The ecological and evolutionary economics of Georgescu-Roegen

Vol. 30 No. 3 (2010)

Jul-Sep / 2010
Published July 1, 2010
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))
PDF-Portuguese (Português (Brasil))

How to Cite

Cechin, Andrei Domingues, and José Eli da Veiga. 2010. “The Ecological and Evolutionary Economics of Georgescu-Roegen”. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy 30 (3):438-54. https://centrodeeconomiapolitica.org.br/repojs/index.php/journal/article/view/452.

The ecological and evolutionary economics of Georgescu-Roegen

Andrei Domingues Cechin
Economista. Mestre em Ciência Ambiental pelo Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciência Ambiental da Universidade de São Paulo, com apoio da Fapesp.
José Eli da Veiga
Professor titular do Departamento de Economia da Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade da Universidade de São Paulo. Pesquisador associado do “Capability & Sustainability Centre” da Universidade de Cambridge, com apoio da Fapesp.
Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 30 No. 3 (2010), Jul-Sep / 2010, Pages 438-454

Abstract

The main argument of this paper is that Georgescu-Roegen’s contributions represent a major disruption with economics’ pre-analytic vision. He rejected at the same time both the closed and circular view of the economy and the mechanic analogies that oriented economics in the past century. Even though his influence has been felt mainly in the field of ecological economics, his epistemological contributions represent a major challenge to equilibrium thinking. Nowadays, treating economic systems as complex and evolutionary systems is becoming not only acceptable, but also a trend in the way political economy is made. We defend that Georgescu-Roegen’s disruption represents a scientific revolution in economics, in the sense attributed by Kuhn.

JEL Classification: Q51; Q57; A12; B52.


Keywords: Georgescu‑Roegen ecological economics evolutionary economics sustainability paradigm