The concept of joint production and ecological economics

Joint production is suggested as one of the conceptual foundations of ecolo gical economics. The notion of joint production springs immediately from th e application of thermodynamics, and has a long history in economic analysi s. Considerations of joint production give rise to philosophical concerns r elating to responsibility and knowledge. The concept of joint production is easily comprehensible, and is also constitutive and supportive of a range of concepts current in ecological economic thought. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scien ce B.V. All rights reserved.