BUS368 - The Political Economy of Global Environmental Change - 2024/25

The module will introduce students to the phenomenon of environmental degradation and its extreme example, climate change, with an emphasis on economic analysis.  The course will analyse both the domestic and international policy tools available to policymakers to tackle environmental degradation and climate change. The course will then discuss the drivers and the effects of environmental policy on companies. We will then discuss the barriers to environmental policy implementation, focusing on developing countries and emphasising political economy factors such as corruption. Finally, the course will analyse the implications of global environmental change and environmental policy in developing countries focusing on prominent phenomena such as migration, health and conflict. The course will equip students with up-to-date knowledge of the recent debate in the Environmental Economics literature, especially focusing on its intersection with political economy and development economics, and strengthen students’ empirical skills.  The module will also help students identify research questions to be studied in their thesis and deepen their understanding of empirical methods.