Title: Interpretive economics in Slovenia: a useful approach for green economics?

Authors: Jeffrey David Turk

Addresses: Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Novi trg 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract: This paper justifies the need for interpretive forms of economic study and then deals with their practical application in Slovenia. The devastating consequences of the brute implementation of orthodox economic recipes in most of post-communist Europe upon the fall of communism were notably less pronounced in Slovenia, which took a very gradual approach to economic transformation. After giving a brief overview of the historical development of Slovenia, I discuss ongoing research in a project where we use a biographic-narrative approach, interviewing some of the key managers who had to implement the specific Yugoslav communist ideology as it evolved, and to figure out how to make it work in practice. This research is thus an interpretive investigation into how models are implemented and made to work by the managers directly involved in one particular social setting during a certain historical period. Could this be a useful approach for green economics?

Keywords: green economics; heterodox economics; interpretive economics; biographical research; economic development; Slovenia; post-communist Europe; economic transformation; Yugoslav communist ideology; Yugoslavia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGE.2007.013074

International Journal of Green Economics, 2007 Vol.1 No.3/4, pp.494 - 512

Published online: 06 Apr 2007 *

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