ABSTRACT

Natural Resources and the Environment: Economics, Law, Politics, and Institutions provides a new approach to the study of environmental and natural resource economics.

It augments current contributions from the fields of public choice, law, and economics, and the burgeoning field of what used to be called the "New Institutional Economics," to describe, explain, and interpret how these new developments have been applied to better understand the economics of natural resources and the environment. This textbook takes a multi-disciplinary approach, which is essential for understanding complex environmental problems, and examines the issue from not only an economic perspective, but also taking into account law, politics, and institutions. In doing so, it provides students with a realistic understanding of how environmental policy is created and presents a comprehensive examination of real-world environmental policy. The book provides a comprehensive coverage of key issues, including renewable energy, climate change, agriculture, water resources, land conservation, and fisheries, with each chapter accompanied by learning resources, such as recommended further reading, discussion questions, and exercises.

This textbook is essential reading for students and scholars seeking to build an interdisciplinary understanding of natural resources and the environment.

chapter 1|8 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|27 pages

A mini-course in basic economic theory

chapter 3|21 pages

Valuation

chapter 5|16 pages

Common-pool resources

chapter 7|17 pages

Population

chapter 8|19 pages

Fossil fuel energy

chapter 9|26 pages

Climate change

chapter 10|18 pages

Air and water quality

chapter 11|18 pages

Energy conservation and energy efficiency

chapter 12|19 pages

Renewable energy

chapter 13|21 pages

Agriculture

chapter 14|21 pages

Water resources

chapter 15|18 pages

Fisheries

chapter 16|18 pages

Forests and deforestation