Environmental economics
Environmental economics deals with the economic aspects of global, national and local environmental problems and policies.
More specifically, this includes identifying the causes behind environmental problems which are often related to dilemmas of joint action in the face of market failures. We estimate the costs and benefits of policies dealing with areas as air pollution, water quality, toxic substances, solid waste, natural resources and global warming, and how such policies interact with human behavior.
The Environmental Economics Group
Members of the Environmental Economics Group at the Department of Economics conduct theoretical and empirical research on three main areas. Firstly, the reasons for market and policy failure at the micro and macro levels. Secondly, the selection and design of policy instruments, both nationally (in both rich and poor countries) and globally, to deal with environmental issues. Thirdly, much of our research focuses on experimental and valuation studies and their behavioral foundations.
Lecture: The time to act is now
Åsa Löfgren and Thomas Sterner, two of the School’s climate change experts, discuss in a public lecture the recent IPCC report on mitigation of climate change and its implications for societal actions broadly as well as for our own education and research.
PhD Program in Environmental Economics
Since 2007 the Environmental Economics Unit runs a program for a PhD in Environmental Science with a focus on economics. The thesis work and studies have been similar to the PhD theses in economics in very broad terms. Note however that since the program no longer receive funding from Sida, admissions are very limited.
