Who, What, When, Why: Resource Economics Before the Fall

Abstract

From Page 1:

"First, please note that this is a very informal version of an essay called 'Property, Agency, Time, Culture, Spirit', to be published in a UNEP book on 'Human Values and Biodiversity', edited by Darrell Posey, due out in 1998.

"This paper is called 'What, Who, When, Why...' because my intent is to propose a correct application of conventional microeconomic theory to these fundamental questions about resource management practises 'before the fall'. The essential argument is that world-wide testimony from non-western peoples about how they 'used to' manage resources is much closer to the truth than a naive economic view would lead one to believe. By naive, I mean a view that pretends to rigor and objectivity by formal and quantitative precision without regard for misspecified and inaccurate assumptions and claims. One might say that naive economists are arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic with fantastic precison, but they are never the ones who sink, so their learning experiences are sadly limited, especially from the perspective of those who are sunk."