The Green Economics Institute
6 Strachey Close, Tidmarsh, Reading, RG8 8EP
Email: greeneconomicsinstitute@yahoo.com
00 44 (0) 7990 590463
www.greeneconomics.org.uk
The Green Economics Institute (GEI) aims to develop a new discipline in economics that is based on an objective assessment of the problems, options and solutions available to society to deal with the challenges of ever more rapidly changing complex, fragile, vulnerable, physical and social environments and to promote social and environmental justice. It is beginning to achieve success in creating such a new discipline, according to Economics Professor, Jack Reardon from the USA (2007).
It also aims to reform economics into a well-defined goals-based discipline which provides practical answers to existing and future problems by incorporating all relevant facts, knowledge and complex interactions into a truly holistic understanding of the relevant issues and which avoids partial explanations or solutions.
It has also recently begun to succeed in influencing the methodology of main stream economics, according to Professor Tony Lawson of Cambridge University, Economics Department (2007).
It aims to become trans-disciplinary and interdisciplinary so that it can factor in all the aspects of complexity into economics. It seeks to provide all people everywhere, non human species, the planet and earth systems, with a decent level of well-being based on practical and theoretical approaches targeting both methodology and knowledge and a comprehensive reform of the current economic mainstream.
The current narrow economic approach based on convention and on purposively designed methods is challenged to bring into its scope areas and concepts so far neglected by conventional economics. Existing outdated or inappropriate suggestions and solutions are examined and revised to provide a realistic and more comprehensive understanding of the subject.
Green Economics is reworking the philosophy behind economic theory adding more recent philosophical discourses and ideas of "difference". It builds on its enlightenment roots, adding feminism, postmodernism, and the ideas about institutions and scientific investigations. It adds back the social and ethical element to decision making, while acknowledging the pivotal role of women and nature in real wealth creation. Green Economics opposes the simplistic undifferentiated growth imperative and many of the uncritical technical and social methods of economic propositions currently dominating economics but which are implicated in Global Environmental Change(GEC) and poverty. History, time, social and environmental justice are all incorporated back into the discourse to develop a truly "real" social and natural science, together with new learning from environmental science and philosophy.
Green economics reclaims economics from the preserve of purely quantitative measurement, graphs, statistical data and the assumption of "homo economicus" to create a complex, interdisciplinary, holistic, long term, social science which is informed by qualitative and quantative data from natural science. Its long-termism describes the evolution of societies within archaeological and palaeontological time frames, which provides a better setting and better tools for understanding such problems as climate change than are offered by current conventions and short term business cycles. Economics is reclaimed as an independent science from business administration studies.
Green Economics is concerned with establishing definitions of an overall well- being and happiness for all people everywhere and the planet and earth systems, rather than deriving simplistic quantitative statistics. The purpose of economics is redefined, positive and normative statements are clearly differentiated and a distinction is made between destruction on the one hand, calculated and hidden as economic "growth" and on the other hand the true growth and abundance of natural resources for people and nature.
The Institute critically discusses Green Economics alternatives and suggestions. The Green Economics discipline is in the process of being shaped and is undergoing rapid development. Green Economics builds on insights from environmental and ecological economics, feminist theory, welfare economics, development economics, post structuralism and post Keynesian ideas but moves beyond them to create a discipline that seeks to nurture new alternatives based on inter-generational equity, and social and environmental justice. It is a discipline which replaces stewardship, dominion and dominance over other people, nature, the planet and its processes, with an economics philosophy which shows concern for and co-operation with each other and acknowledges its embededness within nature. It also seeks to provide actual benefit for other people, non human species, the earth systems, and planetary processes.
The Green Economics Institute argues for economic development based on economic access and decision making for all, including respect for cultural diversity and normative freedom. It does this by bringing together all the interested parties who want to help in developing this progressive discipline by inviting them to its events, and conferences, and by means of such activities as writing books and publications and its research, its campaigns and its lobbying, currently on aviation and biodiversity.
Directors Miriam Kennet Mansfield College, Oxford University
Volker Heinemann Goettingen University
Membership
Annual membership £30
Students and concessions £15
In the UK please send your payments (payable to The Green Economics Institute) to the above address or email greeneconomicsinstitute@yahoo.com for further information on membership or payment.
