Sustainability: Political Economy, Science, and Policy

Readings

[A] = Allenby, Braden R. Industrial Ecology: Policy Framework and Implementation. Prentice-Hall, 1998. ISBN: 9780139211805.

[AS] = Ashford, Nicholas A., and Ralph P. Hall. Technology, Globalization and Sustainable Development: Transforming the Industrial State. Yale University Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780300169720.

[B] = Becker, Egon, and Thomas Jahn, eds. Sustainability and the Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Integrating Environmental Considerations into Theoretical Reorientation. Zed Books, 1999. ISBN: 9781856497091.

[C] = Choucri, Nazli, ed. Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses. MIT Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780262531344. [Preview with Google Books]

[CH] = Choucri, Nazli, Dinisha Mistree, et al. Mapping Sustainability: Knowledge e-Networking and the Value Chain. Springer Press, 2014. ISBN: 9789400799851. [Preview with Google Books]

[CO] = Costanza, Robert, ed. Ecological Economics: The Science and Management of Sustainability. Columbia University Press, 1991. ISBN: 9780231075633.

[E] = Easterly, William. The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists’ Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics. MIT Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780262550420.

[L] = Lang, Winifred, ed. Sustainable Development and International Law (International Environmental Law and Policy Series). Springer, 1995. ISBN: 9781859661796.

[O] = Ostrom, Elinor, Larry Schroeder, et al. Institutional Incentives and Sustainable Development: Infrastructure Policies in Perspective. Westview Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780813316192.

[P] = Pirages, Dennis, and Ken Cousins, eds. From Resource Scarcity to Ecological Security: Exploring New Limits to Growth. MIT Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780262661898.

[S] = Stavins, Robert N., ed. Economics of the Environment: Selected Readings. 5th edition. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

[ST] = Stavins, Robert N., ed. Economics of the Environment: Selected Readings. 6th edition. W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. ISBN: 9780393913408.

[T] = Tainter, Joseph A. The Collapse of Complex Societies (New Studies in Archaeology). Cambridge University Press, 1990. ISBN: 9780521386739. [Preview with Google Books]

[TE] = Tester, Jefferson W., Elisabeth M. Drake, et al, eds. Sustainable Energy: Choosing Among Options. 2nd edition. MIT Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780262017473. [Preview with Google Books]

