The Control of Resources

by Partha Dasgupta

Most books in environmental economics either employ complex mathematical models or resort to a recital of case studies. What makes this new book by a leading expert in resource economics so useful is the careful blend of theory and practice. Terms and techniques are explained fully, and only a modest technical background in economics and mathematics is assumed. Partha Dasgupta examines the problems of resource management and pollution control within a common framework and relates them to issues in development planning. He also draws extensively on environmental literature to which students and policymakers seldom have access. Special attention is given to critical issues in environmental decisionmaking, such as externalities, pricing, cost-benefit analysis, uncertainty, and optimization. The author also uses real-world examples to illustrate difficult concepts.

Hardcover

First published January 11, 1983

About the author

Professor Sir Partha Sarathi Dasgupta (born November 17, 1942), FBA, FRS, is the Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge; Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; and Professor of Environmental and Development Economics at the University of Manchester. Research interests have covered welfare and development economics; the economics of technological change; population, environmental, and resource economics; social capital; the theory of games; and the economics of malnutrition.

He was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, then in India, and is the son of noted economist A.K. Dasgupta. He is married to Carol Dasgupta, who is a psychotherapist. They have three children, Zubeida Dasgupta-Clark (an educational psychologist), Shamik (a philosophy professor) and Aisha (who works on reproductive health in poor countries).