Research Theme Champion: Environment and Sustainability

Associate Professor Neil Perry

School of Business  and Institute for Culture and Society
neil.perry@westernsydney.edu.au

Neil is an Associate Professor in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability. He specialises in progressive economics approaches to environmental economics and policy and in ecological economics, an interdisciplinary field of research emphasising the interdependence of economic and ecological values. Neil aims to bring ecological and social values into economics through theory and practice. For example, Neil’s theoretical work on the Noah’s Ark problem – the problem of allocating limited funds to conserve biodiversity – problematises the standard economic framework which prioritises species that provide direct human value over those species that support the structure and function of ecosystems. Effectively, under Neil’s theoretical position, Noah creates an ecosystem on the Ark rather than a collection of zoo animals.

One of the most important tools Neil is using in his research is Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA). CBA is increasingly prominent in justifying every government project and policy in NSW, Australia and globally, such as those related to mining, transport, water, conservation, and the use of environmental markets to protect the environment. Neil analyses the CBAs of these projects and policies to ensure they are incorporating social and ecological values and provides submissions to the Independent Planning Commission and parliamentary bodies assessing proposals, and advice to government departments on valuing green infrastructure.

By specialising in the practical application of economics through CBA, Neil has been able to lead and support large category 1, 2, and 3 research grants with interdisciplinary teams of researchers from WSU and other institutions. For example, in an ARC Linkage grant worth $590,000, Neil and ICS researchers articulate the social value of cooperative housing. In a $1.8m grant from DPE, Neil and HIE researchers develop the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan (CPCP) Research Implementation Strategy. In a Transport for NSW grant worth $200,000, Neil and SoSS researchers develop and apply the methodology for analysing the wider economic benefits of public transport projects. In an $800,000 National Resilience and Recovery Project grant, Neil and members from across the University, including the Maldhan Ngurr Ngurra – Lithgow Transformation Hub, build capacity and resilience in the transitioning community of Lithgow.

While supporting researchers from all areas of the Environment and Sustainability theme, Neil wants to emphasise transitioning communities over the next two years to help researchers and the University make a real and long lasting contribution to achieving a zero carbon, equitable and inclusive economy. A second focus is on ecological restoration science and the economy, industry and policy that reverses the trend of biodiversity loss in NSW and beyond.