Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2013.04.018
Title (Primary) The art of long-term thinking: a bridge between sustainability science and politics
Author Klauer, B.; Manstetten, R.; Petersen, T.; Schiller, J.
Source Titel Ecological Economics
Year 2013
Department OEKON; UPR
Volume 93
Page From 79
Page To 84
Language englisch
Keywords Sustainability; Time; Power of judgment; Stocks; Science-policy gap
UFZ wide themes RU6
Abstract

Policy makers are dependent upon scientific knowledge. However, scientific results cannot be applied straightforwardly in practical decision making. We deploy Kant's term “power of judgment” – the human capacity to apply general insights to specific, contingent situations – to show that this problem is systematic rather than coincidental: decision making requires the power of judgment to make use of scientific knowledge. Power of judgment, in turns, can be supported by heuristics. Against this background, we focus on sustainability politics and outline a heuristic for framing and analyzing sustainability problems. Because time is a key factor in relation to sustainability we distinguish three distinct concepts of time and argue that the economic concepts of “stocks” and “institutions” can be used to foster power of judgment with respect to these time concepts. Based on these concepts, the heuristic serves to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and practical decision making in sustainability politics.

Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=14066
Klauer, B., Manstetten, R., Petersen, T., Schiller, J. (2013):
The art of long-term thinking: a bridge between sustainability science and politics
Ecol. Econ. 93 , 79 - 84 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2013.04.018