History

Back to the future of economics, or: when economists were right

Body
Economic theory wasn't always oblivious of natural resources, quite the contrary. Before the 20th century, most models included land avaialbility and productivity, a marker for the ability to convert sunlight into relevant outputs. Only during the 20th century, with the abundant availability of stored sunlight, this factor disappeared from theoretical models. Now, as we move away from easy fossil fuels, we need to go back to Adam Smith and his peers.
Teaser

Economic theory wasn't always oblivious of natural resources, quite the contrary. It was during the 20th century when that concept was abandoned.

Content Type
English