Readings

Readings by Session

WEEK # TOPICS READINGS
Part I. Content and context
1 Introduction: debates, definitions and dilemmas

Required reading

Buy at Amazon Solow, Robert M. "Sustainability: An Economist's Perspective." Chapter 26 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Buy at Amazon Becker, Egon, Thomas Jahn, and Immanuel Stiess. "Exploring Uncommon Ground: Sustainability and the Social Sciences." Chapter 1 in Sustainability and the Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Integrating Environmental Considerations into Theoretical Reorientation. Edited by Egon Becker and Thomas Jahn. London, UK: Zed Books, 2000. ISBN: 9781856497084.

Solow, Robert M. "The Economics of Resources or the Resources of Economics." American Economic Review 64, no. 2 (1974): 1-14.

Related reading

Buy at Amazon Holdren, John P., Gretchen C. Daily, and Paul R. Ehrlich. "The Meaning of Sustainability: Biogeophysical Aspects." In Defining and Measuring Sustainability: The Biogeophysical Foundations. Edited by Mohan Munasinghe and Walter Shearer. Washington, DC: The World Bank, 1995, pp. 3-17. ISBN: 9780821331347.

Goodland, Robert, and George Ledec. "Neoclassical Economics and Principles of Sustainable Development." Ecological Modeling 38 (1987): 19-46.

Essential reading

Buy at Amazon Tainter, Joseph A. The Collapse of Complex Societies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1988, chapter 1. ISBN: 9780521340922.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Easterly, William. The Elusive Quest for Growth. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2002, chapter 3. ISBN: 9780262550420.

2 Evolving conceptions - causes and consequences

Required reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Choucri, Nazli, ed. "Introduction: Theoretical, Empirical, and Policy Perspectives." In Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995, pp. 1-40. ISBN: 9780262531344.

Buy at Amazon Reboratti, Carlos E. "Territory, Scale and Sustainable Development." Chapter 11 in Sustainability and the Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Integrating Environmental Considerations into Theoretical Reorientation. Edited by Egon Becker and Thomas Jahn. London, UK: Zed Books, 2000. ISBN: 9781856497084.

Buy at Amazon Pezzey, John C. V., and Michael A. Toman. "Progress and Problems in the Economics of Sustainability." Chapter 4 in The International Yearbook of Environmental and Resource Economics. Edited by Tom Tietenberg and Henk Folmers. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2002/2003. ISBN: 9781840649499.

Related reading

Buy at Amazon Hardin, Garrett. "Paramount Positions in Ecological Economics." In Ecological Economics: The Science and Management of Sustainability. Edited by Robert Costanza. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1991, pp. 47-57. ISBN: 9780231075626.

Buy at Amazon Fullerton, Don, and Robert N. Stavins. "How Economists See the Environment." Chapter 1 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Buy at Amazon Andreae, Meinrat O., and Robert E. Dickinson. "Sustainability and the Changing Atmosphere: Assessing Changes in Chemical and Physical Climate." In Defining and Measuring Sustainability: The Biogeophysical Foundations. Edited by Mohan Munasinghe and Walter Shearer. Washington, DC: The World Bank, 1995, pp. 117-136. ISBN: 9780821331347.

Essential reading

Buy at Amazon Tainter, Joseph A. The Collapse of Complex Societies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1988, chapter 2. ISBN: 9780521340922.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Easterly, William. The Elusive Quest for Growth. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2002, chapter 3. ISBN: 9780262550420.

3 Sustainability as a 'Knowledge Domain'

Required reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Choucri, Nazli, and Robert C. North. "Growth, Development, and Environmental Sustainability: Profile and Paradox." In Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses. Edited by Nazli Choucri. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995, pp. 67-132. ISBN: 9780262531344.

Buy at Amazon Allenby, Braden R. Industrial Ecology: Policy Framework and Implementation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998, chapter 3. ISBN: 9780139211805.

Buy at Amazon Christensen, Paul. "Driving Forces, Increasing Returns and Ecological Sustainability." In Ecological Economics: The Science and Management of Sustainability. Edited by Robert Costanza. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1991, pp. 75-87. ISBN: 9780231075626.

Buy at Amazon Holling, C. S. "Sustainability: The Cross-Scale Dimension." In Defining and Measuring Sustainability: The Biogeophysical Foundations. Edited by Mohan Munasinghe and Walter Shearer. Washington, DC: The World Bank, 1995, pp. 65-75. ISBN: 9780821331347.

