Programme

Course description

This course is an introduction to an economics and policy perspective on the nature of environmental problems and how environmental policy should be designed. We will study how economic activities can lead to a non-efficient use of natural resources and how different policy and innovation oriented  approaches can be adopted to adjust human behavior and economic activities in presence of externalities. We will discuss instruments like environmental taxes, cap and trade systems, as well as liability rules and regulation. Economic evaluation techniques and decision rules such as cost benefit analyses will be scrutinized to offer a comprehensive view on how to value and then regulate environmental public good use in market settings. Case studies and empirical evidence will cover climate change and waste among main themes of interest.

Course contents

• Environmental policy theory
• Economic valuation techniques and cost benefit analysis
• Environmental policy and innovation effects on economic performances