Release | Spaceship Earth. A total institution

Abstract: The concept of Earth as a planetary spaceship serves as a root metaphor of ecological economics, sustainability science, and the broader environmental movement. This article first explores the origins of this metaphor and elucidates the core components and functions of a hypothetical Spaceship Earth. It then draws on Erving Goffman’s characteristics of total institutions […]

Release | East of nature. Accounting for the environments of social sciences

Abstract: At the core of ecological economics is the image of the economy as an open system embedded in the natural environment whose carrying capacity is limited. The present paper revisits this image by drawing upon Niklas Luhmann’s social systems theory. To Luhmann, the modern society consists of a multitude of social systems each bringing […]

Prof Steffen Roth

Ecological Economics

Release | Spaceship Earth. A total institution

Release | East of nature. Accounting for the environments of social sciences