What is ecological economics?
Along with incorporating new knowledge in the natural, physical and behavioral sciences, ecological
economics represents a new way of thinking about natural resources, economic well-being and
sustainable development. It builds on traditional economics, but questions some underlying
assumptions and adds systems analysis, path dependency, and other new tools.
Econ 3310 offered Spring 2013 Monday and Wednesday 1:40-2:55 (not offered again until Spring 2015)
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Moves beyond resources as inputs to the economy to role as environmental services
Focuses on water issues, costs of reducing carbon emissions vs. costs of climate change
Explores expansions to Gross Domestic Product to better measure human well-being as
well as environmental sustainability
Critiques use of traditional cost-benefit analysis and offers cost-effectiveness analysis
Explores questions of environmental justice today and across generations
This course provides a good foundation for adding the Sustainable Development minor for those
Economics or Business students interested in the expanding job opportunities that provides
TEXTS: Ecological Economics, 2nd ed. , Herman Daly and Joshua Farley, www.islandpress.com
Plenitude, The new economics of true wealth, www.julietschor.org/category/plenitude-the-book/
Sizing the Clean Economy, Mark Muro and Owen Washburn, Brookings Institute (e-book)
Prerequisite: Principles of Microeconomics. Principles of Macro recommended.
For more information, contact Professor Daphne Greenwood at dgreenwo@uccs.edu or 255-4031