European Environmental Economics and Policy in Practice

European Environmental Economics and Policy in Practice is a compulsory and foundational course in the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programme in European Environmental Economics and Policy (M3EP). and it will be taught jointly by all five university partners involved in the M3EP. In continuation of the course Introduction to European Environmental Economics and Policy taught in block 1, the course will provide a more advanced understanding of tools and methods from economics and political science that can be used in the context of developing, evaluating and implementing environmental policies in real-life settings. The course will also delve into the different ways in which government actors and stakeholders can utilize the various tools and methods to promote their interests in the development and implementation of environmental policies.

With a specific focus on combining economics and political science, students will obtain hands-on practical experience. They will be working interdisciplinary and problem-oriented with selected contemporary environmental challenges in relation to the development and implementation of policies to address these. This involves applying already acquired knowledge, skills and competences in relation to concrete cases and issues of practical relevance, e.g. related to the work of the European Environment Agency. This includes revisiting and discussing how the most recent State of the Union speech given by the President of the European Commission in September has impacted on European environmental policy in practice. Related, but not limited to this, the course will give students practical experience with developing and presenting policy briefs that effectively convey scientific knowledge targeted towards relevant decision-makers in the European environmental policy arena. Furthermore, students will obtain qualifications in developing position papers representing different stakeholder perspectives, and they will gain basic insights and experience with inter-governmental negotiations.