30 August - 5 September 2015
Oxford Summer School in Ecological Economics 2015
Balliol Colledge, Oxford
Policies and Innovation for a Green Economy
This course explores the cutting edge methods and policy applications in ecological economics, an interdisciplinary field emerged in response to global sustainability crisis. With a clear sustainable development focus, it draws on the expertise of a range of disciplines: economics, ecology, physics, environmental sciences, sociology, psychology, complex systems theory, etc. to address the current challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, water shortages, social cohesion and achieving sustainability. Ecological economics has been critical of the dominant approaches to decision making, namely cost-benefit analysis, the use of GDP as a key economic progress measure and the limits of the economic models not taking into account resource and environmental constraints. 'Green Economy' and 'Beyond GDP' movements are inspired by the ideas proposed by ecological economists.
The course is designed for multiple points of entry and could be helpful for PhD students, MSc students, government experts, representatives of international organizations and business. The course will give participants an opportunity to explore key methodologies for ecological-economic analysis and to apply these to various case studies. Oxford and Summer Winter Schools in Ecological Economics organized by Environment Europe attracted participants from Canada, USA, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Bosnia, Latvia, Ghana, Nigeria, China, India, Taiwan, and Australia.
This course explores the cutting edge methods and policy applications in ecological economics, an interdisciplinary field emerged in response to global sustainability crisis. With a clear sustainable development focus, it draws on the expertise of a range of disciplines: economics, ecology, physics, environmental sciences, sociology, psychology, complex systems theory, etc. to address the current challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, water shortages, social cohesion and achieving sustainability. Ecological economics has been critical of the dominant approaches to decision making, namely cost-benefit analysis, the use of GDP as a key economic progress measure and the limits of the economic models not taking into account resource and environmental constraints. 'Green Economy' and 'Beyond GDP' movements are inspired by the ideas proposed by ecological economists.
The course is designed for multiple points of entry and could be helpful for PhD students, MSc students, government experts, representatives of international organizations and business. The course will give participants an opportunity to explore key methodologies for ecological-economic analysis and to apply these to various case studies. Oxford and Summer Winter Schools in Ecological Economics organized by Environment Europe attracted participants from Canada, USA, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Bosnia, Latvia, Ghana, Nigeria, China, India, Taiwan, and Australia.
1. The Economic System and the Environment: Current Challenges and the Way Forward. (Prof. Arild Vatn, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway)
2.Ecological-Economic Modelling: Input-Output Analysis for Sustainability (Speaker to be confirmed)
3.Multi-Criteria Decision Aid for Sustainable Development: ELECTRE, NAIADE, APIS (Dr Stanislav Shmelev, Environment Europe, UK)
4. Assessing Progress Towards Sustainability: A Multidimensional Approach (Dr Stanislav Shmelev, Environment Europe, UK)
5.Sustainability Across the World: USA, Brazil, China, Russia, UK, Germany, France (Dr Stanislav Shmelev, Environment Europe, UK)
6.Institutional Ecological Economics: Democracy, Political Economic Perspectives and Institutions (Prof. Peter Söderbaum, Mälardalen University, Sweden)
2.Ecological-Economic Modelling: Input-Output Analysis for Sustainability (Speaker to be confirmed)
3.Multi-Criteria Decision Aid for Sustainable Development: ELECTRE, NAIADE, APIS (Dr Stanislav Shmelev, Environment Europe, UK)
4. Assessing Progress Towards Sustainability: A Multidimensional Approach (Dr Stanislav Shmelev, Environment Europe, UK)
5.Sustainability Across the World: USA, Brazil, China, Russia, UK, Germany, France (Dr Stanislav Shmelev, Environment Europe, UK)
6.Institutional Ecological Economics: Democracy, Political Economic Perspectives and Institutions (Prof. Peter Söderbaum, Mälardalen University, Sweden)
1. Green Economy: A View from the United Nations (Speaker to be confirmed)
2. The European Environment — State and Outlook 2015 (Mr. Mike Asquith, European Environment Agency)
3. Inclusive Green Growth: Equity and the Environment (Speaker to be confirmed)
4. Renewable Energy: International Experience and the Keys to Success (Prof. Miranda Schreurs, Free University of Berlin )
5. Development of Renewable Energy around the World: Current Trends (Prof. Dave Elliott, The Open University)
6. Sustainable Cities: A Pathway towards a Regenerative City (Prof. Herbert Girardet, World Future Council)
7. Ecological Consciousness: Values, Attitudes and Decision Making (Prof. Irina Shmeleva, Institute of Sustainable Development Strategies)
8. Simulations Game
2. The European Environment — State and Outlook 2015 (Mr. Mike Asquith, European Environment Agency)
3. Inclusive Green Growth: Equity and the Environment (Speaker to be confirmed)
4. Renewable Energy: International Experience and the Keys to Success (Prof. Miranda Schreurs, Free University of Berlin )
5. Development of Renewable Energy around the World: Current Trends (Prof. Dave Elliott, The Open University)
6. Sustainable Cities: A Pathway towards a Regenerative City (Prof. Herbert Girardet, World Future Council)
7. Ecological Consciousness: Values, Attitudes and Decision Making (Prof. Irina Shmeleva, Institute of Sustainable Development Strategies)
8. Simulations Game
The requirements for the course are the following:
1.After your application is accepted and you have paid your course fees, you will receive reading materials. The pool of literature you will receive will include a wide spectrum of papers from the early history of ecological economics to the current trends. It will be compulsory to read one or two papers for each lecture and be ready to present them and discuss them from the point of view of the methodology, conclusions, and significance for ecological economics and sustainability analysis.
2. The book 'Ecological Economics: Sustainability in Practice' (amazon link) is going to be the core text for the course and you are welcome to acquire a copy or borrow one from your library. The book contains useful bibliography, charts, and it would make your course experience more fruitful.
3. Each participant will have to prepare a presentation about your background (brief) and project (in more detail) so that all the course participants could get acquainted with you and your work better. The presentation should take 15 min and will be given on the first day of the course.
4. Each participant will be required to develop an independent or a collaborative project and present the preliminary results: methodology, data, key research questions, anticipated conclusion, including the sources of possible surprises, non-linearities and unpredictable behaviour (if any).
1.After your application is accepted and you have paid your course fees, you will receive reading materials. The pool of literature you will receive will include a wide spectrum of papers from the early history of ecological economics to the current trends. It will be compulsory to read one or two papers for each lecture and be ready to present them and discuss them from the point of view of the methodology, conclusions, and significance for ecological economics and sustainability analysis.
2. The book 'Ecological Economics: Sustainability in Practice' (amazon link) is going to be the core text for the course and you are welcome to acquire a copy or borrow one from your library. The book contains useful bibliography, charts, and it would make your course experience more fruitful.
3. Each participant will have to prepare a presentation about your background (brief) and project (in more detail) so that all the course participants could get acquainted with you and your work better. The presentation should take 15 min and will be given on the first day of the course.
4. Each participant will be required to develop an independent or a collaborative project and present the preliminary results: methodology, data, key research questions, anticipated conclusion, including the sources of possible surprises, non-linearities and unpredictable behaviour (if any).
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