ECO2020 : Ecological Economics and Environmental Policy
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Matt Walker
- Owning School: Newcastle University Business School
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
To introduce the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of ecological and environmental economics and approaches to the economic analysis of environmental issues. Students will examine the economics of the biosphere, considering alternative schools of thought in which activity is either external or embedded in nature, with application to policymaking.
Outline Of Syllabus
An indicative list of topics that will be covered on this module is as follows: nature as an asset; market failure; common-pool resources; intertemporal fairness; limits to growth; design of environmental policy instruments (e.g., regulation, carbon pricing); attitudes toward climate policy; and global environmental problems (e.g., climate change and biodiversity loss).
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 16:00 | 16:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 14 | 1:00 | 14:00 | PiP lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 33:00 | 33:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Pip seminars. Seminars will be interactive and will allow students to apply their knowledge to discuss key concepts covered in the lectures and to analyze an environmental policy case study which will be examined in the assessment. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | Pre-assessment clinic. Students are encouraged to discuss ideas and ask questions around the assessment. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 32:00 | 32:00 | N/A |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will provide a critical overview of key theoretical concepts and empirical evidence.
Seminars will be interactive to gain a deeper understanding of the methodological debates involved, the application of policy instruments and will develop analytical and interpretive skills.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 2 | A | 100 | 2,000 word written exercise. Seminar material will link directly into the final assessment. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 2 | M | In-class feedback during seminar activities. Written feedback on formative assessment prepared for a seminar. In-class feedback during pre-assessment clinic. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The written exercise is designed to encourage independent study on particular interactions between the economy and environment, enable application of theoretical concepts to practice and to develop information gathering and interpretive skills based on empirical evidence. Students will be asked to reflect upon and discuss activities during the lectures and seminars. An environmental case study evaluated in one of the seminars will link directly into part of the assessment.
RESIT INFORMATION: If students are eligible to a second attempt resit will be an assignment and the resit calculation will be based 100% on the submission.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- ECO2020's Timetable