Have ‘mainstream’ economics journals ‘missed the bus’ on wetland, marine and coastal ecosystems?
Pranab Mukhopadhyay
A * and M. P. Tapaswi B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Goa Business School, Goa University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa, India.
B CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, India.
Marine and Freshwater Research 73(6) 719-728 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF21027
Submitted: 29 January 2021 Accepted: 20 January 2022 Published: 22 March 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing.
Abstract
We assess research published in Scopus-indexed journals from 1981 on the economics of wetlands, marine and coastal ecosystems. We used scientometric techniques to extract records of all journal articles with the keyword economics, in combination with wetland, marine or coastal ecosystems in their titles, abstracts or keywords. We compared this with publications in the top 10 journals in economics in the Scimago database. We found that these top economics journals have ignored this topic and, thus, ‘missed the bus’ on an important economic resource. They published only eight articles with these word combinations in their entire history, even though these ecosystems contribute significantly to human wellbeing. However, new journals that have been more inclusive of these themes in ecological and environmental economics have emerged. Our study adds to the literature on wetland, marine and coastal ecosystems by providing a systematic study of publications in Scopus-indexed journals on this theme. Whereas a number of studies have reviewed the literature with the objective of documenting methodological advances, our study complements them by looking at the spatial and temporal spread of the contributors. We also provide an insight on which journals are most frequently publishing research in this thematic area.
Keywords: coastal, ecosystems, mainstream economics journals, marine, scientometrics, Scopus-monitored journals, spatial distribution of authors, wetlands.
References
Anderson K (2012) Bury Your Writing — Why Do Academic Book Chapters Fail to Generate Citations? The Scholarly Kitchen. Available at https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2012/08/28/bury-your-writing-why-do-academic-book-chapters-fail-to-generate-citations/ [Accessed 16 October 2021]Barbier EB, Baumgartner S, Chopra K, Costello C, Duraiappah AK, Hassan R, Kinzig AP, Lehmann M, Pascual U, Polasky S, Perrings C (2009) The Valuation of Ecosystem Services. In ‘Biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and human wellbeing: an ecological and economic perspective’. (Eds S Naeem, DE Bunker, A Hector, M Loreau, C Perrings) Oxford biology. pp. 248–262. (Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK)
Bell, FW (1972). Technological Externalities and Common-Property Resources: an Empirical Study of the US Northern Lobster Fishery. Journal of Political Economy 80, 148–158.
| Technological Externalities and Common-Property Resources: an Empirical Study of the US Northern Lobster Fishery.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ben-Akiva, M, McFadden, D, and Train, K (2019). Foundations of Stated Preference Elicitation: consumer Behavior and Choice-based Conjoint Analysis. Foundations and Trends® in Econometrics 10, 1–144.
| Foundations of Stated Preference Elicitation: consumer Behavior and Choice-based Conjoint Analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Boerema, A, Rebelo, AJ, Bodi, MB, Esler, KJ, and Meire, P (2017). Are ecosystem services adequately quantified? Journal of Applied Ecology 54, 358–370.
| Are ecosystem services adequately quantified?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Camón Luis, E, and Celma, D (2020). Circular Economy. A Review and Bibliometric Analysis. Sustainability 12, 6381.
| Circular Economy. A Review and Bibliometric Analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Carson, RT (2012). Contingent Valuation: a Practical Alternative when Prices Aren’t Available. Journal of Economic Perspectives 26, 27–42.
| Contingent Valuation: a Practical Alternative when Prices Aren’t Available.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Carson, RT, Flores, NE, Martin, KM, and Wright, JL (1996). Contingent Valuation and Revealed Preference Methodologies: Comparing the Estimates for Quasi-Public Goods. Land Economics 72, 80–99.
| Contingent Valuation and Revealed Preference Methodologies: Comparing the Estimates for Quasi-Public Goods.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cavalletti, B, and Corsi, M (2021). The system of environmental and economic accounting and the valuation problem: a review of the literature. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management , .
| The system of environmental and economic accounting and the valuation problem: a review of the literature.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Chapnick A, Kukucha C (2016) Pros and cons of writing a book chapter. University Affairs. Available at https://www.affairesuniversitaires.ca/career-advice/the-scholarly-edition/new-scholars-consider-writing-book-chapter/ [Accessed 16 October 2021]
Chen, W, Geng, Y, Zhong, S, Zhuang, M, and Pan, H (2020). A bibliometric analysis of ecosystem services evaluation from 1997 to 2016. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 27, 23503–23513.
| A bibliometric analysis of ecosystem services evaluation from 1997 to 2016.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 32301071PubMed |
Costanza, R, d’Arge, R, de Groot, R, Farber, S, Grasso, M, Hannon, B, Limburg, K, Naeem, S, O’Neill, RV, Paruelo, J, Raskin, RG, Sutton, P, and van den Belt, M (1997). The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 387, 253–260.
| The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Costanza, R, de Groot, R, Sutton, P, van der Ploeg, S, Anderson, SJ, Kubiszewski, I, Farber, S, and Turner, RK (2014). Changes in the global value of ecosystem services. Global Environmental Change 26, 152–158.
