Teaching at the Institute for Environmental Economics and World Trade

The teaching of the Institute is aimed at Bachelor and Master students of the Faculty of Economic Sciences. Selected courses are also available to students of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodesy. The teaching programme includes lectures and seminars in the fields of development, environmental and trade economics. Specifically, topics such as agricultural policy, competitiveness, water and energy management or trade are offered, some of which are considered in an international and intercultural context. In addition, the institute's teaching aims to develop the methodological skills of its students. This concerns e.g. econometrics as well as economic and ecological modelling (mathematical programming models).

Our courses in the current semester

  • Summer semester 2024

    Bachelor Wirtschaftswissenschaft

    Kompetenzbereiche Betriebs- und Volkswirtschaftslehre

    • International Competitiveness (273003)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Do. 14:30 - 16:00 | VII-002Blake-Rath, Seewald
      Inhalt:
      • Concepts, measures and approaches to evaluate the international competitiveness of sectors in an increasingly globalized world (e.g. Global Competitiveness indices)
      • International trade and the impact of standards and labelling on competitiveness of countries
      • New institutional economics and its role in strengthening competitiveness
      • Case studies from the agro-food and industrial sector.
      Literatur:
      • Porter, M. E. (1998) On Competitiveness, New York.
      • World Economic Forum (Hrsg.) The Global Competitiveness Report, Geneva, published annually.

      A list with selected references will be distributed at the beginning of the course.

    • Seminar Development and Environmental Economics (273004)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      BlockveranstaltungGrote
      Inhalt:

      Die Studierenden erarbeiten eine Seminararbeit zu einem Thema aus dem Bereich der Entwicklungs- und/oder Umweltökonomie. Im Rahmen einer Blockveranstaltung wird die Arbeit in einem 15 minütigen Vortrag vorgestellt und anschließend diskutiert. Für die erfolgreiche Teilnahme (Hausarbeit, Vortrag, Teilnahme an der Diskussion) wird ein Schein erteilt.

      Literatur:

      Wird themenabhängig bekannt gegeben.

      Bemerkungen:

      Der Termin der Vorbesprechung wird in Stud.IP bekannt gegeben, weitere Informationen werden dort ebenso zur Verfügung gestellt.

      Prüferin: Prof. Dr. Grote

    • Exercise International Competitiveness (273025)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      BlockveranstaltungBlake-Rath, Grote, Seewald
      Inhalt:

      The exercise is a supplement to the lecture “International Competitiveness” by addressing and deepening course contents and exploring further perspectives of selected topics. Students apply and discuss theoretical and scientific approaches by means of practical applications. The exercise also aims to promote interaction between students. For this purpose, they jointly assess case studies.

      Bemerkungen:

      Selected dates will be announced.

    • Introduction to scientific work at IUW for BSc (273026)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      BlockveranstaltungGrote, Tr. Nguyen
      Inhalt:

      This block course is highly recommended to students who aim to write their Bachelor thesis at the Institute of Environmental Economic and World Trade (IUW). No credit points are awarded for this course.

      The students learn about

      • the formal process from registration to submission of the final thesis.
      • their options of writing a scientific literature review, a meta-analysis or doing a thesis with an empirical part.
      • How to find, evaluate and use literature efficiently.
      • How to find a central topic and suitable title.
      • How to formulate research questions and to structure a thesis based on scientific standards.
      • Formal requirements of citation, tables, figures etc.
      • Scientific writing based on practical examples.
      • the process of analyzing data and producing descriptive tables, based on some exercises.

    Master Wirtschaftswissenschaft

    Kompetenzbereich (Area) International Environment and Development Studies

    • Seminar African Economies (377001)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      BlockveranstaltungGrote, Tr. Nguyen
      Inhalt:

      In a written assignment, students, organized in small groups, will be given a scientific paper to review and they will prepare a proposal on a topic of current economic issues relating to African economies. While the review will be only short (2-3 pages), the proposal will have the format of a seminar paper of some 15 pages. The students will present their proposal during the second half of the course. The aim of the assignments is to generate a more in-depth understanding of 1.) proposal writing, 2.) on the analysis of development strategies taken by selected African countries, and 3.) on the economic structure and institutional settings that have facilitated the economic success of these countries.

