Technology, sustainability and public policy

Summary

Technology is a driver of long-term growth but it can also undermine sustainable development. This course introduces microeconomic models of market and collective action failures, models of complex systems, as well as the design of optimal public policies to tackle these issues.

Content

Keywords

public policy, economics, political economy, microeconomics, game theory, economic development, sustainability, sustainable development, technology adoption.

Learning Prerequisites

Recommended courses

Passing familiarity with microeconomic models is useful, but not essential.

Knowledge of (unconstrained) optimization is also useful, but not essential.

Learning Outcomes

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

• Synthesize knowledge on sustainability, technology, and public policy
• Model social processes
• Design solutions to complex problems
• Assess / Evaluate solutions to complex problems
• Design solutions to complex problems
• Assess / Evaluate public policies
• Assess / Evaluate solutions to complex problems
• Model social processes
• Synthesize knowledge on sustainability, technology, and public policy
• Sketch system models

Transversal skills

• Demonstrate a capacity for creativity.
• Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
• Communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines.

Teaching methods

The course will include lectures, in-class exercises, and discussions.

Expected student activities

Students are expected to attend the class and participate in discussions and exercises.

Assessment methods

Final exam (50%)

Project and assignments (50%)

Supervision

Resources

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

No

Bibliography

Recommended but not required:

• Bueno de Mesquita, E., 2016. Political economy for public policy. Princeton University Press.
• Gibbons, R.S., 1992. Game theory for applied economists. Princeton University Press.
• Kreps, D.M., 2020. A course in microeconomic theory. Princeton University Press.
• Merlo, A., 2018. Political economy and policy analysis. Routledge.
• Perman, Roger, Yue Ma, Michael Common, David Maddison, and James Mcgilvray. 2012. Natural Resource and Environmental Economics (4th Edition). Pearson.

Ressources en bibliothèque

• Find the references at the Library

Notes/Handbook

Course notes and slides will be distributed in class.

Moodle Link

• https://go.epfl.ch/MGT-450