On the normalization of dimensioned variables

Abstract

We attempt to resolve the central dispute in recent debates on dimensional consistency ofeconomic and ecological variables in ecological economics (Mayumi and Giampietro, 2010;Malghan, 2011; Chilarescu and Viasu, 2012; Baiocchi, 2012). Using canonical examples fromecology and economics, we demonstrate that the well-established procedures of normalizationand nondimensionalization can be used to circumvent the technical problem of dimensionalconsistency of ecological economics models. However, we also show how normalization doesnot directly address the problem of mapping between cardinal and ordinal variables that isthe primary source of dimensional consistency problems in ecological economics.