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Spring 2004 Seminar Series 4.00 pm, Tuesday 23 November Venue: Seminar Room, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Hancock West Wing (Bldg #043), Australian National University, Canberra Hannah Parris Department of Environment and Heritage Can complexity theory better explain the socioeconomic aspects of environmental problems? A case study of the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon Abstract: It is a common theme in the natural resource management literature that the current tool kit of policy analysis – usually derived from the neo-classical school of economics – is found wanting. Commonly cited problems include a lack of realism in human decision-making models, the mischaracterisation of analysis as deterministic optimisation problems, and the inability to satisfactorily incorporate an interdisciplinary perspective. Supporters of the neoclassical approach recognise these limitations but reasonably ask – can we do better? Recent scholarship applying complex adaptive system theory (a type of systems theory derived from non-equilibrium physics and ecology) to the social sciences suggests the possibility of using this innovative approach to address some of these issues. Proponents argue that complexity theory may even eventually replace neoclassical theory as the predominant framework in environmental-economic analysis. Using the case study of the Great Barrier Reef, this seminar outlines the contribution that a complex adaptive system perspective might make to environmental policy-making, emphasising how it is both alike and different to current policy analytical techniques. Surprisingly, it is found that a complexity approach can complement, rather than fully replace, the more conventional neoclassical framework. For further information, contact Jack Pezzey on [email protected].
