Arturo Hermann - Böcker

Heterodox economics can provide a more complete and robust explanation of economic realities than orthodox (or mainstream) economics. Contemporary Issues in Heterodox Economics: Implications for Theory and Policy Action argues that this greater explanatory power gives heterodox economics the ability to illuminate appropriate policy for the major crises of our time, as well as proffer the basis for a more rounded, pluralist approach to economic theory. The chapters in this wide-ranging volume address some of the key issues facing the global economy, including the growing disparity of income/wealth between persons and economic areas, environmental degradation, issues associated with employment, and the regularity of economic/financial crises. The authors examine potential policy responses such as modern monetary theory, models of public ownership, and the need to move beyond standard concepts of growth. They also explore the deficiencies of orthodox economics, and contend that a more pluralist approach to economics is required in the public sphere, in academia, and in the classroom in order to help face the challenges of the twenty-first century.This book is invaluable reading for students and scholars across the social sciences who are interested in alternatives to mainstream economic thinking.

Heterodox economics can provide a more complete and robust explanation of economic realities than orthodox (or mainstream) economics. Contemporary Issues in Heterodox Economics: Implications for Theory and Policy Action argues that this greater explanatory power gives heterodox economics the ability to illuminate appropriate policy for the major crises of our time, as well as proffer the basis for a more rounded, pluralist approach to economic theory. The chapters in this wide-ranging volume address some of the key issues facing the global economy, including the growing disparity of income/wealth between persons and economic areas, environmental degradation, issues associated with employment, and the regularity of economic/financial crises. The authors examine potential policy responses such as modern monetary theory, models of public ownership, and the need to move beyond standard concepts of growth. They also explore the deficiencies of orthodox economics, and contend that a more pluralist approach to economics is required in the public sphere, in academia, and in the classroom in order to help face the challenges of the twenty-first century.This book is invaluable reading for students and scholars across the social sciences who are interested in alternatives to mainstream economic thinking.

Engagement with and between a plurality of progressive, non-neoclassical traditions is an important step in fostering a more capacious understanding of sustainability ― both as a concept and as a political objective. To that end, this book provides a far-reaching overview of the development of radical ecology and heterodox economics on the issues of sustainability, highlighting the presence of different but largely complementary perspectives and arguing that greater engagement between these schools of thought is required to help formulate viable alternatives to the prevailing neoliberal ideology.The chapters of this volume demonstrate, from various theoretical perspectives of radical ecology and heterodox economics (in particular, degrowth, ecosocialism, original institutional economics, theories of complex systems), the conceptual, ontological, epistemological and political economic limitations of existing mainstream accounts of sustainability, grounded, as they are, in neoclassical environmental economics.The international cast list of contributors argues in favour of heterodox theories to inform an alternative political economy of socially just sustainability by considering how these are grounded in a more realistic, holistic and critical economics. Each chapter in this section examines how the schools of thought under consideration articulate the political economic foundations of "sustainability" and, in turn, what these mean in-practice over how, in policy action, sustainability should be achieved.This volume is essential reading for anyone concerned with a viable alternative conception of sustainable economy, and in particular with readers from all strands of radical ecology and heterodox economics, policy makers, institutions and organisations dealing with the issues of sustainability.

Engagement with and between a plurality of progressive, non-neoclassical traditions is an important step in fostering a more capacious understanding of sustainability – both as a concept and as a political objective. To that end, this book provides a critical overview of the development of alternative perspectives on the economics of sustainability, highlighting the presence of various strands of heterodox economics and radical ecology, and arguing that greater engagement between these schools of thought is required to help formulate viable alternatives to the prevailing neoliberal ideology.The chapters in Part I of this volume, "Ecofeminism, Social Ecological Economics, Bioeconomics, Steady State", present a series of concrete policy proposals for building socially just, sustainable socio-economic processes. Each chapter utilizes the acumen of a given heterodox tradition to formulate policy reforms to secure this objective. In Part II, "Heterodox Macroeconomics and Sustainability", the contributors make the case for more radical forms of socio-economic transformation, particularly emphasizing community, local and regional level initiatives for change. The final part, "Circular Economy, Civil Economy and Other Heterodox Contributions", reflects on the potential strategic political-economic contribution of heterodox economics to building more sustainable and just socio-economic practices in a broader sense. These chapters demonstrate that heterodox economics and radical ecology can productively contribute to realizing sustainability in areas such as economic pedagogy, through working in conjunction with other social justice movements, and by challenging extant neoliberal ideologies of sustainability. They also deliberate on some of the institutional and epistemological challenges that confront heterodox practitioners seeking to make such an impact.This volume is essential reading for anyone concerned with a viable alternative conception of the economy and sustainability, including readers from all schools of heterodox economics and radical ecology, and people and organizations involved in various ways in building an alternative political economy of sustainability.

The most prominent aspect of the current financial crisis is its systemic character which manifests itself in high levels of inequality, rampant unemployment, economic and social insecurity and environmental decay. This book explores the potential of a pluralistic and interdisciplinary approach for a deeper understanding of the manifold aspects of the economic crisis.This book examines the potential of a number of contributions from heterodox economics and psychoanalysis in providing a deeper understanding of these problems. The book analyses some of the most debated aspects of the concepts of market, democracy and socialism and explores the role of structural ties between economic, social and psychological aspects of collective life. It also addresses the main economic aspects of the crisis and pays particular attention to a number of structural imbalances, and to the psychological interpretation of these phenomena. By drawing together approaches from heterodox economics and psychoanalysis, this book adopts a pluralist and interdisciplinary approach to the study of these phenomena and manages to overcome the fragmentation so often present in social sciences.