Eco2BCN 2009 ©
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Reasearch Areas 
Evolution, economics and environment
This theme addresses the application of evolutionary economics and models to resource and environmental policy and institutional problems. This involves the use of notions like diversity, innovation, selection, path-dependence, co-evolution and group selection. The main difference with the standard economic approach is that instead of representative, rational agents a population of diversity agents with limited rationality is assumed. This provides new angles to existing policy problems, as well as allows the analysis of new policy instruments like information diffusion and prizes.
Senior Researchers:
Jeroen van den Bergh
Giorgos Kallis
Featured Publication: van den Bergh, J.C.J.M., 2007. Evolutionary thinking in environmental economics. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 17(5): 521-549.
Featured Publication
Evolutionary thinking in environmental economics Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 17(5): 521-549
Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MUSIASEM)
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Studying sustainability entails facing a severe epistemological challenge: how to properly perceive and represent a process of becoming which is taking place across different scales, and therefore requires the simultaneous adoption of different dimensions and scales of analysis. For this reason, sustainability analysis requires the use of non-equivalent descriptive domains and non-reducible models that have to be periodically updated and substituted. This challenge calls for new conceptual tools of analysis capable of: (i) remaining ‘‘semantically open’’—to be adjusted to new meanings and tailored on an evolving issue definition and (ii) integrating quantitative descriptions—i.e. non- equivalent accounting systems—by establishing bridges across different dimensions of analysis and scales.
The multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach makes it possible to perform a check on the feasibility and desirability of patterns of metabolism of socio- economic systems by providing a characterization at different levels and scales of: (a) the performance of socio-economic activities (for households, enterprises, economic sectors, national economies, world economy) and (b) ecological constraints (micro, meso, macro) by looking at the interference that the metabolism of matter and energy flows controlled by human activity induces on the expected pattern of metabolism of matter and energy flows associated with the self-organization of natural ecosystems.
Senior Researchers:
Mario Giampietro
Jesús Ramos-Martín
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Featured Publication: Giampietro, M., Mayumi, K., Ramos-Martin, K., 2008. Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MUSIASEM): Theoretical concepts and basic rationale. Energy, 34 (3): 312-322.
Featured Publication
Multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM): Theoretical concepts and basic rationale Energy, 34 (3): 312-322.
Social Metabolism and Ecological Distribution Conflicts: Linking Political Ecology with Ecological Economics
Economic change generally tends to occur for the benefit of some groups and at the expense of others (existing or future). Externalities may be understood as market failures but they may also be seen as cost-shifting successes from a political ecology point of view. The economy of rich countries or regions is so dependent from inputs of energy and materials that, even without economic growth, the pressure on the “commodity frontiers” where these inputs are extracted is bound to grow. Marginal, frontier resources, essential to the metabolism of importing economies (such as oil, gas, coal or some minerals and forms of biomass) are typically extracted from a territory at a heavy local social and environmental cost. Ecological distribution conflicts can occur at different stages of this chain as local peasant or tribal groups, national or multinational companies, national governments, local or international NGOs, consumer groups, have stakes at different points of the chain. Ecological distribution conflicts refer to struggles over the burdens of pollution or over the sacrifices made to extract resources and they arise from inequalities of income and power. This research line examines and compares a variety of ecological distribution conflicts in the developed and developing world in the context of intensifying global material and waste flows, and studies the dynamics of the social movements that emerge to resist environmental injustices.
Senior Researchers:
Joan Martinez-Alier
Giorgos Kallis
Post-Doc Researchers:
Featured Publication: Martínez-Alier, J., 2002. The Environmentalism of the Poor, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar
Featured Publication
The Environmentalism of the Poor: A Study of Ecological Conflicts and Valuation
Social multi-criteria evaluation
SMCE looks at the need to bring together differing scientific languages, with the aim of propelling forward the cause of sustainability. One of the main novelties of this approach is its establishment of a clear relationship between social and public choice on one hand and multiple criteria decision analysis on the other. SMCE is proposed as a policy framework to integrate different scientific languages, for example, when concerns about civil society and future generations have to be considered along with policy imperatives and market conditions. This can have beneficial consequences, not only for economic prosperity, but also when dealing with the difficult sustainability problems of our millennium. The methodological foundations of SMCE rest on concepts from fields such as economics, complex systems theory and philosophy. From a mathematical point of view, social choice is used to improve the axiomatic consistency of multi-criterion algorithms.
