The Environmental Consequences of Growth: Steady-State Economics as an Alternative to Ecological Decline (Routledge Advances in Social Economics) [Paperback]

Douglas Booth (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415169917 | ISBN-13: 978-0415169912 | Publication Date: January 29, 1998 | Edition: 1

This book presents a new perspective on the link between economic growth and environmental change. All the key issues in environmental economics are covered, including:
* industry, creation and environmental change
* air, water and toxic pollution
* economic growth and the limits of environmental regulation
* ethics and the limits of environmental economics.
The central thesis is that whilst new industries are necessary for economic growth, their development creates new environmental problems which become difficult to reverse. An alternative approach, 'steady-state economics', based on the concept of ethical commitment, is put forward as a possible alternative to a high-growth, environmentally destructive economy. Providing a welcome alternative to conventional, neoclassical microeconomic thought on environmental issues, this will be vital reading for students of environmental economics and related subjects.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Douglas Booth's pioneering book is an example of the kind of intellectual effort we will need if we are to make the transition to a sustainable way of life.
–Review of Social Economy

Booth puts forward th case for a new, ethical approach to evaluating environmental questions, arguing that if human and biotic life are viewed as valuable in their own right, then we need an alternative to cost-benefit analysis, an alternative he calls steady-state economics, based on the concept of ethical commitment.
–Book News

About the Author

Douglas E. Booth is Associate Professor of Economics at Marquette University, Wisconsin. He is the author of Valuing Nature: The Decline and Preservation of Old-Growth Forests (1994) and Regional Long Waves, Uneven Growth, and the Cooperative Alternative (1987).

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (January 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415169917
• ISBN-13: 978-0415169912
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,738,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for undergraduates., March 17, 2001

By 

Thomas Beckett (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Environmental Consequences of Growth: Steady-State Economics as an Alternative to Ecological Decline (Routledge Advances in Social Economics) (Paperback)

I recently read this book for an Economics class in technology and growth. This book can be challenging at time, yet is still a very rewarding book to read. It expands on many ideas that i'm sure we all have creeping in the back of our minds, but never really put into words. The only problem i had with this book is all of the historical data is about the USA and UK, which is a little upsetting to a Canadian. This book isn't revolutionary, but it is very informative.