HEN651 Economic Instruments of Environmental Policy

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2019
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Vojtěch Kotecký, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Bohuslav Binka, Ph.D.
Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Veronika Išová
Supplier department: Department of Environmental Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
each odd Monday 10:00–13:40 U35
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 33 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/33, only registered: 0/33, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/33
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Generally speaking, the course should teach the students to observe the economy through environmental lenses, and to understand the environment through the eyes of economy. It will focus on measures (instruments) used by public policy (i.e. the government) to make sure that two pairs of eyes become one, and, equally importantly, to prevent them from turning into four. The course should not teach students a detailed overview of economic instruments in Czech environmental policy, a catalogue of laws, rates, payers and collectors. We will, of course, discuss environmental tax reform and emission trading schemes, mandatory recycling, farm subsidies, mining royalties and other programs; however, they will serve primarily as case studies and examples.
Learning outcomes
Students should understand why and how public policy instruments influence environmentally relevant choices of companies and households.
Syllabus
  • I. Purpose of economic instruments: reducing economy’s environmental footprint.
  • II. An overview of key economic instruments, their use and utilisation.
  • III. Efficiency, costs, effectiveness and moral constrains.
  • IV. Economic context, practical solutions and political process.
Literature
  • KEVIN KENNEDY, MICHAEL OBEITER, AND NOAH KAUFMAN: PUTTING A PRICE ON CARBON: A HANDBOOK FOR U.S. POLICYMAKERS, World resources institute, April 2015
  • Stefan Speck (EEA) and Susanna Paleari (ETC/WMGE): Environmental taxation and EU environmental policies, EEA Report No 17/2016, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2016
  • Cameron Hepburn, Jacquelyn Pless, and David Popp: Policy Brief Encouraging Innovation that Protects Environmental Systems: Five Policy Proposals. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, volume 12, issue 1, Winter 2018, pp. 154–169, Advance Access P
  • Lawrence H. Goulder and Ian W. H. Parry: Instrument Choice in Environmental Policy , Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, volume 2, issue 2, summer 2008, pp. 152–174 Advance Access publication on July 7, 2008
  • N. Gregory Mankiw: Smart Taxes: An Open Invitation to Join the Pigou Club. Department of Economics, 223 Littauer Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 2138, USA.
Teaching methods
The lectures will take two-hour lectures every two weeks. Lectures are combined with brief group discussions, group activities and homework.
Assessment methods
Participation in at least two group activities is mandatory; evaluation of the course is based on asessements of seminar paper.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2020.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2019, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2019/HEN651