Coevolutionary ecological economics

Giorgos Kallis () and Richard B. Norgaard

Ecological Economics, 2010, vol. 69, issue 4, 690-699

Abstract: This paper maps a coevolutionary research agenda for ecological economics. At an epistemological level coevolution offers a powerful logic for transcending environmental and social determinisms and developing a cross-disciplinary approach in the study of socio-ecological systems. We identify four consistent stories emerging out of coevolutionary studies in ecological economics, concerning: environmental degradation and development failure in peripheral regions; the lock-in of unsustainable production-consumption patterns; the vicious cycle between human efforts to control undesirable micro-organisms and the evolution of these organisms; and the adaptive advantages of other-regarding, cooperative behaviors and institutions. We identify challenges in the conceptualization of coevolutionary relationships in relation to: the interaction between different hierarchical levels of evolution; the role of space and social power; uneven rates of change and crises. We conclude with the political implications of a coevolutionary perspective based on the premises of pragmatism.

Keywords: Evolution; Coevolution; Socio-ecological; systems; Development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (72)

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