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The Economics of Non-Convex Ecosystems

  • Conference proceedings
  • © 2004

Overview

Editors:
  1. Partha Dasgupta

    1. Faculty of Economics, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK

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  2. Karl-Göran Mäler

    1. Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Offers an up to date account of the welfare economics of nonconvex ecosystems
  • The first time a group of ecologists and economists have, in a seminar like forum, helped to formulate and analyse certain key theoretical problems in the sustainable management of non-convex ecosystems

Part of the book series: The Economics of Non-Market Goods and Resources (ENGO, volume 4)

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Table of contents (7 papers)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-v
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  2. The Economics of Non-Convex Ecosystems: Introduction

    • Partha Dasgupta, Karl-Göran Mäler
    Pages 1-27

  3. Scale and Scaling in Ecological and Economic Systems

    • Jérôme Chave, Simon Levin
    Pages 29-59

  4. Convex Relationships in Ecosystems Containing Mixtures of Trees and Grass

    • R. J. Scholes
    Pages 61-76

  5. Managing Systems with Non-convex Positive Feedback

    • W. A. Brock, D. Starrett
    Pages 77-104

  6. The Economics of Shallow Lakes

    • Karl-Göran Mäler, Anastasios Xepapadeas, Aart De Zeeuw
    Pages 105-126

  7. Multiple Species Boreal Forests - What Faustmann Missed

    • Anne-Sophie Crépin
    Pages 127-148

  8. Evaluating Projects and Assessing Sustainable Development in Imperfect Economies

    • Kenneth J. Arrow, Partha Dasgupta, Karl-Göran Mäler
    Pages 149-187

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 188-188
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Keywords

About this book

Economists all too often assume that ecosystem and population dynamics are subject to convex (even linear) processes. However, research by ecosystem and population ecologists has shown that the processes in question are very often non-convex. This has important implications for environmental and resource economics. Typically, a system under study or being managed would contain multiple basins of attraction. So the system would flip from one basin to another if a "threshold" (mathematically, a bifurcation) were crossed. Furthermore, the flip could be irreversible. But even if it were reversible, the system could well display hysteresis. The latter eventuality means that in order to entice the system to return to its original basin of attraction, a different and possibly costly path has to be traced. A mistake in management may then be a lot more costly than envisaged. An example would be a possible flip of the Gulf Stream owing to fresh water intrusion from melting glaciers during global warming.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Faculty of Economics, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK

    Partha Dasgupta

  • Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden

    Karl-Göran Mäler

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Economics of Non-Convex Ecosystems

  • Editors: Partha Dasgupta, Karl-Göran Mäler

  • Series Title: The Economics of Non-Market Goods and Resources

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-2515-7

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2004

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-1945-6Published: 31 January 2004

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-1864-0Published: 31 January 2004

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4020-2515-0Published: 11 April 2006

  • Series ISSN: 1571-487X

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: VI, 190

  • Topics: Environmental Economics

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