The state of the environment

The state of the environment is now widely acknowledged as a serious cause for concern. Valuing Nature? argues that responding to this concern by economic valuation of the environment as a consumer good only makes matters worse.

The book brings together philosophers, economists and sociologists to put the case for a new and more creative approach to environmental policy. The discussion covers:

• the structure of environmental policy-making
• the current orthodoxy in environmental economics and its deficiencies
• the deeper problems with contingent valuation surveys and cost-benefit analysis for environmental decisions
• alternative valuation methods

Embracing three disciplines, this book is nevertheless written in a clear, accessible style. It includes chapters by Geoff Hodgson, Clive Spash, Michael Jacobs, Brian Wynne and John O’Neill. Its ground-breaking critique and suggestions will be of great interest both to specialists in the field and to students of the disciplines concerned; it has important messages for anyone concerned with how decisions about the environment are made.