Buy at Amazon Simpson, R. David. "Economic Analysis and Ecosystems: Some Concepts and Issues." Chapter 25 in Economics of the Environment. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Related reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Lofdahl, Corey L. Environmental Impacts of Globalization and Trade: A Systems Study. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002, chapter 2. ISBN: 9780262122450.

Buy at Amazon Allenby, Braden R. Industrial Ecology: Policy Framework and Implementation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998, chapters 1 and 2. ISBN: 9780139211805.

Essential reading

Buy at Amazon Tainter, Joseph A. The Collapse of Complex Societies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1988, chapter 3. ISBN: 9780521340922.

Buy at Amazon Sachs, Ignacy. "Social Sustainability and Whole Development: Exploring the Dimensions of Sustainable Development." Chapter 2 in Sustainability and the Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Integrating Environmental Considerations into Theoretical Reorientation. Edited by Egon Becker and Thomas Jahn. London, UK: Zed Books, 2000. ISBN: 9781856497091.

4 New thinking and the knowledge economy

Required reading

Buy at Amazon Choucri, Nazli. "The Political Logic of Sustainability." Chapter 8 in Sustainability and the Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Integrating Environmental Considerations into Theoretical Reorientation. Edited by Egon Becker and Thomas Jahn. London, UK: Zed Books, 2000. ISBN: 9781856497084.

Buy at Amazon Drucker, Peter F. "From Capitalism to Knowledge Society." Chapter 2 in The Knowledge Economy. Edited by Dale Neef. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997. ISBN: 9780750699365.

Buy at Amazon Landes, David S. "Homo Faber, Homo Sapiens: Knowledge, Technology, Growth, and Development." Chapter 5 in The Knowledge Economy. Edited by Dale Neef. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997. ISBN: 9780750699365.

Buy at Amazon Stevens, Candice. "The Knowledge-Driven Economy." Chapter 7 in The Knowledge Economy. Edited by Dale Neef. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997. ISBN: 9780750699365.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Fagerberg, Jan. "Knowledge in Space: What Hope for the Poor Parts of the Globe?" In Advancing Knowledge and the Knowledge Economy. Edited by Brian Kahin and Dominique Foray. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2006, pp. 217-234. ISBN: 9780262612142.

Related reading

Buy at Amazon Allenby, Braden R. Industrial Ecology: Policy Framework and Implementation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998, chapter 9. ISBN: 9780139211805.

Essential reading

Buy at Amazon Tainter, Joseph A. The Collapse of Complex Societies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1988, chapter 4. ISBN: 9780521340922.

Part II. Actors, processes and institutions
5 Critical drivers, social mechanisms and cognitive factors

Required reading

Holdren, John P., and R. K. Pachauri. "Energy." In An Agenda of Science for Environment and Development into the 21st Century by the International Council of Scientific Unions. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1992, pp. 103-118.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Engleman, Robenrt., et. al. "The Future is Not What It Used To Be." In From Resource Scarcity to Ecological Security. Edited by Dennis Pirages and Ken Cousins. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2005, pp. 21-38. ISBN: 9780262162319.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Easterly, William. The Elusive Quest for Growth. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2002, chapter 3. ISBN: 9780262550420.

Related reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Choucri, Nazli. "Population and the Global Environment." In Energy and the Environment in the 21st Century. Edited by Jefferson W. Tester, David O. Wood, and Nancy A. Ferrari. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1991, pp. 91-101. ISBN: 9780262200783.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Runci, Paul L., and Chester L. Cooper. "Reflections on an Aging Global Population." In From Resource Scarcity to Ecological Security. Edited by Dennis Pirages and Ken Cousins. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2005, pp. 39-58. ISBN: 9780262162319.

Essential reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Tester, Jefferson W., et al., eds. Sustainable Energy: Choosing Among Options. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005, chapters 1, 2, and 6. ISBN: 9780262201537.

6 Economic performance - production and consumption

Required reading

Buy at Amazon Gowdy, John. "Economic Concepts of Sustainability: Relocating Economic Activity within Society and Environment." Chapter 9 in Sustainability and the Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Integrating Environmental Considerations into Theoretical Reorientation. Edited by Egon Becker and Thomas Jahn. London, UK: Zed Books, 2000. ISBN: 9781856497084.

Buy at Amazon Coase, Ronald. "The Problem of Social Cost." Chapter 3 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Buy at Amazon Paehlke, Robert. "Towards Defining, Measuring and Achieving Sustainability: Tools and Strategies for Environmental Valuation." Chapter 13 in Sustainability and the Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Integrating Environmental Considerations into Theoretical Reorientation. Edited by Egon Becker and Thomas Jahn. London, UK: Zed Books, 2000. ISBN: 9781856497084.

