The emergent discipline of ecological economics is based on the idea that the world's economies are a function of the earth's ecosystems — an idea that radically reverses the world view of neoclassical economics. A Survey of Ecological Economics provides the first overview of this new field, and a comprehensive and systematic survey of its critical literature.

The editors of the volume summarize ninety-five seminal articles, selected through an exhaustive survey, that advance the field of ecological economics and represent the best thinking to date in the area. Each two- to three-page summary is far more comprehensive than a typical abstract, and presents both the topics covered in each paper and the most important arguments made about each topic. Sections cover:

historical perspective

definition, scope, and interdisciplinary issues

theoretical frameworks and techniques

energy and resource flow analysis

accounting and evaluation

North-South/international issues

ethical/social/institutional issues

Each section is preceded by an introductory essay that outlines the current state of knowledge in the field and proposes a research agenda for the future.

A Survey of Ecological Economics is the first volume in the Frontier Issues in Economic Thought series produced by the Global Development And Environment Institute at Tufts University.