About the Book

“Quantitative Eco-nomics” cuts through the fog of vision and advocacy by comparing and applying new quantitative tools of both environmental and ecological economics. Environmental accounts and empirical analyses provide operational concepts and measures of the sustainability of economic performance and growth. They facilitate rational and compatible environmental and economic policies.

This thought-provoking text raises doubts, however, about the measurability of sustainable development. Has the paradigm run its course? The answer is a guarded ‘yes’ – guarded because the concept still carries considerable environmental goodwill. At the same time the opaque concept fosters contradictory policy advice, or worse, inaction. Do we need zero- or accelerated economic growth? Should we reduce conspicuous consumption or enjoy spending as we see fit? Will rules and regulation or adjusted markets prevent environmental disaster?

Contents

Questions, Questions, Questions

What on Earth is Wrong?

What’s Economics Got to Do with It?

Sustainable Development – Blueprint or Fig Leaf?

Assessing the Physical Base of the Economy

Statistics and Indicators

Aggregation: From Indicators to Indices

Energy and Material Flow Accounting

Greening the Economic Accounts

Linking the Physical and Monetary Accounts

SEEA – The System for Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting

Corporate Accounting: Accounting for Accountability

Analysis – Modelling Sustainability

Front Matter

Diagnosis: Has the Economy Behaved Sustainably?

Prediction: Will Economic Growth Be Sustainable?

Policy Analysis: Can We Make Growth Sustainable?

Strategic Outlook

Tackling the Limits to Growth

Globalization and Global Governance

Strategic Outlook

Questions, Questions, Questions – and Some Answers

About the Author / Editor

Peter Bartelmus