Search result: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2017

Environmental Sciences Master Information
Minors
Minor in Environmental, Resource and Food Economics
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
363-0537-00LResource and Environmental EconomicsW3 credits2GL. Bretschger, A. Brausmann
AbstractRelationship between economy and environment, market failure, external effects and public goods, contingent valuation, internalisation of externalities; economics of non-renewable resources, economics of renewable resources, cost-benefit analysis, sustainability, and international aspects of resource and environmental economics.
ObjectiveUnderstanding of the basic issues and methods in resource and environmental economics; ability to solve typical problems in the field using the appropriate tools, which are concise verbal explanations, diagrams or mathematical expressions.

Topics are:
Introduction to resource and environmental economics
Importance of resource and environmental economics
Main issues of resource and environmental economics
Normative basis
Utilitarianism
Fairness according to Rawls
Economic growth and environment
Externalities in the environmental sphere
Governmental internalisation of externalities
Private internalisation of externalities: the Coase theorem
Free rider problem and public goods
Types of public policy
Efficient level of pollution
Tax vs. permits
Command and Control Instruments
Empirical data on non-renewable natural resources
Optimal price development: the Hotelling-rule
Effects of exploration and Backstop-technology
Effects of different types of markets.
Biological growth function
Optimal depletion of renewable resources
Social inefficiency as result of over-use of open-access resources
Cost-benefit analysis and the environment
Measuring environmental benefit
Measuring costs
Concept of sustainability
Technological feasibility
Conflicts sustainability / optimality
Indicators of sustainability
Problem of climate change
Cost and benefit of climate change
Climate change as international ecological externality
International climate policy: Kyoto protocol
Implementation of the Kyoto protocol in Switzerland
ContentEconomy and natural environment, welfare concepts and market failure, external effects and public goods, measuring externalities and contingent valuation, internalising external effects and environmental policy, economics of non-renewable resources, renewable resources, cost-benefit-analysis, sustainability issues, international aspects of resource and environmental problems, selected examples and case studies.
LiteraturePerman, R., Ma, Y., McGilvray, J, Common, M.: "Natural Resource & Environmental Economics", 3d edition, Longman, Essex 2003.
751-0903-00LMicroeconomics of the Agriculture and Food SectorW2 credits2VS. Hirsch
AbstractIn dieser Vorlesung sollen Mikroökonomische Zusammenhänge am Fallbeispiel des Agrar- und Ernährungssektors vermittelt werden. Ziel ist das Verständnis theoretischer mikroökonomischer Methoden und deren Anwendbarkeit auf den Ernährungssektor
ObjectiveZunächst sollen ökonomische Charakteristika des Lebensmittelsektors herausgearbeitet und gegenüber anderen Industriesektoren differenziert werden. Daraufhin sollen theoretische mikroökonomische Modelle und Indikatoren erlernt werden. Insbesondere soll deren Anwendung auf reale Fälle der Schweizer und EU Lebensmittelindustrie vermittelt werden.
Content- Der EU Lebensmittelsektor
- Preiselastizitäten von Angebot und Nachfrage im Ernährungssektor
(Marktmacht, Lancaster Modell)
- Gewinnmaximierung
- Wettbewerbsangebot
- Monopol/ Monopolistischer Wettbewerb/ Monopson
- Oligopol (Stackelberg, Cournot, Bertrand)
- Preisbildung/ Preisdiskriminierung
- Kartelle
- Dominante Firma
- Technischer Fortschritt
Literature- Pindyck und Rubinfeld. Mikroökonomie, 7. Aufl., Pearson Studium.
- Carlton and Perloff: Modern Industrial Organization 4th ed., Pearson Addison Wesley.
Prerequisites / NoticeEmpfohlene Vorkenntnisse:
- Grundkenntnisse der Ökonomie/Agrarökonomie
- Vorlesung Einführung in die Mikroökonomie
751-2103-00LSocioeconomics of Agriculture Information W2 credits2VS. Mann
AbstractThe main part of this lecture will examine constellations where hierarchies, markets or cooperation have been observed and described in the agricultural sector. On a more aggregated level, different agricultural systems will be evaluated in terms of main socioeconomic parameters like social capital or perceptions.
ObjectiveStudents should be able to describe the dynamics of hierarchies, markets and cooperation in an agricultural context.
ContentIntroduction to Sociology
Introduction to Socioeconomics
Agricultural Administration: Path dependencies and efficiency issues
Power in the Chain
The farming family
Occupational Choices
Consumption Choices
Locational Choices
Common Resource Management in Alpine Farming
Agricultural Cooperatives
Societal perceptions of agriculture
Perceptions of farming from within
Varieties of agricultural systems and policies
Lecture notesLink
Literaturesee script
Prerequisites / NoticeBasic economic knowledge is expected.
860-0023-00LInternational Environmental Politics
Particularly suitable for students of D-ITET, D-USYS
W3 credits2VT. Bernauer
AbstractThis course focuses on the conditions under which cooperation in international environmental politics emerges and the conditions under which such cooperation and the respective public policies are effective and/or efficient.
ObjectiveThe objectives of this course are to (1) gain an overview of relevant questions in the area of international environmental politics from a social sciences viewpoint; (2) learn how to identify interesting/innovative questions concerning this policy area and how to answer them in a methodologically sophisticated way; (3) gain an overview of important global and regional environmental problems.
ContentThis course deals with how and why international cooperation in environmental politics emerges, and under what circumstances such cooperation is effective and efficient. Based on theories of international political economy and theories of government regulation various examples of international environmental politics are discussed: the management of international water resources, the problem of unsafe nuclear power plants in eastern Europe, political responses to global warming, the protection of the stratospheric ozone layer, the reduction of long-range transboundary air pollution in Europe, the prevention of pollution of the oceans, etc.

The course is open to all ETH students. Participation does not require previous coursework in the social sciences.

After passing an end-of-semester test (requirement: grade 4.0 or higher) students will receive 3 ECTS credit points. The workload is around 90 hours (meetings, reading assignments, preparation of test).

Visiting students (e.g., from the University of Zurich) are subject to the same conditions. Registration of visiting students in the web-based system of ETH is compulsory.
Lecture notesAssigned reading materials and slides will be available at Link (select link 'Registered students, please click here for course materials' at top of that page). Log in with your nethz name and password. Questions concerning access to course materials can be addressed to Dennis Atzenhofer at Link). All assigned papers must be read ahead of the respective meeting. Following the course on the basis of on-line slides and papers alone is not sufficient. Physical presence in the classroom is essential. Many books and journals covering international environmental policy issues can be found at the D-GESS library at the IFW building, Haldeneggsteig 4, B-floor, or in the library of D-USYS.
LiteratureAssigned reading materials and slides will be available at Link (select link -Registered students, please click here for course materials- at top of that page). Log in with your nethz name and password. Questions concerning access to course materials can be addressed to Link).
Prerequisites / NoticeNone
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