Description

Various incentives, policies and management initiatives are used to influence human behaviour and to promote sustainable development.

This course gives an overview over environmental and resource management and public policy tools and instruments - in the context of management of coastal and marine environments and stustainable development (SD). It introduces elements of standard economic analysis (neo-classical economics) as well as other approaches, such as ecological economics. It focuses on how to manage for healthy ecosystems and a healtht economy, and aims at providing students with the necessary tools to assess objectives and to make choices when it comes to environmental and resource management in coastal and marine regions.

The course is broken into three sections:

• In the first section we look at neo-classical economics; economics tools of environmental analysis and valuation both withins markets and when markets are absent. Special emphasis will be given to implementation of these tools in practical instances of decision making concerning use or conservation of the coastal and marine resources.
• In the second session we focus on relevant, international instruments (conventions, declarations etc). We assess the concept SD from economic, social and environmental perspectives; compare the concepts growth and SD and ask if the two are compatible. Initiatives and instruments such as Rio, Johannesburg, Agenda 21, Environmental Kuznets Curve; Resource Curse; Porter hypothesis, and Sustainability indicators at micro and macro levels will be covered.
• In the third session we examine the ideological foundations behind environmental and resource policy, main and assess various policy tools and instruments in coastal and ocean situations. Focus will be on instruments, policies and management approaches in selected case studies, in particular fisheries policies.

Learning outcomes

TBA

Assessment

TBA

Instructor

Dr. Sabau currently teaches at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, the western campus of Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada. Among her courses are: Principles of Micro and Macroeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics, Environmental Economics, Ecological Economics and a senior seminar in Environmental Studies. Her research interests include theoretical aspects of the knowledge society and knowledge-based economy; the theory of choice and moral knowledge; the economics of sustainable development; environmental and natural resource economics; ecological economics and problem-based learning.

Guest lecturer

Further reading