Related reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Lofdahl, Corey. Environmental Impacts of Globalization and Trade: A Systems Study. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002, chapter 5. ISBN: 9780262122450.

Buy at Amazon Allenby, Braden R. Industrial Ecology: Policy Framework and Implementation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998, chapter 6. ISBN: 9780139211805.

Essential reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Rothenberg, Jerome R. "Economic Perspectives on Time Comparisons: An Evaluation of Time Discounting." In Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses. Edited by Nazli Choucri. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995, pp. 307-332. ISBN: 9780262531344.

7 Firms and markets - corporate perspectives

Required reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Choucri, Nazli, ed. "Multinational Corporations and the Global Environment." In Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995, pp. 205-254. ISBN: 9780262531344.

Buy at Amazon Allenby, Braden R. Industrial Ecology: Policy Framework and Implementation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998, chapters 14 and 16. ISBN: 9780139211805.

Buy at Amazon Porter, Michael E., and Claas van der Linde. "Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship." Chapter 5 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Buy at Amazon Bohn, Roger E. "Measuring and Managing Technological Knowledge." Chapter 10 in The Knowledge Economy. Edited by Dale Neef. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997. ISBN: 9780750699365.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Levy, David, and Peter J. Newell. The Business of Environmental Governance. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004, chapters 1 and 4. ISBN: 9780262122702.

Related reading

Buy at Amazon Choucri, Nazli. "Corporate Strategies Toward Sustainability." In Sustainable Development and International Law. Edited by Winfried Lang. New York, NY: Springer, 1995, pp. 189-201. ISBN: 9781859661796.

Buy at Amazon Arthur, W. Brian. "Increasing Returns and the New World of Business." Chapter 6 in The Knowledge Economy. Edited by Dale Neef. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997. ISBN: 9780750699365.

Essential reading

Buy at Amazon Arrow, Kenneth. J., et al. "Is there a Role for Benefit-Ciost Analysis in Environment, Health and Safety." Chapter 12 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Buy at Amazon Kelman, Steven. "Cost-Benefit Analysis: An Ethical Critique." Chapter 14 in Economics of the Environment. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

8 From sustainability 'Problems' to 'Solution' strategies

Required reading

Buy at Amazon Pearce, David. "Sustainable Development and Developing Country Economies." In Sustainable Environmental Economics and Management: Principles and Practice. Edited by R. Kerry Turner. New York, NY: Halsted Press, 1993, pp. 71-105. ISBN: 9780470221631.

Buy at Amazon Allenby, Braden R. Industrial Ecology: Policy Framework and Implementation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998, chapter 13. ISBN: 9780139211805.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Rothenberg, Jerome R. "Economic Perspectives on Time Comparisons: Alternative Approaches to Time Comparisons." In Global Accord: Environmental Challenge and International Responses. Edited by Nazli Choucri. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995, pp. 355-398. ISBN: 9780262531344.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Cohen, Marc C. "Food Policy: Underfed or Overfed?" In From Resource Scarcity to Ecological Security. Edited by Dennis Pirages and Ken Cousins. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2005, pp. 83-94. ISBN: 9780262162319.

Related reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Conca, Ken. "Global Water Prospects." In From Resource Scarcity to Ecological Security. Edited by Dennis Pirages and Ken Cousins. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2005, pp. 59-87. ISBN: 9780262162319.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Cousins, Ken. "Twenty-Nine Days: Responding to a Finite World." In From Resource Scarcity to Ecological Security. Edited by Dennis Pirages and Ken Cousins. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2005, pp. 217-226. ISBN: 9780262162319.

Essential reading

Buy at Amazon Tainter, Joseph A. The Collapse of Complex Societies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1988, chapters 5 and 6. ISBN: 9780521340922.

9 Regulatory and policy contexts

Required reading

Buy at Amazon Carraro, Carlo. "Climate Change Policy: Models, Controversies and Strategies." In The International Yearbook of Environmental and Resource Economics 2002/2003. Edited by Tom Tietenberg and Henk Folmer. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 2002. ISBN: 9781840649499.