| Changes in the global value of ecosystem services.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Costanza, R, de Groot, R, Braat, L, Kubiszewski, I, Fioramonti, L, Sutton, P, Farber, S, and Grasso, M (2017). Twenty years of ecosystem services: how far have we come and how far do we still need to go? Ecosystem Services 28, 1–16.
| Twenty years of ecosystem services: how far have we come and how far do we still need to go?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Daily, GC, Söderqvist, T, Aniyar, S, Arrow, K, Dasgupta, P, Ehrlich, P, Folke, C, Jansson, A, Jansson, B, Kautsky, N, Levin, S, Lubchenco, J, Maler, KG, Simpson, D, Starrett, D, Tilman, D, and Walker, B (2000). The Value of Nature and the Nature of Value. Science 289, 395–396.
| The Value of Nature and the Nature of Value.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 10939949PubMed |
Dasgupta, P, and Heal, G (1974). The Optimal Depletion of Exhaustible Resources. The Review of Economic Studies 41, 3–28.
| The Optimal Depletion of Exhaustible Resources.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Dasgupta P, Mäler K-G (1995) Chapter 39 Poverty, institutions, and the environmental resource-base. In ‘Handbook of Development Economics’. pp. 2371–2463. (Elsevier). Available at http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1573447105800117 [Accessed 16 August 2016]
Davidson, NC, and Finlayson, CM (2018). Extent, regional distribution and changes in area of different classes of wetland. Marine and Freshwater Research 69, 1525.
| Extent, regional distribution and changes in area of different classes of wetland.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Díaz, S, Demissew, S, Carabias, J, Joly, C, Lonsdale, M, Ash, N, Larigauderie, A, Adhikari, JR, Arico, S, Báldi, A, Bartuska, A, Baste, IA, Bilgin, A, Brondizio, E, Chan, KM, Figueroa, VE, Duraiappah, A, Fischer, M, Hill, R, Koetz, T, Leadley, P, Lyver, P, Mace, GM, Martin-Lopez, B, Okumura, M, Pacheco, D, Pascual, U, Pérez, ES, Reyers, B, Roth, E, Saito, O, Scholes, RJ, Sharma, N, Tallis, H, Thaman, R, Watson, R, Yahara, T, Hamid, ZA, Akosim, C, Al-Hafedh, Y, Allahverdiyev, R, Amankwah, E, Asah, ST, Asfaw, Z, Bartus, G, Brooks, LA, Caillaux, J, Dalle, G, Darnaedi, D, Driver, A, Erpul, G, Escobar-Eyzaguirre, P, Failler, P, Fouda, AMM, Fu, B, Gundimeda, H, Hashimoto, S, Homer, F, Lavorel, S, Lichtenstein, G, Mala, WA, Mandivenyi, W, Matczak, P, Mbizvo, C, Mehrdadi, M, Metzger, JP, Mikissa, JB, Moller, H, Mooney, HA, Mumby, P, Nagendra, H, Nesshover, C, Oteng-Yeboah, AA, Pataki, G, Roué, M, Rubis, J, Schultz, M, Smith, P, Sumaila, R, Takeuchi, K, Thomas, S, Verma, M, Yeo-Chang, Y, and Zlatanova, D (2015). The IPBES Conceptual Framework — connecting nature and people. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 14, 1–16.
| The IPBES Conceptual Framework — connecting nature and people.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Flood S, O’Higgins TG, Lago M (2020) The Promise and Pitfalls of Ecosystem Services Classification and Valuation. In ‘Ecosystem-Based Management, Ecosystem Services and Aquatic Biodiversity: Theory, Tools and Applications’. (Eds TG O’Higgins, M Lago, TH DeWitt) pp. 87–103. (Springer International Publishing: Cham, Switzerland)
| Crossref |
Gordon, HS (1954). The Economic Theory of a Common-Property Resource: the Fishery. Journal of Political Economy 62, 124–142.
| The Economic Theory of a Common-Property Resource: the Fishery.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Gusenbauer, M (2019). Google Scholar to overshadow them all? Comparing the sizes of 12 academic search engines and bibliographic databases. Scientometrics 118, 177–214.
| Google Scholar to overshadow them all? Comparing the sizes of 12 academic search engines and bibliographic databases.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Haines-Young, R, and Potschin-Young, M (2018). Revision of the Common International Classification for Ecosystem Services (CICES V5.1): a Policy Brief. One Ecosystem 3, e27108.
| Revision of the Common International Classification for Ecosystem Services (CICES V5.1): a Policy Brief.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hanley N, Shogren JF, White B (2008) ‘Environmental economics in theory and practice.’ (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke, UK)
Hartley, JE, Monks, JW, and Robinson, MD (2001). Economists’ Publication Patterns. The American Economist 45, 80–85.
| Economists’ Publication Patterns.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hess DJ (1997). ‘Science studies: an advanced introduction.’ (New York University Press: New York, NY, USA)
Hotelling, H (1931). The Economics of Exhaustible Resources. Journal of Political Economy 39, 137–175.
