Syllabus
Registration via LPIS
The course will be held in English with code sharing between the respective WUPOL and BBE specialisations "Ecological Economics".
The course will be held in six units à 4 hours with the following topics:
- Unit 1: Introduction
- Unit 2: Measuring natural resource use
- Unit 3: Socio-economic aspects of resource use
- Unit 4: Circular economy
- Unit 5: Globalisation and international trade I: concepts and trends
- Unit 6: Globalisation and international trade II: policy options
You can find detailed information on each of the units below.
After the course the participants will:
- know about the main methods and indicators to measure (un)sustainable resource use (such as raw materials and energy) by economic activities
- understand how natural resource use drives environmental problems, notably climate change
- be able to reflect on current trends in resource use in the Austrian, European and global context
- be able to critically assess concepts such as “de-coupling” and are aware of the key role of rebound effects
- know about the fundamentals of circular economy concepts and related business strategies
- have learned about the dynamics of globalisation and international trade in shaping worldwide patterns of resource use and related environmental implications
- know policy options to achieve a more sustainable international trade system
In the presence parts of the course attendance is obligatory.
One class can be missed without negatively effecting the grade. Absence must be announced by e-mail before the respective class.
· Inputs by lecturer
· In-class group work
· Small group presentations
· Discussions
· Videos
· Background research and literature reading
The performance will be evaluated based on four components:
· Final in-class exam (30%)
· Homeworks and offline assignments (30%)
· Group presentation and hand-out (30%)
· Active participation (10%)
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| Unit | Date | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unit 1: Introduction Administrative aspects of the course
Unsustainable trends & social metabolism · The urgency to act
Case study: Construction industry · Resource use of construction and climate change impacts
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| 2 | Unit 2: Measuring natural resource use
Material flow analysis (MFA) · Economy-wide material flow accounting
Case study: China
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| 3 | Unit 3: Socio-economic aspects of resource use Decoupling
Rebound effects
Decoupling at the company level
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| 4 | Unit 4: Circular economy Group presentation of Teams 3 & 4 Circular economy concepts and strategies · Biological and technical cycles · Circular economy policy initiatives: Austria, EU, non-EU countries Circular economy business models · Product as a service, sharing, re-use, remanufacturing, recycling, upcycling Case study: textile industry · Environmental problems of fast fashion · Circular economy in the fashion industry |
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| 5 | Unit 5: Globalisation and international trade I: concepts and trends Theory and trade structures
Case study: import and export patterns
Globalisation and climate
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| 6 | Unit 6: Globalisation and international trade II: policy options Options to realise a more sustainable trade system
Evaluation and final exam
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