ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT

COURSE SYLLABUS

College : School of Economics

Department : Economics

Course Code : Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (ENRECON)

Pre-requisite(s) :

Term/Time : Term 2, A.Y. 2018-2019 / TH 1430-1600

Section/Room : V24 / G210

Lecturer : Dr. Kris Francisco-Abrigo

E-mail : kris.a.francisco@gmail.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (ENRECON) is designed to provide students better
understanding on the relationship between the human economy and the environment. It centers on basic
economic concepts needed to analyze resource and environmental issues such as the theory of
externalities, management of public goods, environmental valuation, resource allocation, and cost-benefit
analysis. The course also touches on more recent environmental issues like climate change and the cost-
competitiveness of renewable energy. Knowledge and skills acquired from this course will help students
evaluate environmental policies.

LEARNING PLAN

Topics Week References Learning Activities

Introduction: The Economy and 1 Chapter 1, Harris and Lecture
Environment Roach, 4th edition
o Overview of Environmental
Issues
o Economic Approaches to the
Environment
o Principles of Ecological
Economics
Resources, Environment, and 2 Chapter 2, Harris and Lecture
Economic Development Roach, 4th edition
o Overview of Economic Growth
o Economic Growth in Recent
Decades
o Environmental Trends in
Recent Decades
o Optimists and Pessimists
o Sustainable Development
The Theory of Environmental 3 Chapter 3, Harris and Lecture
Externalities Roach, 4th edition Homework 1
o The Theory of Externalities
o Welfare Analysis of
Externalities
o Property Rights and the
Environment
Common Property Resources and 4 Chapter 4, Harris and Lecture
Public Goods Roach, 4th edition Homework 2
o Common Property, Open
Access, and Property Rights
o The Environment as a Public
Good
o The Global Commons
Resource Allocation Over Time 5 Chapter 5, Harris and Lecture
o Allocation of Nonrenewable Roach, 4th edition Homework 3
Resources
o Hotelling’s Rule and Time
Discounting
Valuing the Environment 6 Chapter 6, Harris and Lecture
o Total Economic Value Roach, 4th edition
o Overview of Valuation
Techniques
o Revealed Preference Methods
o Stated Preference Methods
Cost-Benefit Analysis 7 Chapter 7, Harris and Lecture
o Overview of Cost-Benefit Roach, 4th edition
Analysis
o Balancing the Present and
Future: The Discount Rate
o Valuing Human Life
o Other Issues in Cost-Benefit
Analysis
o Cost-Benefit Analysis Example
o The Role of Cost-Benefit
Analysis in Environmental
Policy Decisions
Pollution: Analysis and Policy 8 Chapter 8, Harris and Lecture
o The Economics of Pollution Roach, 4th edition Homework 4
Control
o Policies for Pollution Control
o The Scale of Pollution Impacts
o Assessing Pollution Control
Policies
o Pollution Control Policies in
Practice
Ecological Economics: Basic 9 Chapter 9, Harris and Lecture
Concepts Roach, 4th edition
o An Ecological Perspective
o Natural Capital
o Issues of Macroeconomic Scale
o Long-term Sustainability
o Energy and Entropy
o Ecological Economics and
Policy
National Income and 10 Chapter 10, Harris and Lecture
Environmental Accounting Roach, 4th edition Homework 5
o Greening the National Income
Accounts
o Green GDP
o Adjusted Net Saving
o The Genuine Progress Indicator
o The Human Development
Index and the Better Life Index
o Environmental Asset Accounts
o The Future of Alternative
Indicators
Energy: The Great Transition 11 Chapter 11, Harris and Lecture
o Energy and Economic Systems Roach, 4th edition
o Evaluation of Energy Sources
o Energy Trends and Projections
o Energy Supplies: Fossil Fuels
o Renewable Energy Sources
o The Economics of Alternative
Energy Futures
o Policies for the Great Energy
Transition
Global Climate Change: Science 12 Chapter 12, Harris and Lecture
and Economics Roach, 4th edition
o Causes and Consequences of
Climate Change
o Responses to Global Climate
Change
o Economic Analysis of Climate
Change
Global Climate Change: Policy 13 Chapter 13, Harris and Lecture
Responses Roach, 4th edition
o Adaptation and Mitigation
o Climate Change Mitigation:
Economic Policy Options
o Climate Change: The Technical
Challenge
o Climate Change Policy in
Practice
o Other Economic Proposals:
Environment and Equity
o Conclusion: Dimensions of
Climate Change
COURSE ASSESSMENT

Homework 50% (5 HWs, 10% each)

Final Exam 30%

Class activities 10%

Attendance 10%

Rubric for Class Presentation

EXEMPLARY SATISFACTORY DEVELOPING BEGINNING

RATING
CRITERIA
(%)
(90-100) (80-89) (60-79) (0-59)

Knowledge Very high degree Considerable Moderate Insufficient

/Understanding of understanding understanding of understanding of understanding of
of ideas / concepts ideas / concepts / ideas / concepts / ideas / concepts / 25
- Scope of / arguments / arguments / arguments / arguments /
knowledge evidence on topic evidence of topic evidence of topic evidence of topic

Highly effective Uses critical /

Uses effective
use of critical / analytical
critical /
analytical thinking skills to
Thinking / analytical Uses little critical
thinking skills to respond to
thinking skills to / analytical
respond to challenges /
Inquiry respond to thinking skills to
challenges / questions using 25
challenges / respond to
- Responses to questions using examples,
questions using challenges /
challenges concrete concepts or
examples, questions
examples, analogies with
concepts or
concepts or moderate
analogies
analogies effectiveness

Exceptionally Adequate
effective and Concrete oral professionalism in Uses little
professional oral communication application of oral
oral
communication skills that reflect communication
communication
skills (e.g. professionalism skills or
skills (e.g.
scholarly / (e.g. academic academic professionalism
Communication academic language, correct (e.g. correct
language, correct
language, correct grammar and grammar and 25
- Articulation of grammar and
grammar and sentence sentence
ideas sentence
sentence structure; structure;
structure;
structure; rhetorical devices; rhetorical devices; rhetorical devices;
rhetorical devices; voice projection; voice projection; voice projection;
voice projection; gestures; body gestures; body
gestures; body
gestures; body language; timing) language; timing)
language; timing)
language; timing)
with a moderate
 degree of
effectiveness

Excellent
organization and
Adequate
application of
Organizes and organization and Lack of
Application researched ideas,
applies researched application of organization and
arguments,
ideas, arguments, researched ideas, application of
- Organization of counterarguments,
counterarguments, arguments, researched ideas,
ideas and clear and evidence to 25
and evidence to counterarguments, arguments,
connections thesis presented in
(synopsis and oral thesis effectively and evidence to counterarguments
a logical and
summary) in synopsis and thesis in written and evidence to
coherent method
oral summary synopsis and oral thesis
in written
summary
synopsis and oral
summary

MAIN REREFENCE

Harris, J. and Roach, B. (2018). Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary
Approach, 4th Edition. New York : Routledge.

READING LIST

Note: Reading list and useful websites will be given at the end of each lecture (via email).