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Social and environmental accounting research manifests varying levels of awareness of critical global problems and the need to develop alternative approaches to dealing with economy and society. This paper explores Buddhist thought and, specifically, Buddhist economics as a means to informing this debate. We draw on and expand Schumacher's ideas about ‘Buddhist economics’, first articulated in the 1960s. Our analysis centres on Buddhism's Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and associated Buddhist teachings. The examination includes assumptions, means and ends of Buddhist approaches to economics; these are compared and contrasted with conventional economics.To consider how thought and practice may be bridged, we examine a practical application of Buddhism's Middle Way, in the form of Thailand's current work with ‘Sufficiency Economy’.Throughout the paper, we explore the implications for the development of social accounting, looking for mutual interactions between Buddhism and social accounting thought and practice.

Political and social economists are interested in understanding a connection between Buddhism and economics. The link can be found in Buddhist ethics; the resulting economics is both scientific, in the modern American sense, and normative. Buddhist economics may be regarded as syncretic and its principles may have universal application.

The purpose of this paper is to examine “(Buddhist economics)” in urban reform Buddhism in Thailand. In the West, Buddhist economics is often perceived as a specific economic system, but understanding the sustainable development debate in Buddhist countries requires recognition that there are many versions.

The authors organize the discussion about Buddhist economics into a framework used in the sustainability debate. Current literature, largely from Thai writers, is analyzed to understand their positions on economy and environment.

Four representative movements are discussed which show substantial differences. Status quo Wat Dhammakaya feels that Buddhist economics is mainly about improving individual moral behavior within the current capitalist system, and needs little systemic change. Santi Asoke is explicitly anti-capitalist, and its most serious adherents live simple lifestyles in collectivist agricultural communities. “(Reform-from-within)” seeks a mixed economy containing both capitalist and socialist elements. Kuan Im is also between the extremes, largely small business capitalist and wanting some restraints on perceived predatory big business.

Buddhist perspectives are just beginning to enter mainstream western discussion on sustainability. The most common understanding of Buddhist economics in the west is incomplete, assuming only one form of Buddhist economics. In fact, Buddhist societies, represented here by Thailand, cover the whole range of thinking on sustainability.

The purpose of this paper is to explore adaptable Buddhist teachings in economic circumstances, and provide a firm theoretical foundation for a possible Buddhist management approach. It aims to show that the application of Buddhist practical wisdom is contributing to achieve more beneficial economic outcome and management practices.

The paper is overviewing the Buddhist teachings, which aims at the cessation of suffering. It emphasizes tenets influencing right livelihood and economic practice. Further it investigates the mainstream economic system and Buddhist economics. It compares the two economic approaches by making parallel constructions of them, and reveals the foundation of a new management approach stem from the Buddhist view of economic affairs.

The application of the Buddhist values of mindfulness, non-harming and compassion in management practice serves adequate solutions to the most pressing issues of economics, since it is inherently fair, just and economically efficient. It allows an individually-, socially- and environmentally friendly management praxis by employing a minimizing framework.

The evidence that doing business in the Buddhist way is economically efficient is the foundation of an alternative management practice. Thus, managers and entrepreneurs are encouraged to employ a Buddhist way for management.

Applying Buddhist teachings to economics alleviates the most pressing problems of the society. It contributes to equality, justice and the cessation of poverty by ensuring basic necessities to people.

The paper sets up a parallel investigation of Buddhism, mainstream economics, and Buddhist economics by making a parallel model of them. It contrasts neoclassical economics with Buddhist economics, and ensures a firm foundation for Buddhist management approaches.

The purpose of this paper is to explore and compare the core operating values of Catholic and Buddhist entrepreneurs.

The study is an empirical investigation of the value-orientations of Catholic and Buddhist entrepreneurs in Hungary. By applying qualitative content analysis, document analysis and qualitative comparative analysis, the study presents the distinctive spiritual values in business.

Regardless of their different approach, Catholic and Buddhist value-orientations are implemented in the same value-dimensions that are: the ontological conceptions, procedural aspects, and the other-directedness of business activities.

The findings substantiate the understanding of the behavior and the motivations of spiritually value-oriented entrepreneurs, furthermore Catholic and Buddhist values may serve as inspirations of genuine ethical behavior in business. By promoting these values a more ethical, more sustainable economic framework can be established.

Spiritual values are studied by comparing the value-orientations of Catholic and Buddhist entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the study explores Catholic social teaching and Buddhist economics, and their practical implementation in a comparative way.

Buddhist economics is an effort to return human values to economic activity in pursuit of maximum long‐run benefit to society.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that both leisure and sustainability objectives can be achieved via Buddhist economics informed agritourism. Buddhist economics differs significantly from mainstream (neoclassical) economics in its ontological underpinning. This means that assumptions about human nature are different: the core values of mainstream economics are self-interest and competition in the pursuit of maximum welfare or utility; while in Buddhist economics, “self” includes oneself, society and nature, which are all simultaneously interconnected. The core values of Buddhist economics are compassion and collaboration through which well-being is achieved, leading to higher wisdom (pañña). Because of this, the interconnectedness of activities and relationships, even those not initially obviously so linked, is crucial.

The theoretical argument is illustrated by a pilot study of an agritourism, package tour to visit the properties of Thai farmers involved with a project known as “running a one rai farm to gain a one hundred thousand baht return”. The research is exploratory in character.

A result of this study is to reveal agritourism as a significant market channel to promote sustainable agriculture.

Agritourism can be considered an instrument for rural development with its contribution to positive economic impacts, providing economic opportunities to sustain financial security for the farming family, maintaining viability of the agricultural sector and local communities and creating jobs for rural residents together with sustainable agriculture.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight how the new transdiscipline of ecological economics (EE) provides a very useful supporting scientific base for Buddhist traditions and their provision of practical wisdom for economics and management.

The key relevant theoretical and methodological features of EE are explained and related to the Buddhist world view. The strong consistencies between the two perspectives are highlighted. The complementary nature of the practical philosophy of Buddhism and the guiding paradigm of EE can contribute to change in contemporary management approaches aligned with sustainable and welfare-enhancing economic systems.

EE provides a very appropriate scientific base to complement and broaden the positive contribution of Buddhist traditions to sustainable economic systems and consistent management practices.

Despite some very clear parallels and complementarities, the mutual benefits of integrating and strengthening the cross-over between Buddhism and the influential new “sustainability science” of EE are yet to be realised. This paper is focused on this goal. The potential interplay promises significant benefits for both perspectives – EE needs more development of its sustainability ethical basis, and Buddhist perspectives would be enhanced by support from a highly consistent and influential scientific paradigm in a world where secular market economics continues to prevail.

This study compares traditional, neoclassical economics with two religiously‐based economic paradigms. The first relies on an application of the teachings of Buddhism. The second, of more recent vintage, is based on Christian principles, and is grounded in the social justice teachings of the Catholic Church of the past 100 years. The exercise of comparing neoclassical economics with these two religiously‐based paradigms is not meant to replace the former with one of the latter, but to provide a pair of prisms through which neoclassical economics can be viewed and fine tuned.