66126 - Agri-Environmental Policies

Learning outcomes

Students will have in-depth knowledge of the functioning and prospects of the agri-environmental and environmental policies both at global and local level, on their impacts on the economic activities, and on the management of the natural resources.

Course contents

I. AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES

1. Environmental Economics (10 h):

• elements of microeconomics: market, demand and supply theories;
• environmental economics and the commons;
• welfare economics: efficiency and equity, market failures.

2. Environmental Policies (10 h, of which 6 h group exercises):

• environmental policies: principles, criteria and aims;
• environmental policies: administrative, economic and voluntary measures;
• sustainable development: concepts and prospects.

3. Agricultural Policies (10 h, of which 6 h individual exercises):

• agricultural policies reasons and purposes: challenges, values and opportunities in agriculture;
• agricultural policy measures;
• agri-environmental policy measures;
• rural development policies (*): competitiveness and value chain strategies, young entrepreneurs, ecosystems and resource efficient use.

* Some of the topics are discussed in coordination with the course "Place Marketing"

II. FOREST ECONOMICS AND POLICY

4. Forest policies and Governance (12 hours, including 5 hours of in-class group exercises)

• Forest resources: a recap
• Forest policies at global, EU, national and regional level
• Forest Governance and effective resource management
• Good Forest Governance principles and instruments: transparency, accountability, active participation, coordination, and capacity.
• Interactions between forest policies and other policies of societal relevance (social innovation, gender, youth empowerment)

5. Governance and conflicts: tools for active stakeholder participation (8 hours, including 4 hours of in-class group exercises)

• Managing conflicts and diverging interests in the creation of forest and environmental policies
• Tools for active stakeholder participation for effective forest management: an overview

6. Environmental and forest economics tools (10 hours, including 3 hours of in-class individual exercises)

• Principles of Forest Economics
• Public Environmental and Forest Accounting
• Evaluating and managing Ecosystem Services

Readings/Bibliography

Varian H. R., Microeconomia, Cafoscarina, Venezia 2007 (capp. 1, 14, 15, 21 e 22);

Musu I., Introduzione all’economia dell’ambiente, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2003 (capp. 1, 2 e 5);

Turner K., Pearce D., Bateman I., Environmental Economics,J. Hopkins Univ. Pr., 1993 (capp. 1, 2, 5, 8 e 10);

Panella G., Economia e politiche dell’ambiente, Carocci, Roma 2002 (capp. 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 e 11);

Pettenella D., Le nuove sfide per il settore forestale. Mercato, energie, ambiente e politiche. Ed. Tellus, Roma 2009 (capp. 1,3, 4 e 8).

PROFOR/FAO, Framework for Assessing and Monitoring Forest Governance. Rome: WB/FAO, 2011: http://www.fao.org/climatechange/

Merlo, M., Elementi di economia ed estimo forestale-ambientale. Bologna: Patron, 1991;

Didactic material: https://virtuale.unibo.it (with further references and webography).

Teaching methods

Front loaded and active learning methodologies; group and individual exercises; seminars.

Assessment methods

The Course Agri-Environmental Policies is part, together with "Place Marketing", of the Integrated Course in "Marketing and Agricultural Policies": acquired knowledge and skills will be evaluated through an oral exam (indicatively, 3 arguments in about 45 minutes).

Regular class attendance will offer the opportunity to take a written exam (5 arguments, 60 minutes) on the Agri-Environmental Policies study program (instead of the related part of the oral exam).

Teaching tools

Laptop and beamer.

Office hours

See the website of Marco Setti

See the website of Valentino Marini Govigli