Economic Thought, Theory and Practices for Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

To date, our modern, growth-oriented societies have been characterized by serious phenomena such as environmental degradation and growing economic inequality. Take climate change for example. Reacting to this phenomenon, governments all over the world have begun to implement energy preservation and carbon emission reduction policies, and so on. These governments have recognized that, to address such hazards, economic planning is necessary; governments are obligated to initiate various cooperative and institutional mechanisms to internalize individual choices, to coordinate various needs and interests, and to ensure an equal chance of participation for people of all levels of society.

This special issue seeks to offer a timely collection of scholarly papers that address the aforementioned challenges. Despite the fact that an economic school of sustainability (or sustainable development) has not yet appeared, concepts or ideas of sustainability have long been documented in the economics literature. Ecological economist Herman Daly, for instance, traced his analysis of the steady-state economy (SSE), a sustainable economy, back to classical economist John Stuart Mill’s notion of the stationary state.

By means of reviewing classical thought, we will be able to develop fresh conceptual and theoretical outlooks on the properties of sustainability compatible with the socioeconomic progress of this century. Also, an examination of some ancient economies will be instrumental to the construction of a modern version of sustainability. Take the conventional tribal economy for example. Most indigenous tribes have practiced a simple lifestyle for thousands of years. Self-sufficient indigenous tribes characterized by small-scale economic activities can be regarded to some extent as a prototype for a sustainable economy.

Sustainability has emerged as one of most pressing issues in the twenty-first century since it has been recognized that everyone has a stake in Our Common Future. We welcome original papers that provide theoretical breakthroughs, empirical advances, or further reflections on economic thought with endeavors for enhancing sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Brian Chi-ang Lin
Guest Editor

• Sustainable Development
• Economic Thought
• Economic Planning
• Institutions
• Institutional Change