Valuation and the Environment: Theory, Method, and Practice

This major new book presents recent advances in the theory and practice of environmental valuation and resource management. Leading experts in the field present methodological and empirical evidence for applying valuation methods to ecological policy problems.

The methodological contributions examine such themes as uncertainty, distributional conflict, positional analysis, weak comparability and the need for collective solutions to environmental problems. Case studies are incorporated to support these theoretical reflections. A number of empirical studies are used to demonstrate and evaluate valuation practices in a variety of institutional and policy settings. These range from international environmental issues such as climate change and transboundary atmospheric pollution, to species preservation and coastal ecosystem protection. The contributors conclude that effective approaches for the evaluation of environmental risks, degradation and benefits must be specifically designed as functions of institutional, social and ecological factors.

Valuation and the Environment will be essential reading for students and scholars of environmental and ecological economics, environmental management and regulation, resource management and public policy.

Edited by Martin O’Connor, Professor of Economic Science, Université de Versailles–Saint Quentin en Yvelines, France and Clive L. Spash, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria