Vereinigung für Ökologische Ökonomie (VÖÖ) is a German scientific society promoting ecological principles in the global economy.

History and background

In 1992, the economist and the physicist Hans-Peter Dürr gave a joint talk at a conference of Verein für Socialpolitik (VfS) on the topic of “economics and nature”.. See also th
online version (PDF)
and the preliminary remark. During the discussion, it turned out that the point of view presented had no backing among the attendees of VfS, and Busch-Lüty and colleagues decided to establish an independent society. Busch-Lüty initiated in 1996 the establishment of VÖÖ as part of a small,

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

group of scientists as a German-speaking section of

International Society for Ecological Economics The International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) was founded in 1989, based heavily on the work of Herman Daly to promote ecological economics and assist ecological economists and related societies. In 1996, the Right Livelihood ...

(ISEE). The local mayor and former

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

acted as a patron of the constitutive conference in April 1996 in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

. The 50 scientists present shared the belief that the calls of Rio Earth Summit 1992 for establishing a

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

are legitimate and need to be realized.VÖÖ
Wir über uns, Leitbild
accessed February 25, 2015. Based on the insight that

economic growth Economic growth can be defined as the increase or improvement in the inflation-adjusted market value of the goods and services produced by an economy in a financial year. Statisticians conventionally measure such growth as the percent rate of ...

would be the wrong answer to persistent ecological problems, the scientists wanted to act strategically to alter the academic landscape.

Positions

The society argues that the economic sciences are overcharged with the necessary transformation and claims, that other scientific fields, politics open to change and the cultural forces of the society as a whole are necessary to implement and shape the change assumed necessary. Since the beginning, VÖÖ emphasized the necessity of a transdisciplinary approach. Until 2010, VÖÖ was involved with establishing the concept of

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

in its ecological, social and economic perspective.Peter Finke
Die VÖÖ am Scheideweg
(PDF; 23 kB), accessed February 25, 2015. Following a reorientation in 2010, the society promotes a post-growth economy based on the concepts of

Niko Paech Niko Paech (born December 9, 1960complete ...

and others. The concept of sustainable growth is considered to be an

oxymoron An oxymoron (usual plural oxymorons, more rarely oxymora) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposing meanings within a word or phrase that creates an ostensible self-contradiction. An oxymoron can be used as a rhetorical devi ...

, and the importance of

eco-efficiency As countries and regions around the world began to develop, it slowly became evident that industrialization and economic growth come hand in hand with environmental degradation. Eco-efficiency has been proposed as one of the main tools to promote a ...

, consistency and

eco-sufficiency Eco-sufficiency, or simply sufficiency, refers to the concept or strategy to reduce the environmental footprint of societies through moderating the need for energy, carbon and material-based services and products. The term was popularised by author ...

is emphasized.

Activities

Boris woynowski voeoe jahrestagung 2012 podiumsdiskussion

VÖÖ is working in research groups and organizes annual conferences,VÖÖ: Tagungen
accessed February 25, 2015. workshops und releases publications such as a series of discussion papers and books. From October 2010 on, VÖÖ supports students and practitioners via the ''Netzwerk Wachstumswende''. The current presidentsVorstand der VÖÖ
accessed October 25, 2019. are and Erik Wolf, former presidents include , , Eva Lang, ,

Niko Paech Niko Paech (born December 9, 1960complete ...

and

Gerhard Scherhorn Gerhard Scherhorn (21 February 1930 in Hannover – 28 February 2018) was a German Professor and economist. Career * Doctoral thesis on "Needs and Wants" (Bedürfnis und Bedarf) 1959 * Qualification as a university lecturer in Economics at th ...

. Well known members are , ,

Niko Paech Niko Paech (born December 9, 1960complete ...

,Der Vorstand 2012–2014
voeoe.de, accessed November 15, 2016. and . Hans-Peter Dürr, , and

Nachruf auf Gerhard Scherhorn 21.2.1930 – 28.2.2018
Vereinigung für Ökologische Ökonomie, accessed October 25, 2019. were founder members. who deceased November 2010 was honorary chairwoman of the society.

Research prizes

Between 1998 and 2002, VÖÖ granted together with Schweisfurth-Stiftung the biennal Schweisfurth-Forschungspreis für Ökologische Ökonomie, a research prize for contributions in the field of ecological economics. Laureates were , Ralf Weiß, ,

Daniel Dahm Johannes Daniel Dahm (*born 1969 at Cologne) is a German geographer, ecologist, activist, consultant and entrepreneur. Daniel Dahm is pioneering a just and sustainable development within science, as entrepreneur as well as an activist. For many ...

and Stefanie Böge. Since 2004, VÖÖ grants together with several charitable foundations the biennal Kapp-Forschungspreis für Ökologische Ökonomie im remembrance of Karl William Kapp.Kapp-Forschungspreis
In: voeoe.de, accessed February 25, 2015. Laureates were and Dagmar Vinz (2004),

Niko Paech Niko Paech (born December 9, 1960complete ...

and (2006), Fabian Scholtes and Eva Koch (2008), Lasse Loft and Oliver Stengel (2010), Gerolf Hanke and Anja Humburg (2012), Matthias Schmelzer, Corinna Burkhart and Dirk Posse (2014), Lorenz Stör, Christian Arndt and Johannes Buhl (2016) as well as Steffen Lange, Barbara Plank and Marius Rommel. Since 2013, VÖÖ grants in remembrance of its honorary chairwoman the Christiane Busch-Lüty Förderpreis für Ökologische Ökonomie. Laureates were the sociologist Daniela Gottschlich (2013) and Tilman Santarius (2015).Hohe Ehre für die Lüneburger Soziologin Daniela Gottschlich. In: Landeszeitung für die Lüneburger Heide, September 14, 2013.

Literature

*
Online access
*

References

External links

German Webseite of VÖÖ
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vereinigung fur Okologische Okonomie Ecological economics Scientific organisations based in Germany Heidelberg Clubs and societies in Germany Organizations established in 1996 Economics societies