Advertisement
Published in:
2008 | OriginalPaper | Chapter
Problems in Setting Thresholds
Author : Reinhart Bartsch
Published in: Standards and Thresholds for Impact Assessment
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.
Select sections of text to find matching patents with Artificial Intelligence. powered by
Select sections of text to find additional relevant content using AI-assisted search. powered by
Economics “...studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses” (Robbins 1932 p.15 cited in Baumgärtner et al. 2003 p.5). In analyzing the effects of environment conservation measures (e.g. to set a threshold), it is generally understood that the role of the natural sciences is to describe the ecological effects of measures. The economist then would use his tools to determine the optimal choice among the possible alternatives to achieve a planned output. If this sequence is accepted, the first task of the economist is to determine scarcity, or costs and benefits, as well as to define human ends or target functions.