Relating the Philosophy and Practice of Ecological Economics. The Role of Concepts, Models, and Case Studies in Inter- and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research

Stefan Baumgärtner, Christian Becker, Karin Frank, Birgit Müller and Martin Quaas
Additional contact information
Christian Becker: Research Centre for Environmental Economics, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Karin Frank: Department of Ecological Modelling, UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research,Leipzig, Germany
Birgit Müller: Department of Ecological Modelling, UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research,Leipzig, Germany

No 75, Working Paper Series in Economics from University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics

Abstract: We develop a comprehensive multi-level approach to ecological economics (CML-approach) which integrates philosophical considerations on the foundations of ecological economics with an adequate operationalization. We argue that the subject matter and aims of ecological economics require a specific combination of inter- and transdisciplinary research, and discuss the epistemological position on which this approach is based. In accordance with this understanding of inter- and transdisciplinarity and the underlying epistemological position, we develop an operationalization which comprises simultaneous analysis on three levels of abstraction: concepts, models and case studies. We explain these levels in detail, and, in particular, deduce our way of generic modeling in this context. Finally, we illustrate the CML-approach and demonstrate its fruitfulness by the example of the sustainable management of semi-arid rangelands.

Keywords: ecological economics; interdisciplinarity; philosophy of science; transdisciplinarity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages
Date: 2008-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env and nep-hpe
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (48)

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Journal Article: Relating the philosophy and practice of ecological economics: The role of concepts, models, and case studies in inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research (2008)
Working Paper: Relating the philosophy and practice of ecological economics: The role of concepts, models, and case studies in inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research (2008)
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