Buy at Amazon Keohane, Nathaniel O., Richard L. Revesz, and Robert N. Stavins. "The Choice of Regulatory Instruments in Environmental Policy." Chapter 29 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Buy at Amazon Tietenberg, Tom H. "Economic Instruments for Environmental Regulation." Chapter 15 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Buy at Amazon Dasgupta, Susmita, et al. "The Choice of Regulatory Instruments in Environmental Policy." Chapter 20 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Related reading

Buy at Amazon Palmer, Karen, Wallace E. Oates, and Paul R. Portney. "Tightening Environmental Standards: The Benefit-Cost or the No-Cost Paradigm?" Chapter 8 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Essential reading

Buy at Amazon Barzel, Yoram. Economic Analysis of Property Rights. 2nd ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1989, chapters 1 and 5. ISBN: 9780521364096.

Part III. Strategic approaches to sustainability
10 New international institutional contexts

Required reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Haas, Peter M., and Jan Sundgren. "Evolving International Environmental Law: Changing Practices of National Sovereignty." In Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses. Edited by Nazli Choucri. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995, pp. 401-429. ISBN: 9780262531344.

Buy at Amazon Sands, Philippe. "International Law in the Field of Sustainable Development: Emerging Legal Principles." In Sustainable Development and International Law. Edited by Winfried Lang. New York, NY: Springer, 1995, pp. 53-66. ISBN: 9781859661796.

Buy at Amazon Jacoby, Henry D., et al. "Kyoto's Unfinished Business." Chapter 24 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Buy at Amazon Metrick, Andrew, and Martin L. Weitzman. "Conflicts and Choices in Biodiversity Preservation." Chapter 28 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

Choucri, Nazli. "Globalization of Eco-efficiency: GSSD on the WWW." UNEP Industry and Environment (October-November 1995): 45-49.

Related reading

Buy at Amazon Ostrom, Elinor. Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1990, chapter 6. ISBN: 9780521371018.

Essential reading

Buy at Amazon Ostrom, Elinor, Larry Schroeder, and Susan Wynne. Institutional Incentives and Sustainable Development. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1993, chapters 1, 3, 5, and 6. ISBN: 9780813316185.

11 International trade and intellectual property rights

Required reading

Buy at Amazon Choucri, Nazli. "Innovations in Uses of Cyberspace." Chapter 15 in Sustainability and the Social Sciences: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Integrating Environmental Considerations into Theoretical Reorientation. Edited by Egon Becker and Thomas Jahn. London, UK: Zed Books, 2000. ISBN: 9781856497084.

Buy at Amazon Stevens, Candice. "Trade and Environment: The PPMs Debate." In Sustainable Development and International Law. Edited by Winfried Lang. New York, NY: Springer, 1995, pp. 239-247. ISBN: 9781859661796.

Related reading

Røpke, Inge. "Trade, Development and Sustainability - a Critical Assessment of the 'Free Trade Dogma'." Ecological Economics 9 (1994): 13-22.

Goldman, Patti A. "Resolving the Trade and Environment Debate: In Search of a Neutral Forum and Neutral Principles." Washington and Lee Law Review 49 (1994): 1279.

Buy at Amazon Davis, Stan, and Jim Botkin. "The Coming of Knowledge-Based Business." Chapter 11 in The Knowledge Economy. Edited by Dale Neef. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heineman, 1997. ISBN: 9780750699365.

See United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, for information on problems and international responses.

Essential reading

Buy at Amazon Frankel, Jeffrey A. "The Environment and Globalization." Chapter 19 in Economics of the Environment. 5th ed. Edited by Robert N. Stavins. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393927016.

12 Global accord - next rounds

Required reading

Buy at Amazon Allenby, Braden R. Industrial Ecology: Policy Framework and Implementation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998, chapter 12. ISBN: 9780139211805.

Buy at Amazon Sand, Peter H. "Trusts for the Earth: New International Financial Mechanisms for Sustainable Development." In Sustainable Development and International Law. Edited by Winfried Lang. New York, NY: Springer, 1995, pp. 167-184. ISBN: 9781859661796.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Dolsak, Nives, and Elinor Ostrom. The Commons in the New Millennium: Challenges and Adaptation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003, chapter 1. ISBN: 9780262042147.

Related reading

Buy at Amazon Harvard Law Review, eds. Trends in International Environmental Law. Chicago, IL: American Bar Association, 1992. ISBN: 9780897077538.

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Brewer, Garry. "Environmental Challenges and Managerial Responses." In Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses. Edited by Nazli Choucri. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995, pp. 281-303. ISBN: 9780262531344.

Essential reading

Buy at MIT Press Buy at Amazon Weiss, Edith Brown. "Intergenerational Equity: Toward an International Legal Framework." In Global Accord: Environmental Challenges and International Responses. Edited by Nazli Choucri. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995, pp. 333-53. ISBN: 9780262531344.