The ecological economics of Martínez Alier

Abstract

In recent years, economist have shown a constantly increasing interest in the ecological analysis of economic processes. In the initial stage attention was focused on the definition of the physical and ecological limits to growth, and on the global evaluation of the model of industrial development. This was followed by an ever increasingly systematic examination of the pattern of flows of energy and products in the economic system. As in all newly founded branches of science, historiographic reviews of its own disciplinary tradition have made an early appearance. One particularly interesting example of such reviews is Martinez Alier's book (L'ecologisme i I'economia, 1984), which is a résumé of his already extensive contribution on the topic.

This note is divided in three parts. The first refers to the theoretical context within which the present ecological viewpoint of the economy is situated. This is followed by comments on certain programmatic aspects of Martinez Alier's work. Finally an evaluation is made of this historical investigation of the evolution of energy theory between 1880 and 1940, and its impact on the social sciences.