Teaching Documents by Suresh Babu
This paper provides a historical perspective for the discussion on ecological economics as a spec... more This paper provides a historical perspective for the discussion on ecological economics as a special field of research. By studying the historical background of ecological economics, the present discussions and tensions inside the field might become easier to understand and to relate to. The study is inspired by other studies of the emergence of new research areas done by sociologists and historians of science, and includes both cognitive and social aspects, macro trends and the role of individuals. The basis for the paper is a combination of literature studies and interviews with key researchers from the field. The story opens with the emergence of the new environmental agenda in the 1960s, which was influenced by the scientific development in biology and ecology. Then it is outlined how the environmental challenge was met by economics in the 1960s. Around 1970, the basic ideas of ecological economics were given modern formulations, but it took a long gestation period from the beginning of the 1970s to the end of the 1980s, before ecological economics took shape. During this gestation period, the personal relationships between the actors were formed, and the meetings that were decisive for the formal establishment of ecological economics took place. D
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
There are many methodological approaches within ecological economics. One of the principal modes ... more There are many methodological approaches within ecological economics. One of the principal modes of analysis is a modified version of the 'standard neoclassical model'. This paper examines the parallels which emerge between the ideas of some ecological economists concerning production and the ideas of others concerning consumption, when these ideas are interpreted in the neoclassical paradigm. It is well known that ecological economics is characterized by arguments concerning limits to substitution between inputs (energy, natural capital, etc., vs. manufactured capital, labor, etc.) in production and the implications these have for sustainability. However, various authors have also expressed concerns regarding limits to substitution in consumption, either between environmental assets and other goods or between basic needs commodities and other goods. Though the specific reasons for non-substitution are different in the production and consumption cases, the underlying theme is that individual commodities and other inputs have unique physical or other properties which make them poor substitutes. Ideas about irreversibility in production and economic development are also prominent in ecological economics. Likewise, many authors have argued for similar irreversibilities in consumption behavior. In analogy to the term technological change, I coin the term "preferential change" to describe these phenomena, The linking themes in this case are that the economy-environment system is evolutionary in character and that external effects--intended and unintended consequences of actions or processes imposed on other parties or resources--are all pervasive.
Papers by Suresh Babu
Lantana (Lantana camara), one of the world's most troublesome invasive weeds, has become a menace... more Lantana (Lantana camara), one of the world's most troublesome invasive weeds, has become a menace in most of the protected areas located in tropical and subtropical belt of India. The lantana-infested landscapes not only are impoverished as habitats of wildlife but also contribute to human-wildlife conflicts owing to diminished ecosystem services. This paper is a case study of successful eradication and restoration of two lantana-invaded sites in Corbett Tiger Reserve, India. A method for eradicating lantana was developed using knowledge about its ecology, and, subsequently, weedfree landscapes were restored to productive grasslands and mixed woodlands using native species. The restoration of these areas to grassland communities has successfully prevented secondary invasions by lantana and other weeds and has enhanced the habitat quality for herbivores whose populations are vital for the survival of top carnivores such as tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti).
Recent advances in network theory have led to considerable progress in our understanding of compl... more Recent advances in network theory have led to considerable progress in our understanding of complex real world systems and their behavior in response to external threats or fluctuations. Much of this research has been invigorated by demonstration of the 'robust, yet fragile' nature of cellular and large-scale systems transcending biology, sociology, and ecology, through application of the network theory to diverse interactions observed in nature such as plant-pollinator, seeddispersal agent and host-parasite relationships. In this work, we report the development of NEXCADE, an automated and interactive program for inducing disturbances into complex systems defined by networks, focusing on the changes in global network topology and connectivity as a function of the perturbation. NEXCADE uses a graph theoretical approach to simulate perturbations in a user-defined manner, singly, in clusters, or sequentially. To demonstrate the promise it holds for broader adoption by the research community, we provide pre-simulated examples from diverse real-world networks including eukaryotic protein-protein interaction networks, fungal biochemical networks, a variety of ecological food webs in nature as well as social networks. NEXCADE not only enables network visualization at every step of the targeted attacks, but also allows risk assessment, i.e. identification of nodes critical for the robustness of the system of interest, in order to devise and implement context-based strategies for restructuring a network, or to achieve resilience against link or node failures. Source code and license for the software, designed to work on a Linux-based operating system (OS) can be downloaded at http://www.nipgr.res.in/nexcade_download.html. In addition, we have developed NEXCADE as an OS-independent online web server freely available to the scientific community without any login requirement at http://www.nipgr.res.in/nexcade. html.
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Teaching Documents by Suresh Babu
Papers by Suresh Babu