Argomenti dell'insegnamento
1. The concept of sustainability and its economic implications 2. Economic theory and practice of environmental policy (externalities, optimal pollution, abatement costs) 3. Command and control instruments; subsidies, environmental taxation and trading systems 4. Evaluation of environmental policy instruments 5. Valuation of environmental assets (economic values, WTA and WTP, revealed preference methods, stated preference methods, alternatives to the more traditional methods) 6. The economics of sustainable transport and cities 7. Sustainability in other sectors

Modalità di insegnamento
Frontal online lectures, mainly synchronous, presentations, discussions

Obiettivi formativi e risultati di apprendimento (ulteriori info.)
Knowledge and understanding Students will know and understand analytical tools used in environmental and sustainability economics and acquire knowledge on the theory of externalities with empirical applications in various sectors Applying knowledge and understanding Students will be able to comprehend and apply research contributions. They will learn how to compare the effectiveness of different environmental policy instruments and learn how to design environmental valuation studies, interpret theoretical ideas and applied research results. Making judgments Student will be able to reflect on specific problems and formulate judgments that include the valuation of environmental commodities and evaluation of environmental policies. Communication skills Students will be able to communicate content, key concepts, research ideas, problems and solutions as well as empirical research results to both a specialist and non-specialist audience. Learning skills Students will develop the ability to connect economic theory with real-world sustainability challenges. This entails independently expanding their understanding through in-depth engagement with scientific research and empirical analyses. They will cultivate skills essential for conducting thorough literature reviews and formulating precise research questions.

Modalità d'esame
For Attending students: I) Presentation (40% of the final grade). The presentation requires critical discussion of a case study in sustainability economics. II) Final exam (60% of the final grade). The final exam consists of analytical problems in multiple choice questions and short essay question form. The final exam tests Skill 1 (Knowledge and understanding). The presentation allows to verify Skills 2, 3 and 4 (Applying knowledge and understanding, Making judgements, Communication skills). The skill concerned with autonomous study (Skill 5, Learning skills) is indirectly verified, because passing the final exam requires autonomous execution of exercises suggested by the lecturer and face-to-face discussions. For non-attending students or students who do not take the presentation, the final exam is 100% of the final grade.

Criteri di valutazione
Overall, students will be assessed against the learning outcomes. Presentations will be evaluated in terms of structure, content and communication techniques. Reaction to questions from the audience will also be part of the assessment, as well as questions addressed to other students during their presentations. Exam will be a mixture of multiple choice questions and essay type, valued against the criteria, in particular knowledge and understanding of the main concepts and their implications in real world policy settings.

Bibliografia obbligatoria

These will be provided at the beginning and during the course

Bibliografia facoltativa

The lectures will mainly be drawn from journal articles. Additional literature will be given during class.

Altre informazioni
lectures will be recorded