Environmental valuation and policy

Open University Business School
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

Course Format: Classroom | E-learning | Virtual Class | Online | On-site | Blended | Self-paced

Course Description:

'' This course for the postgraduate studies in social sciences programme is for people who want to increase their understanding of economic aspects of environmental issues but have little or no knowledge of economics. Its emphasis on environmental policy will also make it valuable for those who have already studied some economics. The course consists of two course books; a selection of newspaper articles and extracts from other books, articles from academic journals and by professional economists, reports to government departments and to other organisations seeking to influence government policy; and a substantial study guide. The principal case studies (conservation of the sea coast’s inter-tidal zone, road traffic, and air quality) show the importance of understanding the ideas examined in the course for an informed appreciation of important environmental policy issues.

No special knowledge is assumed. Economic concepts and methods of analysis are carefully explained to show both their practical importance and their application in, for example, the work of the Environment Agency and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, and in the National Air Quality Strategy being implemented by UK local authorities. In particular, the contentious role of cost-benefit analysis in environmental policy-making is examined, together with the various methods used (often controversially) to attach monetary values to the costs or benefits of environmental changes. The systematic identification and comparison of the expected costs and benefits of any proposed action can aid decision-making in many fields, but how helpful can cost-benefit analysis be in determining environmental policies? Different answers to that question are explained and assessed in relation to current policy problems and recent influential expert debates on, for example, the appropriate response to events like the notorious 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. The course also reviews issues involved in selecting a strategy for achieving environmental policy objectives: the relative merits of direct legislative enforcement compared with the alternative of encouraging people, as individuals or as managers of organisations, to act consistently with an objective by changing economic incentives �by road pricing, for example, or by the requirement to buy pollution permits.

The international relevance of this course is reflected in the choice of an OECD manual, on the economic appraisal of environmental projects and policies, as one of the course books. The course’s long-term perspective is exemplified by references to the history of today’s problems (to London’s traffic congestion in 1906 and its killing smog in 1952, for example, and to political campaigns concerning coastal erosion now and a century ago). And, although economics has been described as ‘the dismal science� there is nothing dismal about this course, with its contributions (surprising, posthumous, or both) from the poet William Wordsworth, former US President Ronald Reagan, and disaster-prone Humpty Dumpty! This wide-ranging and practical introduction to economic aspects of environmental policy will be useful to you whether your interest is vocational, political or personal.

Vocational relevance
This course is relevant to you if you are engaged in planning and project development in the public or private sectors: in the civil service (for policy-making and implementation); with a local authority (for environmental regulation and local implementation of Agenda 21); as a trade unionist (with a concern for social justice); as a professional in a non-governmental agency concerned with monitoring and regulating environmental impacts (such as the Environment Agency of England and Wales or the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency); if you work in administration and planning concerned with the environment, such as transport, heritage development (the National Trust), urban and rural land use (such as representing the NFU on statutory bodies); or as a teacher or lecturer at secondary level or above.

The course also has relevance to international non-governmental organisations (such as Earthwatch, International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and inter-governmental bodies such as WHO and other UN agencies; to campaign work (Friends of the Earth, the CPRE); to local voluntary bodies (British Council for Conservation Volunteers); to professional associations that represent members�interests on environmental issues (maritime organisations, timber companies, energy producers). And it is for those in business who face the challenge of meeting environmental objectives.
...''

Phone:+44 (0)845 300 60 90

School Address:

Student Registration & Enquiry Service
The OU Business School
The Open University
PO Box 197
Milton Keynes
MK7 6BJ
UK

Jobs & Resumes: Milton Keynes
Houses & Roommates: Milton Keynes

Personal finance in context
Accounting for strategy implementation
international finance and investment
public management and social enterprise
Managing customers and quality
fast forward in Spanish
Nouvel envol
Nouvelles mises au point
Community safety, crime prevention and social control
Creativity, innovation and change
Managing knowledge
Quality Management
Strategic management in life sciences and healthcare
Supply chain innovation, strategy and management
Marketing

Notice: The course description on this page was captured from the Internet as historical reference or submitted by visitors. It was archived statically and not updated from day to day.
 

Tips: ASKEDU jobs and talents message board can help you find jobs related to your experience in a specific city, or hire somebody in place with particular knowledges.