Lucas Bretschger: Catalogue data in Spring Semester 2021

Name	Prof. Dr. Lucas Bretschger
Field	Ökonomie, insbesondere Ressourcenökonomie
Address	Ökonomie/Ressourcenökonomie ETH Zürich, ZUE F 7 Zürichbergstrasse 18 8092 Zürich SWITZERLAND
Telephone	+41 44 632 21 92
E-mail	lbretschger@ethz.ch
Department	Management, Technology, and Economics
Relationship	Full Professor

Number	Title	ECTS	Hours	Lecturers
363-0532-00L	Economics of Sustainable Development	3 credits	2V	L. Bretschger
Abstract	Concepts and indicators of sustainable development, paradigms of weak and strong sustainability; neoclassical and endogenous growth models; economic growth in the presence of exhaustible and renewable resources; pollution, environmental policy and growth; role of substitution and technological progress; Environmental Kuznets Curve; sustainability policy.
Objective	The aim is to develop an understanding of the implications of sustainable development for the long-run development of economies. It is to be shown to which extent the potential for growth to be sustainable depends on substitution possibilities, technological change and environmental policy. After successful completion of this course, students are able to 1. understand the causes of long-term economic development 2. analyse the influence of natural resources and pollution on the development of social welfare 3. to appropriately classify the role of politics in the pursuit of sustainability goals.
Content	The lecture introduces different concepts and paradigms of sustainable development. Building on this foundation and following a general introduction to the modelling of economic growth, conditions for growth to be sustainable in the presence of pollution and scarce natural resources are derived. Special attention is devoted to the scope for substitution and role of technological progress in overcoming resource scarcities. Implications of environmental externalities are regarded with respect to the design of environmental policies. Concepts and indicators of sustainable development, paradigms of weak and strong sustainability, sustainability optimism vs. pessimism; introduction to neoclassical and endogenous growth models; pollution, environmental policy and growth; role of substitution possibilities and technological progress; Environmental Kuznets Curve: concept, theory and empirical results; economic growth in the presence of exhaustible and renewable resources, Hartwick rule, resource saving technological change.
Lecture notes	Will be provided successively in the course of the semester.
Literature	Bretschger, F. (1999), Growth Theory and Sustainable Development, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Bretschger, L. (2004), Wachstumstheorie, Oldenbourg, 3. Auflage, München. Bretschger, L. (2018), Greening Economy, Graying Society, CER-ETH Press, ETH Zurich. Perman, R., Y. Ma, J. McGilvray and M. Common (2011), Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, Longman , 4th ed., Essex. Neumayer, E. (2003), Weak and Strong Sustainability, 2nd ed., Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
364-0531-00L	CER-ETH Research Seminar	0 credits	2S	H. Gersbach, A. Bommier, L. Bretschger
Abstract	Research Seminar of Center of Economic Research CER-ETH
Objective	Survey of the currently leading research in economics, especially in the CER-ETH research fields.
Content	Presentations of current and recent research results in the CER-ETH research fields, usually by international guest speakers.
Prerequisites / Notice	Please note the special announcements.
364-0576-00L	Advanced Sustainability Economics PhD course, open for MSc students	3 credits	3G	L. Bretschger, A. Pattakou
Abstract	The course covers current resource and sustainability economics, including ethical foundations of sustainability, intertemporal optimisation in capital-resource economies, sustainable use of non-renewable and renewable resources, pollution dynamics, population growth, and sectoral heterogeneity. A final part is on empirical contributions, e.g. the resource curse, energy prices, and the EKC.
Objective	Understanding of the current issues and economic methods in sustainability research; ability to solve typical problems like the calculation of the growth rate under environmental restriction with the help of appropriate model equations.