ECONOMIC-ANALYSIS AND ECOSYSTEMS - SOME CONCEPTS AND ISSUES

Economists and ecologists often disagree. While some of these disagree ments arise from differences in individual perspectives, and some othe rs may arise from a fundamental difference in paradigms, others may ar ise from simple misunderstandings. Economists are often remiss in not fully explaining the assumptions on which they base their analyses. In this paper I review the assumptions underlying the crucial economic c oncept of ''marginal analysis.'' Ecologists concerned with the transla tion of scientific knowledge into social decision making should unders tand both the concept of marginal analysis and the circumstances under which it is or is not appropriate.