Economic growth and sustainability I

Summary

This course examines growth from various angles: economic growth, growth in the use of resources, need for growth, limits to growth, sustainable growth, and, if time permits, population growth and growing inequality. Although grounded in economics, it takes up elements from many other discipline

Content

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Keywords

Sustainable development, economy, growth, environment

POLY-perspective :

• interdisciplinary perspective
• global perspective

https://www.epfl.ch/schools/cdh/cdhs-vision/

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Critique theories and proposals related to economic growth and sustainable development
• Reason on social and economic issues
• Explain the relationships between economic, demographic and environmental variables
• Compute growth rates and the links between growth rates
• Differentiate between scientific and propaganda arguments
• Restate concepts and mechanisms seen in class

Transversal skills

• Plan and carry out activities in a way which makes optimal use of available time and other resources.
• Set objectives and design an action plan to reach those objectives.
• Communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines.
• Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.

Teaching methods

Ex cathedra lectures, but active participation is expected. In-depth teaching and educational support.

Assessment methods

Intermediate exam (1/2 of grade) and final exam (1/2 of grade)

Supervision

Office hours	No
Assistants	Yes
Forum	Yes

Resources

Bibliography

Pretty, Jules (2013), "The Consumption of a Finite Planet: Well-Being, Convergence, Divergence and the Nascent Green Economy", Environmental and Resource Economics 55(4): 475-499 (made available on Moodle page of course)

Bartelmus, Peter (2008), Quantitative Economics. How Sustainable Are Our Economies?, Springer

Bonneuil, Christophe and Jean-Baptiste Fressoz (2013), L’Evénement Anthropocène. La Terre, l’Histoire et Nous, Seuil / (2016), The Shock of the Anthropocene, Verso, London

Faucheux, Sylvie, et Jean-François Noël (1995), Économie des Ressources Naturelles et de l'Environnement, Armand Colin, Paris

Jackson, Tim (2017), Prosperity Without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow, Routledge

Strange, Tracey, et Anne Bayley (2008), Le Développement Durable. A la Croisée de l'Economie, de la Société et de l'Environnement, Les Essentiels de l'OCDE, Paris, France: Éditions OCDE / Sustainable Development: Linking Economy, Society, Environment; OECD Insights, Paris, France: OECD Publishing

Ressources en bibliothèque

• Économie des ressources naturelles et de l'environnement / Faucheux
• Le développement durable [en ligne] / Strange
• The shock of the Anthropocene / Bonneuil
• Prosperity without growth / Jackson
• Sustainable development / Strange
• Le développement durable / Strange
• Sustainable development [online] / Strange
• Quantitative eco-nomics / Bartelmus
• Prospérité sans croissance / Jackson
• L'événement Anthropocène / Bonneuil

Moodle Link

• https://go.epfl.ch/HUM-471

Videos

• http://To be accessed through Moodle

Prerequisite for

HUM-470 Economic growth and sustainability II