The article develops R.H.Coase's insight that the level of transaction costs in the market determines the amount of externalities, thus providing arguments against government intervention. Contrary to Coase, however, we argue that the level of transaction costs cannot be considered as given, and...

The interdependency of socio-ecological systems and the increased reach of human activity have led to major political and scientific challenges in the governance of environmental resources. This chapter reviews the state of our knowledge on the matter. The chapter begins by discussing the...

In Europe, the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development (SD) are closely linked. Yet this approach to CSR has only taken shape in the last ten years and it is not shared by everyone. The objective of this article is to present the different stages of the CSR...

This paper describes the elaboration of an observation system based on a participative multicriteria valuation method in order to take into account the sustainability problem related to the Thau lagoon in the Mediterranean area of France. These methodologies enable the elaboration, selection and...

This article provides a critical appraisal of the concept of sustainable development in light of climate change. As the latest climate change science indicates strong effects of anthropogenic activity on global warming, we review the pros and the cons of prioritizing development over...

Secteur en pleine mutation, l'agriculture doit faire face, en même temps, à la libéralisation des marchés et à une société toujours plus exigeante en termes de qualité : qualité des produits, mais aussi préservation de l'environnement. Tel est le constat des auteurs qui s'accordent par...