    • Econometrics (377007)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Di. 12:45 - 14:15 | I-233Seegers, Seewald
      Inhalt:

      Introduction to different econometric models (OLS regression, Panel, IV models, Binary outcome models, etc.) and critical assessment of their results; use of simple econometric models based on real world examples from resource and development economics using the Stata or R software packages (no previous knowledge required for Stata or R).

      Literatur:
      • Stock and Watson (2007) Introduction to Econometrics, 2nd Edition, Pearson.
      • Greene, W. H. (2003) Econometric Analysis, 5th edition.
    • Water Economics (377009)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Mo. 14:30 - 16:00 | I-301Müller, Ruesink
      Inhalt:

      In detail, the course addresses water scarcity in the global food production and discusses water in environmental context. Students also learn about water valuation, including market (supply and demand), tariff structures, project assessment and payment for ecosystem services. Furthermore, water policy finds consideration, related to general governance (control and regulation systems; integrated water resource management), the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation), oceans, privatization and simulation models.
      Finally, students focus on game theory and river-sharing and learn about water trends, the role of hydrogen and conflicts. Case study applications complement the course, for example from aquaculture. Participation in the related exercise on water economics is recommended.

      Bemerkungen:

      The course is in English. Exam: Students choose between English or German.

    • International Agricultural Policy (377011)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Mi. 11:00 - 12:30 | I-342Grote
      Inhalt:

      Analysis and assessment of agricultural policies and specific policy measures in a globalizing world; special emphasis will be put on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the EU and the agricultural policy of the USA, but also agricultural policies in selected developing countries will be looked at. Related policies like consumer protection or environmental policies will be included in the analysis. The framework for national agricultural policies is given by international agreements like those of the World Trade Organization (WTO) – these will be described and analyzed in detail – with objectives, different country positions and recent developments in the »Doha Development Round«. Elaboration on environmental aspects of agricultural and trade policies.

      Literatur:
      • El-Agraa, A.M. (ed.) (2007): The European Union: Economics and Policies- Cambridge University Press. Eighth Edition.
      • OECD Agricultural Policies at a glance. OECD, Paris, diverse years.
      • List of selected journal articles will be provided.
    • Sustainability Economics (377012)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Do. 11:00 - 12:30 | I-401Tr. Nguyen
      Inhalt:

      This course introduces and operationalizes the notion of sustainability from an economic perspective. It provides students with the theoretical basis of sustainability as inter- and intra-generational issues, and elaborates how sustainability can be operationalized in an economic context. The course covers a range of topics focusing on the interactions between economic growth, development, and the environment. Development issues such as population growth, urbanization, and migration as well as environmental problems such as depletion of natural resources and degradation of environmental quality are taken into account. The lectures are designed in an interactive way, including theories, case studies, exercises, and student presentations.

      Literatur:

      1. Söderbaum, P., 2008. Understanding Sustainability Economics: Towards Pluralism in Economics. Earthscan.

      2. Bartelmus, P., 2012. Sustainability Economics: An Introduction. Routledge

      3. Daly, H.E., Farley, J., 2003. Ecological Economics: Principles and Applications, Island Press

      4. Todaro, M.P., Smith, S., 2012. Economic Development (11th edition), Pearson

      Key published articles

      Published articles from peer review journals will be provided ahead of the lectures

    • Exercise International Agricultural Policy (377019)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      BlockveranstaltungSeegers
      Inhalt:

      The exercise is a supplement to the lecture “International Agricultural Policy” by addressing and deepening course contents and exploring further perspectives of selected topics. Students apply and discuss theoretical and scientific approaches by means of practical applications. The exercise also aims to promote interaction between students. For this purpose, they jointly assess case studies.

      Bemerkungen:

      Zusätzlich finden Blockveranstaltungen für Vorträge statt.

    • Exercise Sustainability Economics (377020)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Do. 14:30 - 16:00 | I-342Tr. Nguyen
      Inhalt:

      The exercise is a supplement to the lecture “Sustainability Economics” by addressing and deepening course contents and exploring further perspectives of selected topics. Students apply and discuss theoretical and scientific approaches by means of practical applications. The exercise also aims to promote interaction between students. For this purpose, they jointly assess case studies.

      Bemerkungen:

      Selected dates will be announced.

