Program Page

Australia faces serious challenges in the form of local, national and global environmental problems and in sustainably managing the Country’s resources. This course will teach you how economic approaches can be used to improve the management of valuable, but often under-priced, environmental assets. The convenor will share insights into how economic ideas for environmental and resource management can be successfully communicated to policymakers, stakeholders, and the public. The day involves highly interactive learning and case studies from Australia and overseas. This course will boost your capacity to be involved in designing and communicating environmental policies. A special focus will be placed on policies for improving environmental outcomes in the energy sector. 

Course overview

Topics include: 

  • How economic approaches can be used to better manage our natural environment
  • How environmental policy goals can be achieved in a cost-effective manner
  • The design of conservation policies and the successful use of economic approaches in managing greenhouse gas emissions, local air pollution, biodiversity, salinity, and key resources such as fisheries
  • Key economic concepts such as market failure, externalities, public goods, and market-based instruments
  • How ideas from the field of behavioural economics can be incorporated into environmental policy

 

Learning outcomes:

  • Develop an improved understanding of applying economic approaches to environmental and resource problems. This can be used for better design of environmental policies, and better private-sector adaptation to existing policies.
  • Demonstrate an improved capacity in communicating economic ideas related to management of the environment and natural resources. 

 

Who should attend?

The course is designed as a foundational course and is therefore recommended for APS1-6 or equivalent. Participants with little knowledge about resource economics may also find it beneficial.

Presenter

Prof Paul Burke

Prof Paul Burke

Paul Burke is a Professor and Head of the Arndt-Corden Department of Economics, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. His research is in energy and environmental economics, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific.

Paul has published in journals including the American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, Economic Inquiry, Nature Geoscience, Nature Climate Change, Energy, and Global Environmental Change. His ongoing research topics include electric vehicle adoption, residential electrification, small hydropower in Indonesia, and tax reform in Australia.