WEEK #	TOPICS	READINGS
Part 1 Content & Context
1	Introduction-Debates, Definitions & Dilemmas	Required [S] Hardin, Garrett. Chapter 2: The Tragedy of the Commons. [ST] Solow, Robert M. Chapter 28: Sustainability: An Economist’s Perspective. Solow, Robert M. “Richard T. Ely Lecture: The Economics of Resources or the Resources of Economics.” American Economic Review 64, no. 2 (1974): 1–14. (Papers and Proceedings of the Eighty-sixth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association) Related Goodland, Robert, and George Ledec. “Neoclassical Economics and Principles of Sustainable Development.” Ecological Modeling 38 (1987): 19–46. Holdren, John P., Gretchen C. Daily, et al. “The Meaning of Sustainability: Biogeophysical Aspects.” Chapter 1 in Defining and Measuring Sustainability: The Biogeophysical Foundations. Edited by Mohan Munasinghe and Walter Shearer. World Bank, 1995. ISBN: 9780821331347. Essential [T] Chapter 1: Introduction to Collapse.
2	Evolving Concepts: Growth vs. Sustainability	Required [B] Reboratti, Carlos E. Chapter 11: Territory, Scale and Sustainable Development. [C] Choucri, Nazli. “Introduction: Theoretical, Empirical, and Policy Perspectives.” Pezzey, John C. V., and Michael A. Toman. “Progress and Problems in the Economics of Sustainability.” Chapter 4 in The International Yearbook of Environmental and Resource Economics 2002 / 2003 A Survey of Current Issues (New Horizons in Environmental Economics). Edited by Tom Tietenberg and Henk Folmer. Edward Elgar Publications, 2003. ISBN: 9781843762133. Related [CO] Hardin, Garrett. Chapter 4: Paramount Positions in Ecological Economics. [E] Chapter 8: Tales of Increasing Returns: Leaks, Matches, and Traps. Essential [CH] Choucri, Nazli. Chapter 1: Mapping Sustainability: Logic and Framework. [T] Chapter 2: The Nature of Complex Societies.
3	Sustainability as a “Knowledge Domain”	Required [A] Chapter 3: Sustainable Development. [CO] Christensen, Paul. Chapter 6: Driving Forces, Increasing Returns and Ecological Sustainability. [ST] Simpson, R. David. Chapter 25: Economic Analysis and Ecosystems: Some Concepts and Issues. Choucri, Nazli. “Cyber Content: Leveraging Knowledge and Networking.” Chapter 4 in Cyberpolitics in International Relations. MIT Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780262517690. [Preview with Google Books] Related Holling, C.S. “Sustainability: The Cross-Scale Dimension.” Chapter 4 in Defining and Measuring Sustainability: The Biogeophysical Foundations. Edited by Mohan Munasinghe and Walter Shearer. World Bank, 1995. ISBN: 9780821331347. Lofdahl, Corey L. “Lateral Pressure Theory.” Chapter 2 in Environmental Impacts of Globalization and Trade: A Systems Study. MIT Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780262122450. [Preview with Google Books] Essential [B] Sachs, Ignacy. Chapter 2: Social Sustainability and Whole Development: Exploring the Dimensions of Sustainable Development. [T] Chapter 3: The Study of Collapse.
4	Cyberspace & Sustainability	Required Choucri, Nazli. “Cyberspace and Sustainability: Convergence on the Global Agenda.” Chapter 9 in Cyberpolitics in International Relations. MIT Press, 2012. ISBN: 9780262517690. Drucker, Peter F. “From Capitalism to Knowledge Society.” Chapter 2 in The Knowledge Economy. Edited by Dale Neef. Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997. ISBN: 9780750699365. Landes, David S. “Homo Faber, Homo Sapiens: Knowledge, Technology, Growth, and Development.” Chapter 5 in The Knowledge Economy. Edited by Dale Neef. Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997. ISBN: 9780750699365. Ospina, Angelina Valeria, and Richard Heeks. “Unveiling the Links between ICTs & Climate Change in Developing Countries: A Scoping Study.” Center for Development Informatics, Institute for Development Policy and Management, SED, 2010, pp. 1–16. Related [A] Chapter 9: Complex Systems. [B] Choucri, Nazli. Chapter 8: The Political Logic of Sustainability. Essential [CH] Choucri, Nazli. Chapter 2: Global Knowledge e-Networking: Identifying e-Barriers and Introducing GSSD. [T] Chapter 4: Understanding Collapse: The Marginal Productivity of Sociopolitical Change.
Part II Actors, Processes & Institutions
