I Module - Economy, environment and sustainability (12 hours of lesson)
Interaction between economic and environmental systems: the traditional economic model; the budget model of the materials; limits to growth. Definition elements of sustainability concepts; analysis of the main theoretical approaches; measures of sustainability; operative principles; comparison between environmental sustainability and green economy.
II Module – Causes of the environmental issues and the problem about the economic value of the environmental resources (12 hours of lesson)
Functioning and failure of the market; public goods and open access resources; the free-rider problem; externalities; non perfect competitive markets; analysis of pollution as externality; the failure of the public intervention. Techniques of monetary valuation of the environmental resources: hedonic pricing; contingent valuation; cost of transport system.
III Module - Externality Control and optimal allocation of the resources: Tools policies (12 hours of lesson)
Command and control tools (environmental standards). Economic instruments (taxes and subsidies, property rights). Voluntary and preventive tools (eco-label, negotiable allowances).
IV Module – The environmental policies
The international conferences (UNO) on the environment. Kyoto Treaty; developments of the ageements on the climate change. The environmental policy of the European Community: Principles; environmental action programmes; policy tools.
Course organization:
The course is conducted through frontal lessons during which the topics of the program will be analyzed. During the lessons, students are discussing seminars on specific cases of policy interventions and business strategies.