The emergent discipline of ecological economics is based on the idea that the world's economies are a function of the earth's ecosystems–an idea that radically reverses the world view of neoclassical economics. A Survey of Ecological Economics provides the first overview of this new field, and a comprehensive and systematic survey of its critical literature.

The editors of the volume summarize ninety-five seminal articles, selected through an exhaustive survey, that advance the field of ecological economics and represent the best thinking to date in the area. Each two-to three-page summary is far more comprehensive than a typical abstract, and presents both the topics covered in each paper and the most important arguments made about each topic. Sections cover:

• historical perspective
• definition, scope, and interdisciplinary issues
• theoretical frameworks and techniques
• energy and resource flow analysis
• accounting and evaluation
• North-South/international issues
• ethical/social/institutional issues

Each section is preceded by an introductory essay that outlines the current state of knowledge in the field and proposes a research agenda for the future.