Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this course, the successful student should, inter alia, be able to:

- Have an appreciation of economic thinking and how this can inform environmental policy decisions.
- Understand the economic approach to analysing why environmental problems occur.
- Understand the logic behind economic environmental policies such as the carbon tax.
- Be aware of behavioural economic policy instruments to solve environmental problems.
- Be aware of the tools available to assess the costs and benefits of policies.

Indicative Module Content:

- Key economic concepts
- Introduction to Environmental Economics
- Market Failures; Why Environmental Problems Occur
- Overcoming Market Failures; Environmental Economic Policy Design
- Evaluating Projects and Policies
- Behavioural Environmental Economics and Nudging

Student Effort Type	Hours
Lectures	24
Specified Learning Activities	10
Autonomous Student Learning	90
Total	124

Not applicable to this module.

Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy  

Description	Timing		Component Scale		% of Final Grade
Multiple Choice Questionnaire: The multiple choice questionnaire contains questions on all lectures.	Week 12	n/a	Graded	No	25
Assignment: Students produce a concept to provide essential information for the design of an environmental economic policy relying on environmental economic tools.	Varies over the Trimester	n/a	Graded	No	25
Assignment: Students produce a policy-brief suggesting a solution to an environmental problem of their choice. The policy-brief highlights key concepts from the environmental economics literature.	Varies over the Trimester	n/a	Graded	No	50

 

Resit In	Terminal Exam
Spring	No

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

The pre-assignment feedback includes group feedback on the presentations you'll give and peer feedback in smaller groups. The post-assessment feedback for the 2 essay assignments will come in the form of feedback sheets and the post-assessment feedback for the Quiz is just the points you'll get in the Quiz.

Keohane, M. N. O., & Olmstead, S. M. (2016). Markets and the Environment. Island Press. Chapters 1-5 and 8-10.

For basic economics concepts, lectures and readings will be complemented by videos. For example, the videos by Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok on https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-uRhZ_p-BM4XnKSe3BJa23-XKJs_k4KY (At least 1-11).

Atkinson, G., Braathen, N. A., Mourato, S., & Groom, B. (2018). Cost Benefits Analysis and the Environment: Further Developments and Policy Use. OECD.

Gifford, R. (2011). The dragons of inaction: psychological barriers that limit climate change mitigation and adaptation. American psychologist, 66(4), 290.

Carlsson, F., Gravert, C., Johansson-Stenman, O., & Kurz, V. (2019). Nudging as an environmental policy instrument. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 2020.

Name	Role
Dr Liana Ricci	Lecturer / Co-Lecturer