5	Critical Drivers-Social Mechanisms & Cognitive Factors	Required [E] Chapter 11: Governments Can Kill Growth. [E] Chapter 12: Corruption and Growth. [P] Engleman, Robert, Richard P. Cincotta, et al. Chapter 2: The Future is Not What it Used to Be: World Population Trends. Related [P] Runci, Paul J., and Chester L. Cooper. Chapter 3: Reflections on an Aging Global Population. Barzel, Yoram. “The Property Rights Model.” Chapter 1 in Economic Analysis of Property Rights (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions). 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, 1997. ISBN: 9780521597135. [Preview with Google Books] ———. “The Old Firm and the New Organization.” Chapter 5 in Economic Analysis of Property Rights (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions). 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, 1997. ISBN: 9780521597135. [Preview with Google Books] Choucri, Nazli. “Population and the Global Environment.” In Energy and the Environment in the 21st Century. Edited by Jefferson W. Tester. MIT Press, 1991. ISBN: 9780262200783. Essential [TE] Chapter 1: Sustainable Energy: The Engine of Sustainable Development. [TE] Chapter 2: Estimation and Evaluation of Energy Resources. [TE] Chapter 6: Energy Systems and Sustainability Metrics.
6	Economic Performance-Production & Consumption	Required [B] Gowdy, John. Chapter 9: Economic Concepts of Sustainability: Relocating Economic Activity Within Society and Environment. [C] Choucri, Nazli, and Robert C. North. Chapter 3: Growth, Development, and Environmental Sustainability: Profile and Paradox. [ST] Coase, Ronald. Chapter 2: The Problem of Social Cost. Related [A] Chapter 6: Applications to Practice: Sector Initiatives. Lofdahl, Corey L. “Exploring Complexity: System Dynamics Analysis.” Chapter 5 in Environmental Impacts of Globalization and Trade: A Systems Study. MIT Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780262122450. [Preview with Google Books] Essential [C] Rothenberg, Jerome R. Chapter 9: Economic Perspectives on Time Comparisons: An Evaluation of Time Discounting.
7	Technology, Firms Markets-Corporate Perspectives	Required [C] Choucri, Nazli. Chapter 6: Multinational Corporations and the Global Environment. [ST] Reinhardt, Forest L., Robert N. Stavins, et al. Chapter 22: Corporate Social Responsibility through an Economic Lens. [ST] Portney, Paul R. Chapter 23: The (Not So) New Corporate Social Responsibility: An Empirical Perspective. Related [CH] Lim, Shung Yar. Chapter 10: The Value of Knowledge for Extended Enterprises. [L] Choucri, Nazli. Chapter 12: Corporate Strategies toward Sustainability. Essential [ST] Arrow, Kenneth. J., Maureen L. Cropper, et al. Chapter 11: Is There a Role for Benefit-Cost Analysis in Environment, Health and Safety Regulation?
8	Climate Change & Sustainable Development	Required [S] Tietenberg, Tom H. Chapter 15: Economic Instruments for Environmental Regulation. [ST] Fullerton, Don, and Robert N. Stavins. Chapter 1: How Economists See the Environment. [ST] Keohane, Nathaniel O., Richard L. Revesz, et al. Chapter 32: The Choice of Regulatory Instruments in Environmental Policy. Related [S] Dasgupta, Susmita, Benoit Laplante, et al. Chapter 20: Confronting the Environmental Kuznets Curve. [ST] Palmer, Karen, Wallace E. Oates, et al. Chapter 6: Tightening Environmental Standards: The Benefit-Cost or the No-Cost Paradigm? Essential [CH] Choucri, Nazli. Chapter 20: Conclusion: Mapping Sustainability, Knowledge e-Networking, and the Value Chain, Synthesis, Insights, and Evidence. Carraro, Carlo. “Climate Change Policy: Models, Controversies and Strategies.” Chapter 1 in The International Yearbook of Environmental and Resource Economics 2002 / 2003 A Survey of Current Issues (New Horizons in Environmental Economics). Edited by Tom Tietenberg and Henk Folmer. Edward Elgar Publications, 2003. ISBN: 9781843762133.
