In the previous edition of this magazine,
I discussed political aspects of relevance
to the wildlife industry and highlighted
movements for wildness, animal welfare
and social transformation. I also argued that
industry participants should consider aligning
theirbusinessstrategieswithoneormore
ofthesepoliticalmovements.Giventhis
edition’sthemeof‘Economics’,it is worth
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betweenpolitics,economics,andsuccess
in thebusinessofwildlifemanagement.
wildlife economy
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T
here can be no doubt that economics is
closely linked to politics – so much so
that early classical economic thinkers
such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo
used to refer to their subject as ‘political economy’.
In practice, not much has changed, despite a
tendency of many modern-day academics to view
the two subjects as separate niches. All three focal
areas of economic concern – efficiency, equity
(fairness) and sustainability – are shaped by political
forces. But before thinking about these links, let us
first consider these three areas of economic concern
in terms of wildlife management. >>
All three focal areas of economic
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and sustainability – are shaped by
political forces. Let us consider these
three areas of economic concern in
terms of wildlife management.
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was a Scottish economist, also known as
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David Ricardo (18 April 1772 –
11 September 1823) was a British
political economist, one of the most
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