Teaching – Current courses

Lecture and exercise for Bachelor students (in English)

Instructor(s): Dr. Philipp M. Richter

The course examines both classical theories and current advances in trade and environmental economics. It covers analytical models and empirical findings, with a particular focus on the transition to firm-based and microdata-based approaches. Students gain insights into the most important theoretical and empirical findings as well as current policy debates at the intersection of trade and environmental economics.

Lecture for 2nd-year PhD students

Instructor(s): Prof. Ulrich J. Wagner, Ph.D.

Introduction to the theoretical concepts and empirical instruments of economic analysis of environmental policy.

Block seminar for Bachelor students (in English)

Instructor(s): Prof. Ulrich Wagner, Ph.D.; N. N. 

Since the introduction of environmental policy measures to regulate companies more than four decades ago, the initial “command-and-control” approach has given way to a more decentralized, price-based policy for regulating pollutant emissions. Based on empirical research, this seminar analyzes a variety of economic, political, and environmental aspects of environmental regulation of companies: environmental effectiveness and economic costs, effects on international competitiveness, incentives for innovation in clean technologies, the effects of compensation schemes, and the impact of policy on environmental justice. In addition, the course will give students the opportunity to improve their methodological skills. At the beginning of the semester, we will discuss microeconometric methods using applied research papers. The aim of these sessions is to help students evaluate the empirical approaches of the papers discussed later in the seminar.

Lecture and exercise for Bachelor students. The language of instruction is English.

Instructor(s): Prof. Ulrich Wagner, Ph.D.

This course introduces advanced undergraduate students in economics to the field of environmental and natural resource economics. It presents the theory of optimal management of renewable and non-renewable resources and introduces the students to different forms of environmental regulation, giving particular regard to market based instruments such as tradeable pollution rights. Different concepts for the valuation of non-market amenities such as environmental quality are presented, including hedonic pricing, travel cost methods and contingent valuation. Their use is exemplified with an introduction to environmental cost-benefit analysis. Finally, the course touches on issues associated with the regulation of transboundary pollution.

Lecture and exercise for Master students

Instructor(s): Prof. Kathrine von Graevenitz, Ph.D.

This course is an introduction to the field of environmental economics at the graduate level. The first part of the course presents the economic theory of environmental policy. Based on the theory of externalities, a broad range of instruments for environmental policy will be analyzed from an economic point-of-view. The second part of the course deals with empirical methods for the valuation of environmental quality, which is required for cost-benefit-analysis and in the implementation of environmental policies. The third part of the course is dedicated to the economic analysis of international environmental problems.

Research seminar für 3rd and 4th year PhD students

Instructor(s): Prof. Ulrich Wagner, Ph.D.
                          Prof. Kathrine von Graevenitz, Ph.D.

In this seminar, internal and external speakers discuss their recent research in environmental economics. Students working on an empirical or theoretical project that is related to environmental economics are welcome to present. Please contact the instructor to set up a date.