9	From Sustainability “Problems” to “Solution” Strategies	Required [A] Chapter 13: Government Structure and Industrial Ecology Policy Formulation. [C] Rothenberg, Jerome. Chapter 11: Economic Perspectives on Time Comparisons: Alternative Approaches to Time Comparisons. Pearce, David. “Sustainable Development and Developing Country Economies.” Chapter 3 in Sustainable Environmental Economics and Management: Principles and Practice. Edited by R. Kerry Turner. Belhaven Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780471947813. Related [P] Conca, Ken. Chapter 4: Global Water Prospects. [P] Cousins, Ken. Chapter 12: Twenty-Nine Days: Responding to a Finite World. Essential [T] Chapter 5: Evaluation: Complexity and Marginal Returns in Collapsing Societies. [T] Chapter 6: Summary and Implications. See the Global System for Sustainable Development site for specific ‘matching’ of ‘problems’ and ‘solutions’ by sector, issue, unit, level, context.
Part III Strategic Issues
10	New International Institutional Contexts	Required [C] Haas, Peter M., with Jan Sundgren. Chapter 12: Evolving International Environmental Law: Changing Practices of National Sovereignty. Metrick, Andrew, and Martin L. Weitzman. “Conflicts and Choices in Biodiversity Preservation.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 12, no. 3 (1998): 21–34. Ostrom, Elinor. “A Framework for Analysis of Self-Organizing and Self-Governing CPRs.” Chapter 6 in Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge University Press, 2015. ISBN: 9781107569782. Related [L] Sands, Philippe. Chapter 5: International Law in the Field of Sustainable Development: Emerging Legal Principles. Levy, David L., and Peter J. Newell. “Introduction: The Business of Global Environmental Governance.” Chapter 1 in The Business of Global Environmental Governance. Edited by David L. Levy and Peter J. Newell. MIT Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780262621885. Levy, David L. “Business and the Evolution of the Climate Regime: The Dynamics of Corporate Strategies.” Chapter 4 in The Business of Global Environmental Governance. Edited by David L. Levy and Peter J. Newell. MIT Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780262621885. Essential [O] Chapter 1: The Role of Infrastructure in Development. [O] Chapter 3: Individuals, Incentives, and Transaction Costs. [O] Chapter 5: Evaluating Institutional Performance. [O] Chapter 6: Analyzing Institutional Arrangements.
11	International Responses to Sustainability Dilemmas	Required [B] Paehlke, Robert. Chapter 13: Towards Defining, Measuring and Achieving Sustainability: Tools and Strategies for Environmental Valuation. [CH] Wickboldt, Anne-Katrin. Chapter 14: Growing Clean?: Property Rights, Economic Growth, and the Environment. Røpke, Inge. “Trade, Development and Sustainability—A Critical Assessment of the ‘Free Trade Dogma’.” Ecological Economics 9, no. 1 (1994): 13–22. Related [ST] Kelman, Steven. Chapter 14: Cost-Benefit Analysis: An Ethical Critique. Goldman, Patti A. “Resolving the Trade and Environment Debate: In Search of a Neutral Forum and Neutral Principles.” (PDF - 1.4MB) Washington & Lee Law Review 49, no. 4 (1992): 1279–98. Essential [ST] Frankel, Jeffrey A. Chapter 31: The Environment and Globalization.
12	Global Accord: Next Round	Required [A] Chapter 12: Legal Issues. [AS] Chapter 3: Economic Development and Prosperity: Current Theory and Debate. [AS] Chapter 10: Regional and International Regimes to Protect Health, Safety, and the Environment. [AS] Chapter 12: Financing Development, p. 629. Related [C] Brewer, Garry D. Chapter 8: Environmental Challenges and Managerial Responses. Sell, Susan K. “Revenge of the ‘Nerds’: Collective Action Against Intellectual Property Maximalism in the Global Information Age.” International Studies Review 15, no. 1 (2013): 67–85. Essential Dolšak, Nives, and Elinor Ostrom, eds. “The Challenges of the Commons.” Chapter 1 in The Commons in the New Millennium: Challenges and Adaptations. MIT Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780262042147. [Preview with Google Books]
13	Transformation & Change: Alternative Futures	Required [L] Sand, Peter H. Chapter 11: Trusts for the Earth: New International Financial Mechanisms for Sustainable Development. [ST] Porter, Michael E., and Claas van der Linde. Chapter 5: Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship. Related [A] Chapter 16: Is the Private Firm Compatible with a Sustainable World? [P] Chapter 5: Cohen, Marc J. “Food Policy: Underfed or Overfed?” Essential [C] Weiss, Edith Brown. Chapter 10: Intergenerational Equity: Toward an International Legal Framework.