Ecological Economics - Aspects of Research

Abstract

Ecological economics claims to integrate natural sciences and economics. This is not merely an interdisciplinary task. It is an approach without analogy in the history of science. Therefore, any research strategy following standard approaches and arguments runs the risk of failure. Simple straightforward analysis and empirical work without a reassessment of the underlying paradigms seem to be inadequate.At this stage priority should be given to methodological questions and to a critical look at prevailing assumptions and approaches. This is the precondition for avoiding premature conclusions about the outstanding problem. What is the subject of ecology? What is the primary concern of economics? How can the interface between ecology and economics be described? Is there a relationship between the two different sciences which constitutes a new research field?The following pages raise some of these basic questions and reflect on major misleading assumptions research in ecological economics unwittingly relies on. An outlook is given as to the aspects on which research in this field should now primarily concentrate. It has to be stressed here that this publication addresses first of all natural scientists and politicians, though economists, too, might find some new aspects apart from traditional economic reasoning.