Weak VS Strong sustainability

38 important questions on Weak VS Strong sustainability

What is weak sustainability associated with in economics?

Weak sustainability is linked to:
  • Relative scarcity
  • Mainstream (neoclassical) economics
  • Dominance of neoclassical thought
  • Environmental economics focus

How does strong sustainability differ from weak sustainability?

In contrast to weak sustainability, strong sustainability involves:
  • Absolute scarcity
  • Non-mainstream economics
  • Pluralism
  • Ecological economics perspectives

Why is scarcity considered the heart of economics?

Scarcity signifies:
  • Limited resources
  • Financial constraints (budgets)
  • Necessity for choices
  • Fundamental economic issue
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What does neoclassical economics emphasize in decision-making?

Neoclassical economics focuses on:
  • Maximizing profits and utility
  • Self-interest as societal interest
  • Price mechanism
  • Efficiency in resource allocation

What characterizes rational people in neoclassical economics?

Rational individuals, or homo economicus, are characterized by:
  • Specific preferences
  • Utility optimization
  • Incentive response
  • Marginal decision-making

What does Adam Smith's concept of the invisible hand indicate?

The invisible hand suggests:
  • Self-interest equals public interest
  • Self-regulating markets
  • Optimal resource allocation
  • Minimal external intervention

What principle did L. Robbins describe in 1932 regarding economics and scarcity?

L. Robbins's principle states that:
  • Economics studies human behavior
  • Involves relationships between ends and scarce means
  • Recognizes alternative uses of resources
  • Emphasizes the scarcity principle

What happens when there is an oversupply in the market?

  • Oversupply leads to too many products compared to consumers.
  • Results in a decrease in prices.
  • Market adjusts through reduced production or increased demand.

How does scarcity affect the market?

  • Scarcity occurs when there are too few products for consumers.
  • Leads to an increase in prices.
  • Market may respond with increased production or reduced demand.

Explain the supply and demand curve shown.

  • Equilibrium point is where supply equals demand at P and Q.
  • At P₁, there's a surplus (Qₛ₂ > Qd₁).
  • At P₂, there's a shortage (Qd₂ > Qₛ₁).

What are individual (private) goods, and how are they categorized in terms of consumption rivalry and excludability?

  • Rival in consumption
  • Excludable from consumption
  • Examples: food, clothing, car, house

How are common pool resources characterized in relation to consumption rivalry and excludability?

  • Rival in consumption
  • Not excludable from consumption
  • Examples: water, energy, nature, environment

What defines club goods in terms of rivalry and excludability?

  • Non-rival in consumption
  • Excludable from consumption
  • Examples: swimming pools, telephone network, cinemas, unions

Describe collective (public) goods concerning their rivalry and excludability characteristics.

  • Non-rival in consumption
  • Not excludable from consumption
  • Examples: defence, dykes, legal protection, sunshine, search engine

What defines club goods?

Club goods are characterized by:
  • Requirement of a subscription for access.
  • Ability to exclude individuals via high subscription prices.
  • Equal access to goods and services for members.

What does natural capital consist of?

Natural capital includes:
  • Stocks of raw materials and energy reserves.
  • Components like biodiversity, water, and air quality.
  • Resources processed from the environment.

What is encompassed by physical capital?

Physical capital refers to:
  • Machinery and equipment.
  • Buildings and construction.
  • Essential infrastructure for production.

How is human capital defined?

Human capital includes:
  • Level of development within a population.
  • Health status of individuals.
  • Knowledge and skills contributing to productivity.

What are the elements of social capital?

Social capital involves:
  • Social relations and networks.
  • Mutual trust, standards, and shared values.
  • Connections facilitating cooperation among individuals.

What does institutional capital measure?

Institutional capital assesses:
  • Quality of formal institutions.
  • Reliability of case-law systems.
  • Efficiency of governance and legal frameworks.

What are market failures in environmental economics, and what types require intervention?

  • Market failures: Situations where markets fail to maximize individual satisfaction.
  • Types:
  • - Externalities: Unintended effects on third parties. Examples: pollution, smoking.
  • - Social costs: Costs not reflected in pricing, leading to underpricing.
  • - Free-riding: Using public goods without paying. Examples: fishing, not paying taxes.

Explain externalities and provide examples illustrating this market failure.