| The Economics of Exhaustible Resources.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
IPBES (2017) Update on the classification of nature’s contributions to people by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Available at https://seea.un.org/content/update-classification-nature% E2% 80% 99s-contributions-people-intergovernmental-science-policy
La Notte, A, and Rhodes, C (2020). The theoretical frameworks behind integrated environmental, ecosystem, and economic accounting systems and their classifications. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 80, 106317.
| The theoretical frameworks behind integrated environmental, ecosystem, and economic accounting systems and their classifications.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 31902970PubMed |
Landers D (2015) National Ecosystem Services Classification System (NESCS): Framework Design and Policy Application. Available at https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEntryId=310592&Lab=NHEERL [Accessed 14 December 2021]
Lynne, GD, Conroy, P, and Prochaska, FJ (1981). Economic valuation of marsh areas for marine production processes. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 8, 175–186.
| Economic valuation of marsh areas for marine production processes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
MA (2005). ‘Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.’ (Island Press: Washington, DC, USA)
Martín-Martín, A, Thelwall, M, Orduna-Malea, E, and Delgado López-Cózar, E (2021). Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, Scopus, Dimensions, Web of Science, and OpenCitations’ COCI: a multidisciplinary comparison of coverage via citations. Scientometrics 126, 871–906.
| Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic, Scopus, Dimensions, Web of Science, and OpenCitations’ COCI: a multidisciplinary comparison of coverage via citations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 32981987PubMed |
McDonough, K, Hutchinson, S, Moore, T, and Hutchinson, JMS (2017). Analysis of publication trends in ecosystem services research. Ecosystem Services 25, 82–88.
| Analysis of publication trends in ecosystem services research.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Merga, MK, Mat Roni, S, and Mason, S (2020). Should Google Scholar be used for benchmarking against the professoriate in education? Scientometrics 125, 2505–2522.
| Should Google Scholar be used for benchmarking against the professoriate in education?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Mongeon, P, and Paul-Hus, A (2016). The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: a comparative analysis. Scientometrics 106, 213–228.
| The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: a comparative analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Newcomer-Johnson T, Andrews F, Corona J, De Witt TH, Harwell MC, Rhodes C, Ringold P, Russell MJ, Sinha P, Van Houtven G (2020) National Ecosystem Services Classification System (NESCS Plus). EPA/600/R-20/267. US Environmental Protection Agency. Available at https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_Report.cfm?dirEntryId=350613&Lab=CEMM [Accessed 14 December 2021]
Olawumi, TO, and Chan, DWM (2018). A scientometric review of global research on sustainability and sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production 183, 231–250.
| A scientometric review of global research on sustainability and sustainable development.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Oswald A, Stern N (2019) Why are economists letting down the world on climate change? Available at https://voxeu.org/article/why-are-economists-letting-down-world-climate-change
Solow, RM (1974). The Economics of Resources or the Resources of Economics. The American Economic Review 64, 1–14.
| The Economics of Resources or the Resources of Economics.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tinch, R, Beaumont, N, Sunderland, T, Ozdemiroglu, E, Barton, D, Bowe, C, Börger, T, Burgess, P, Cooper, CN, Faccioli, M, Failler, P, Gkolemi, I, Kumar, R, Longo, A, McVittie, A, Morris, J, Park, J, Ravenscroft, N, Schaafsma, M, Vause, J, and Ziv, G (2019). Economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services: a review for decision makers. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy 8, 359–378.
| Economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services: a review for decision makers.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Toman, M (1998). Why not to calculate the value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Ecological Economics 25, 57–60.
| Why not to calculate the value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
UN (2021) System of Environmental-Economic Accounting − Ecosystem Accounting: Final Draft Version 5. Available at https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/52nd-session/documents/BG-3f-SEEA-EA_Final_draft-E.pdf
United Nations, European Commission, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Organization for Economic Co-operationand Development & World Bank (2017) ‘System of Environmental-Economic Accounting 2012.’ United Nations.
| Crossref |
UNEP (2006) Marine and coastal ecosystems and human wellbeing: a synthesis report based on the findings of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. United Nations Environment Programme, Kenya. Available at http://www.sesame-ip.eu/doc/MMA_Marine_ecosystems_and_human_well_being.pdf
United Nations, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank (Eds) (2009) ‘System of national accounts 2008.’ (United Nations: New York, NY, USA). Available at https://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/docs/SNA2008.pdf
Varian HR (2010) ‘Intermediate microeconomics: a modern approach’, 8th edn. (W.W. Norton & Co: New York, NY, USA)
Visser, M, van Eck, NJ, and Waltman, L (2021). Large-scale comparison of bibliographic data sources: Scopus, Web of Science, Dimensions, Crossref, and Microsoft Academic. Quantitative Science Studies 2, 20–41.
| Large-scale comparison of bibliographic data sources: Scopus, Web of Science, Dimensions, Crossref, and Microsoft Academic.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
