services are defined as “the benefits people obtain from ecosystems” (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, p.V). For example, ecosystems provide the service of sequestering carbon which helps regulate the climate. Valuation means giving ecosystems or their services a monetary price, for example researchers have estimated that the carbon sequestration services of the Mediterranean Sea is between 100 and 1500 million euros per year. The idea of ESV was a response to the overuse of natural resources and degradation of ecosystems, allegedly due to their undervaluation and exclusion from the monetary economy. ESV can be used (1) for policy decision-making, for example allocating funding to a reforestation project (2) for setting payments to people who increase ecosystem services, for example a farmer increasing the organic carbon content of their soil, and (3) for determining fees for people who degrade ecosystem services, for example a company that causes deforestation.

In der Auseinandersetzung um eine nachhaltige und lebenswerte Zukunft ist die Arbeitskritik eine unerlässliche Perspektive. Denn Arbeit basiert immer auf Ressourcen- und Energieverbrauch und hat somit immer direkte oder indirekte Umweltauswirkungen.

A remarkable and insightful tribute into the works of late Malawian development economist, Professor Thandika Mkandawire. Must read for anyone looking to broaden their scope of understanding development as it relates to the African continent.

Rethinking Economics NL explores every month together with a new host the field of economics from a different perspective.