Course description:
The notion of a green economy is raising as much hope as skepticism nowadays. Is economic growth really compatible with environmental preservation? Are our economies on a sustainable development path? To be sure, social demands and regulations to preserve the environment impose constraints on economic agents. If economic growth is to someday turn green, these constraints will have to transform into opportunities. This course will cover some of the means that may lead into this direction, such as green accounting, sustainability indicators, and innovation-enhancing environmental policy.

Outline:
– The environmental impact of economic activity
IPAT and Kaya equations
Green accounting
- Sustainable development
Economic concepts of sustainability
GDP measures and sustainability - The OECD approach
- The growth-environment relationship
The Environmental Kuznets Curve and the Hartwick rule
The Hotelling model and the green paradox
- Green innovation and growth
Green growth models with exogenous and endogenous technical change
Environmental policy as a catalyst for innovation - The Porter hypothesis
The environmental goods and services industry (or ‘eco-industry’)


Indicative references:
Perman R., Ma Y., McGilvray J. & M. Common. (2003). Natural resources and environmental economics. Pearson, Addison Wesley. Third edition.
Kolstad C. 2010. Environmental economics. Oxford University Press. Second edition.


Course taught in English

Dernière mise à jour : mardi 26 février 2013