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Featured Publication: Munda G. - Social multi-criteria evaluation for a sustainable economy, Operation Research and Decision Theory Series, Springer, Heidelberg, New York, 2008, 227 pp. ISBN: 978-3-540-73702-5.
Featured Publication
Social multi-criteria evaluation for a sustainable economy Springer
Composite indicators, aggregation rules and ranking algorithms
Composite indicators (or indexes) are very common in economic and business statistics for benchmarking the (relative) progress of countries in a variety of policy domains, such as industrial competitiveness, sustainable development, social welfare, globalisation and innovation. The proliferation of the production of composite indicators by all the major international organizations is a clear symptom of their political importance and operational relevance in policy-making (see, e.g., http://composite-indicators.jrc.ec.europa.eu/). As a consequence, improvements in the way these indicators are constructed and used is a very important research issue from both theoretical and operational points of view. .
Senior Researchers:
Giuseppe Munda
Jeroen van den Bergh
Featured publications:
Munda G., Nardo M. – Non-compensatory/non-linear composite indicators for ranking countries: a defensible setting, Applied Economics Vol. 41, pp. 1513-1523, 2009, DOI: 10.1080/00036840601019364.
J.C.J.M. van den Bergh (2009). The GDP Paradox. Journal of Economic Psychology 30(2): 117–135.
Featured Publication
Non-compensatory/non-linear composite indicators for ranking countries: a defensible setting Applied Economics Vol. 41, pp. 1513-1523
Bounded rationality and environmental policy
This theme is concerned with making environmental policy advice consistent with recent insights of behavioral economics and economic psychology about the bounded rationality of humans and their organizations. This involves transferring insights about both consumers and firms to environmental policy studies. The range of potentially relevant behavioral theories is broad, and includes habits and routines, status-seeking and relative welfare, intertemporal decision-making, adaptation to changed circumstances, and decisions under uncertainty.
Senior Researchers:
Featured Publication: van den Bergh, J.C.J.M., 2008. Environmental Regulation of Households? An Empirical Review of Economic and Psychological Factors. Ecological Economics, 66: 559-574.
Featured Publication
Environmental Regulation of Households? An Empirical Review of Economic and Psychological Factors Ecological Economics, 66: 559-574
Evaluation of climate policy and happiness
This theme is aimed at examining new approaches to evaluation the cost of climate policy. Among others, insights from the literature on happiness or subjective well-being research will be applied to climate policy debates. In addition, attention is devoted to correct incentives for making long-term decisions affecting global warming. Notably, the role of insurance, risk behavior, and adaptation is examined.
Senior Researchers:
Visiting Researchers:
Wouter Botzen
Featured publication: Botzen, W.J.W., Gowdy, J.M. and van den Bergh, J.C.J.M., 2008). Cumulative CO2 emissions: shifting international responsibilities for climate debt. Climate Policy, 8: 569–576.
Featured Publication
Cumulative CO2 emissions: shifting international responsibilities for climate debt. Climate Policy, 8: 569–576.
Climate change, drought vulnerability and adaptation
The same drought affects different areas, or people within the affected areas, very differently. Vulnerability mediates climatic hazard and impacts. Vulnerability is unevenly distributed along lines of income, class, race or gender. As the majority of existing drought vulnerability studies concern rural areas, we are interested on conceptualizing drought vulnerability in cities, where the majority of the world population lives. The goal is to understand better the structure of urban vulnerability to droughts, i.e. the social, political and institutional factors that may make some cities and urban groups more vulnerable than others. We are also interested on the impacts of climate change on hydrological resources and its implications in terms of intensifying conflicts (inter-state, rural-urban, etc) and human security concerns. Giorgos Kallis and Christos Zografos will be coordinating starting February 2010 the European Research Project CLICO (Climate Change, Hydro-Conflicts and Human Security) with the participation of 14 research teams from Europe, Middle East, Maghreb and the Sahel.
Senior Researchers:
Giorgos Kallis
Post-Doc Researchers:
Featured publication: Kallis, G., 2008. Droughts, Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 33: 3.1 – 3.34.
