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Corso di laurea magistrale Economics - Scienze economiche
INFORMAZIONI SU

Environmental and Resource Economics

CORSO DI STUDIO: Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Economics-Scienze Economiche                   a.a. 2015/2016

Denominazione insegnamento/Course Title

Environmental and Resource Economics

Lingua dell’insegnamento: Inglese
Crediti e ore di lezione: 6 CFU, 48 ore di lezione

Moduli: NO

Settore/i scientifico disciplinare: AGR/01

Docente: Stefania Troiano
Indirizzo email: stefania.troiano@uniud.it
Pagina web personale: http://people.uniud.it/page/stefania.troiano

Prerequisiti e propedeuticità/Requirements

Prerequisites are some of the concepts from “Economia Ambientale/Environmental Economics” (bachelor), and represents its  continuation course. Knowledge required for entry: fundamentals of microeconomics (first year of bachelor).

Conoscenze e abilità da acquisire/Knowledge and skills

The course provides the students with comprehensive knowledge about theoretical approaches and methodological tools of environmental/ecological economics, from a political economic point of view in a perspective of sustainable development.

The course aims to provide graduates an advanced understanding of the methods and tools of environmental resources management.

The program includes the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of approaches and tools of environmental resources management. The course aims to enable students to acquire a specialized knowledge and understanding of selected aspects in order to:

  • contextualize the different approaches you can adopt;
  • identify and distinguish the tools, and point out their potential impacts on socio-economic and environmental system;
  • adopt the tools and understand the results derived from their implementation using examples and case studies about environmental resources management;
  • analyze the relationships among socio-economic variables and environmental resources interventions;
  • recognize strengths and weaknesses of both institutional and private interventions in favor of the conservation and/or promotion of environmental resources.

    • soft skills:

  • by approaching environmental resources management students will have developed a methodological and cultural preparation that allows them to use skills for a critical approach during their curriculum studiorum and to enter various career fields;
  • students will have acquired the aptitude towards choosing in different socio-economic contexts from various tools in order to counteract environmental pollution and promote environmental resources;

    • during individual or group workshops students will have acquired the aptitude to effective reporting their researches created by using different tools and adopting different approaches in order to manage environmental resources taking into consideration also the presence of further economic activities.

    Programma e contenuti dell'insegnamento/ Course description

    Starting from an introduction to the scientific issues surrounding the global warming the course illustrates the framework that economists use for approaching pollution problems and more in general environmental resources management. For any such concern, four general questions must be answered:

  • how much pollution is too much?
  • ethics and economics;
  • a number of different standards;
  • measuring costs and benefits;
  • consumption and well-being: is more really better?
  • is government up to the job?
  • environmental legislation;
  • strengths and weaknesses of institutional intervention;
  • how can we do better?
  • incentive-based instruments;
  • clean technology
  • How can we resolve global issues?
  • case studies.

    • Attività di apprendimento e metodi didattici previsti/Teaching and Learning activities

    Powerpoint slides provided during the course cover the entire program of the course. Nevertheless they are only a part of the material necessary to pass the exam.

    The course follows the textbook chapter by chapter, but additional materials will sometimes emphasize or clarify a number of points.

    The course combines theoretical knowledge with applications and individual fields or case studies about environmental resources management.

    Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento/Examination

    The exam consists of:

  • a 2-hour written exam, which includes 2 long answer theory questions, 2 short answer theory questions and 2 exercises) (mandatory);
  • individual/group work (optional; this work replaces 2 exercises in the written exam);
  • oral text (optional).

    • Written exam and individual/group work marks will be expressed as a grade of out of 30. For individual/group work assessment weighting: written exam 80% plus individual/group work 20%. Both marks must be at least 18/30. The optional oral text gives an opportunity to improve (2-3 points) the written exam mark, which must be sufficient.

    Testi / Bibliografia/Bibliography

    Goodstein E.S., Polasky S. (2014) “Economics and the Environment”, John Wiley and Sons, New York, capp. 1-17.

    Strumenti a supporto della didattica/Further readings and support material

    Powerpoint slides (theory and applications) and further materials are available on “Materiale didattico” website.All materials are reproduction-ready and delivered electronically.

    Tesi di laurea/Thesis

    Students looking for thesis after finding a topic of particular interest can write both a theoretical and a practical dissertation about environmental resources management (conservation, promotion, etc.).

    Note/Remarks

    The program is the same for both attending and non-attending students. Nevertheless, non-attending students take only a written exam (eventually, also the optional oral text), as they do not attend individual/group works.