  • Externalities: Occur when choices affect uninvolved parties.
  • Positive or negative impacts: Often unexpected by the decision-maker.
  • Examples:
  • - Pollution: Production impacts the environment.
  • - Smoking: Affects health of non-smokers nearby.

Describe the free-riding problem and give examples of its occurrence.

  • Free-riding: Benefiting from public goods without payment.
  • Examples:
  • - Tragedy of the commons: Over-fishing could deplete oceans.
  • - Not paying taxes: Avoidance reduces public resources.
  • - Study: Utilizing shared resources without contribution.

How does the concept of social cost relate to pricing in market failures?

  • Social cost: Includes external costs ignored in equilibrium pricing.
  • Result: Prices are set too low, failing to reflect true cost.
  • Implication: Adjusting prices for social costs corrects the market.

What is the main premise of weak sustainability according to neoclassical welfare theory?

Focuses on compensation and substitution.
  • Natural and physical capital can interchange.
  • Technology can replace resources.
  • Natural resource exhaustion isn’t catastrophic.

What did Robert Solow state about natural resources in his 1974 perspective?

Belief that production can avoid dependence on exhaustible resources.
  • The world can manage without natural resources.
  • Exhaustion is merely an event.
  • There's a feasible cost for this transition.

How does weak sustainability perceive the wellbeing of different forms of capital?

No distinction exists in wellbeing across forms of capital.
  • All capital types are viewed as equivalent.
  • Focus is on their overall availability and functionality.
  • Market mechanisms dictate relative scarcity.

What role do price mechanisms play in weak sustainability?

They contribute to establishing relative scarcity within markets.
  • Technology and innovation are prioritized for allocation.
  • Resources are allocated efficiently based on supply and demand.
  • Affects both production and consumption patterns.

How is the hierarchy structured among economy, society, and environment in weak sustainability?

There exists a clear hierarchy:
  1. Economy
  2. Society
  3. Environment
  • The environment is a subsystem of the economy.
  • Human labor acts as an input to the economy.

What is the concept of strong sustainability in ecological economics?

The focus is on biophysical preservation of natural capital, emphasizing:
  1. Limits of nature must be respected.
  2. No substitution between natural and physical capital.
  3. Economy exists as a subsystem of nature.

Why is there limited or no compensation/substitution for natural capital?

Natural capital cannot be replaced by manufactured capital due to:
  1. Irreversibility of natural capital consumption.
  2. Multi-dimensional contributions to human well-being.
  3. Complementary relationship to other capital forms.

What does limited rationality imply in ecological economics?

Limited rationality means:
  1. Incomplete knowledge of our actions' consequences.
  2. Challenges in decision-making due to uncertainty.
  3. Need for caution in managing natural resources.

How is the contribution of natural capital viewed in strong sustainability?

The role of natural capital is considered:
  1. As providing security and basic materials for life.
  2. Influencing health and social relations.
  3. As more than just an input for goods and services.

What are the key concepts related to intergenerational justice and sustainability?

  • Intergenerational justice: Fairness across generations.
  • Critical natural capital: Essential environmental resources.
  • Steady state: Economic balance.
  • Cooperation and transdisciplinary approaches are crucial.
  • Sustainability spectrum:
1. Neoclassical economics (weak)
  1. Environmental/institutional economics
  2. Ecological economics
  3. Deep Ecology movement (strong)

What are the three interrelated goals of ecological economics?

  • Sustainable Scale: Maintain economic activity within planetary boundaries.
  • Fair Distribution: Equitable resource flow in goods and services among people.
  • Efficient Allocation: Produce necessary goods for satisfaction.

How should economic growth transition according to ecological economics?

  • Shift from economic growth to a sustainable steady state.
  • Cooperation is prioritized over competition for innovation.
  • Embrace regulation for sustainable practices.

What characteristics differentiate weak from strong sustainability?

  • Weak Sustainability: Economy prioritized; relies on market mechanisms; high substitutability of resources.
  • Strong Sustainability: Environment prioritized; focuses on regulation; low substitutability.

What interdisciplinary approaches are essential in ecological economics?

  • Ecological economics is fundamentally trans-disciplinary.
  • Utilizes various quantitative and qualitative methods.
  • Knowledge of different disciplines is crucial to understanding consequences.

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