    • Exercise Water Economics (377021)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Mo. 11:00 - 12:30 | I-301Müller, Ruesink
      Inhalt:

      The exercise is a supplement to the lecture “Water Economics” by addressing and deepening course contents and exploring further perspectives of selected topics. Students apply and discuss theoretical and scientific approaches by means of practical applications. The exercise also aims to promote interaction between students. For this purpose, they jointly assess case studies

      Bemerkungen:

      The exercises will start one week after the lecture.

    • Introduction to scientific work at IUW for MSc (377022)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      BlockveranstaltungGrote, Tr. Nguyen
      Inhalt:

      This block course provides guidelines to the students who plan to do their Master thesis at the Institute for Environmental Economics and World Trade. No credit points are awarded for this course. It is highly recommended for Master students who write their thesis at IUW.

      Course structure:

      Section 1: Finding a thesis topic and registration

      Section 2: IUW datasets and projects

      Section 3: Survey design

      Section 4: Data analysis with Econometrics

      Section 5: Modeling SAM_CGE_ABM

      Section 6: General guidelines

      Section 7: Proposal presentation

      The students can present their proposal to the IUW team and other students. They can get feedback and also ask questions. This would be optional.

      Additional benefits from the course:

      1. Work groups – student working on similar topics or datasets can form groups to help each other through the process
      2. Group forum – on StudIP, we create a forum, where students can ask questions. This way, other students could also help or if the supervisor answers, it would also be helpful for the other students.
    • Exercise Econometrics (377023)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Di. 14:30 - 16:00 | I-233Seegers, Seewald
      Inhalt:

      The exercise is a supplement to the lecture “Econometrics” by addressing and deepening course contents and exploring further perspectives of selected topics. Students deepen the exercises discussed in the lecture and their proficiency in a statistical software (Stata or R). The exercise also aims to promote interaction between students. For this purpose, they jointly assess case studies.

    Mehrere Kompetenzbereiche (Areas)

    • World Trade (379005)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Mo. 09:15 - 10:45 | I-401Tr. Nguyen
      Inhalt:
      • Introduction into international trade theories
      • Objectives and types of economic integration; regional trade agreements versus globalisation
      • Overview of major structure and trends of trade in goods and services
      • The role of GATT and WTO: organization, principles, agreements, instruments: tariffication, market access, dispute settlement, non trade issues.
      Literatur:

      Krugman, P.R. and M. Obstfeld (2011) International Economics: Theory and Policy. 9th Edition, Pearson International (auch auf deutsch verfügbar).

      Bemerkungen:

      The course will be held in English, however, for the exam students are free to choose the language - English or German.

    • Exercise World Trade (379015)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Mi. 09:15 - 10:45 | I-301Tr. Nguyen
      Inhalt:

      The exercise is a supplement to the lecture “World Trade” by addressing and deepening course contents and exploring further perspectives of selected topics. Students apply and discuss theoretical and scientific approaches by means of practical applications. The exercise also aims to promote interaction between students. For this purpose, they jointly assess case studies.

    Promotionsstudium

    3. Bereich: Wissenschaftliche Kompetenzen

    • Doktorandenseminar Environmental and Development Economics (574007)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Di. 16:15 - 17:45 | III-115Grote
      Inhalt:

      Studies and progress reports presented by doctoral students will be critically assessed and discussed.

      Bemerkungen:

      Interested participants are requested to register at the secretariat of the Institute for Environmental Economics and World Trade.

    Wahlbereich

    HISSEMA

    • International Management and Economics (77202)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      BlockveranstaltungF. Krause, Tr. Nguyen
      Inhalt:

      This course will introduce students to the field of International Management and Economics. Topics will include: the basic concepts of the Theories of Macroeconomic Competiveness and Trade, Trends in World Trade and Transnational Enterprises as well as Foreign Direct Investments. Part of the Block Seminar will also cover the topic areas of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability at micro, meso and macro levels.

      Literatur:

      Will be provided.

      Bemerkungen:

      This course is part of the HISSEMA. Information by the HISSEMA/GUEST Coordinator, Ms. Franziska Braschke (Room I-103).

    Forschungsveranstaltungen

    • Development Economics Colloquium (77781)

      Termine:Lehrpersonen:
      Mi. 16:15 - 17:45 | III-115Grote, Puhani
      Inhalt:

      Researchers present their recent work on the empirical dimensions and theoretical aspects of development economics.

All courses of the institute

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