Featured Publication
Droughts Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 33: 3.1 – 3.34
Valuation of ecosystem services
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Featured publication: Corbera, E., Kosoy, N., Martinez Tuna, M. (2007). Equity implications of marketing ecosystem, services in protected areas and rural communities: Case studies from Meso-America. Global Environmental Change, 17(1): 365-380
Featured Publication
Equity implications of marketing ecosystem, services in protected areas and rural communities: Case studies from Meso-America. Global Environmental Change, 17(1): 365-380
Deliberative and participatory environmental decision-making
Senior Researchers:
Giorgos Kallis
Giuseppe Munda
Post-Doc Researchers:
Featured publication: Zografos, C. and Howarth, R.B., 2009. Deliberative Ecological Economics, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Featured Publication
Deliberative Ecological Economics, New Delhi Oxford University Press
Spatial sustainability, international trade and agglomeration
This theme aims to develop a theoretical framework and model based on a system of regions and interactions (trade, transport, pollution) to analyze the impact of spatial configurations of economic activities on the (un)sustainability of the economy in the long run, and apply this to the case of climate change and policy. This integrates three important influences on (un)sustainability, namely agglomeration spillovers, advantages of international or interregional trade, and dynamic aspects of pollution externalities on regional and global scales. Different spatial structures for each region are considered, to address the spatial features of manufacturing activities, built-up environment, agriculture and non-productive (nature-dominated) land, in terms of concentrated versus dispersed uses of space
Senior Researchers:
Jeroen van den Bergh
Giuseppe Munda
Featured publication: Grazi, F., van den Bergh, J.C.J.M. and Rietveld, P., 2007. Welfare economics versus ecological footprint: modeling agglomeration, externalities and trade. Environmental and Resource Economics, 38(1): 135-153.
Featured Publication
Welfare economics versus ecological footprint: modeling agglomeration, externalities and trade. Environmental and Resource Economics,38(1): 135-153.
Social-technological transitions to sustainable energy
Senior Researchers:
Jeroen van den Bergh
Mario Giampietro
Giuseppe Munda
Jesús Ramos-Martín
Featured publication: van den Bergh, J.C.J.M. and Bruinsma, F. (eds.), 2008. Managing the Transition to Renewable Energy: Theory and Practice from Local, Regional and Macro Perspectives. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 385 pp.
Featured Publication
Managing the transition to renewable energy: theory and practice from local, regional and macro perspectives
De-growth
The paradigm of economic growth has dominated politics and policies since 1945. Environmental concerns were introduced later but always subordinated to growth objectives. Expectations of win-win, sustainable growth through technological and efficiency improvements, have not been fulfilled. The present economic crisis opens up a social opportunity to ask fundamental questions. Managed well, this may be the best, possibly last and only chance to change our economy and lifestyles in a path that will not take us over climate or biodiversity cliffs. Is it possible to improve well-being, enhance social justice and sustain the environment without economic growth? This is the primer question of a research agenda on de-growth. We work to develop the concept of sustainable de-growth, developing new models and indicators and analyzing empirically socio-technical innovations, such as shared mobility or housing systems or alternative currencies, that could be part of a de-growth trajectory. We are interested in particular on the interface between questions of de-growth and justice and the democratic institutions of a de-growth society.
Senior Researchers:
Joan Martinez-Alier
Giorgos Kallis
Associated Researchers:
Featured publication: Highlighted publication: Kallis, G., Martinez-Alier, J. and Schneider, F., 2009. Sustainable Degrowth. The way forward. Journal of Cleaner Production, forthcoming.
Featured Publication
Sustainable Degrowth. The way forward. Journal of Cleaner Production
Civil Society Engagement with Ecological Economics
The aim of this line of research and outreach activities is for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to engage in and lead collaborative research with ecological economists. Currently, Eco2BCN coordinates CEECEC, a European Commission FP7 funded project on the topic (http://www.ceecec.net/). The overall focus is not on theory but on case study learning, whereby CSOs and academics identify and explore key issues for research in areas such as water management, mining, energy, forestry and agriculture, based on CSO needs and interests. The end result will be online materials and a handbook in several languages explaining the principles, the tools and the methods of Ecological Economics for CSOs and the general public.
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Associated Researchers:
Featured publication:Civil Society Engagement with Ecological Economics: case studies
Featured Publication
Civil Society Engagement with Ecological Economics: Case Studies