Human Ecology Political Economy

Human ecology and political economy are similar but in different ways. Human ecology has to do more with the cultural adaptation of individuals in a society. This can be influenced by anything in retrospect, such as a tragedy, or a significant piece of legislation. Human ecology has to do with the development and adaptation of society (specifically urban society) based on drastictic changes, whether it be socially or geographically, and the ways that society adapts to them. Political economy has more to do with the economics and the social stratification of a region/nation. This is mainly influenced by prospects such as economical changes, corporations, and legislation. There is some overlap between the two, but there are also drastic differences

This can be in regard to geographically (or literally), or socially. When a person is placed in an area in which they aren’t familiar with, how do they react? What about a completely different country? Or even within a different state? There are drastic changes in society, and people react different ways to different variables that are all influenced by human ecology. Herbert Ganz wrote, Urbanism and Suburbanism as Ways of Life, in which he expressed the drastic differences between life in a city, as compared to life in a suburb. Ganz states that there are, “five major types of inner-city residents.” These 5 groups consist of cosmopolites (students, writers, entertainers, etc.), the unmarried or childless, the ethnic villagers (those who live in ethnic enclaves or stay in close knit communities), the deprived (handicapped or broken families), and the ‘trapped’ (lower status immigrants) (Ganz 172 - 174). These groups are all drastically different, but all influence and play a crucial role in urban life. Urban villagers (or ethnic enclaves) are great examples of how human ecology plays a significant role in society, and differentiates itself from political economy, but also influences it. When individuals immigrate to a city, they will typically immigrate to an ethnic enclave, or a place that seems familiar to them. They do this simply because of the

Economics plays a role in almost every portion of our lives, especially those in the urban areas where division (particularly based on social class) is prevalent. Nearly every aspect of the 5 groups that Ganz studied, has to do with economics. Regarding unmarried or childless, these individuals typically have more capital at their disposal, allowing them to possibly identify with the wealthier side of the community, as opposed to deprived or the trapped, who would be living in the deeply troubled lower class portions of the city. Individuals in the cosmopolites would likely find themselves among the wealthy as well, being that they are composed of artists, musicians, and entertainers. People like ethnic villagers are the only ones who don't exactly fit in with a social class, because as mentioned in class, these individuals are of almost all social classes, and yet they still choose to stick together rather than separating. This is because of comfort, and its similar to home. This is where human ecology and political economy do not overlap, and it essentially breaks the interdependence of both theories. Human ecology states that they would stay together because it is familiar, whereas political economy states that they should separate based on social class. This is not the case, as these ethnic enclaves are composed of all social