Potentials and problems of economic-ecologic models for management of multi-region systems

The modeling and management of multi-region economic-ecologic systems provides the general focus for this paper as the authors attempt to couple an extension of the framework of central places, inclusive of decision-making functions, with operational models for the purposes of more effectively depicting, understanding and managing problems of the environment. Significant basic problems encountered in applying state-of-the-art methodologies to regional and multi-regional development questions inclusive of the impact on the ecologic system and environmental quality for purposes of policy determination are outlined. These include the problems of identification of meaningful regions, aggregation of data, establishment of an appropriate framework of activities and commodities, and selecting a relevant set of techniques. An empirical study which has confronted these problems is briefly outlined and examples of the type of policy-relevant information generated by the study are given. Finally, some conceptual thinking on how the existing methodologies might be supplemented to more effectively deal with conflicts which certainly will arise within and between regions and nations regarding environmental management is presented. In this section, the world Is viewed as a multi-level system involving planning and environmental management at all levels, and an attempt is made to determine the optimal distribution of decision-making functions over these levels.