By Rachel Massey The module illustrates the disproportionate environmental burdens faced by minority and low-income communities, using data and case studies. It delves into the limitations and applications of economic analysis, on topics of valuing human life and the distinctions between efficiency and equity. The module discusses issues of environmental justice both in the US […]
By Brian Roach, Anne-Marie Codur and Jonathan M. Harris This teaching module discusses the science, economics and policy of sustainable water management. It presents current data on water stress and water scarcity around the world, and introduces the concepts of virtual water and water footprints. The module explains how economic instruments can be used to […]
By Brian Roach and Jonathan M. Harris This module is based on Chapter 19 of Harris and Roach’s textbook Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach. It presents an analysis combining trade theory with the theory of externalities to show how the basic principles of gains from trade must be modified in a real world […]
By Erin Lennox, Jonathan M. Harris and Anne-Marie Codur This module presents an expanded circular flow analysis that takes the biosphere into account. It reviews critiques and alternatives to gross national product (GNP) and gross domestic product (GDP), emphasizing natural resource and environmental, as well as social sustainability, then discusses the implications of long-term growth […]
By Anne-Marie Codur, Jonathan M. Harris and Maliheh Birjandi Feriz Deforestation and degradation of forests and wetlands is a major contributor to climate change. At the same time, forests and other ecosystems have immense capacity to store carbon and to contribute to balancing global cycles of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases. Policies to […]
By Anne-Marie Codur, Jonathan M. Harris and Kayleigh Fay There is increasing evidence that ambitious goals to mitigate climate change, such as those set for by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change cannot be met without a substantial contribution from increased absorption of carbon dioxide by soils, forests and wetlands. This module focuses on the agricultural […]
By Pratistha Rajkarnikar, Neva Goodwin and Brian Roach This module, drawn from the fifth chapter of Macroeconomics in Context, presents an overview of innovations in national accounting related to measuring well-being. The module describes satellite accounts for the environment, methods of counting household production and the construction of well-being indicators such as the Genuine Progress Indicator, […]
By Brian Roach, Neva Goodwin and Julie A. Nelson This module presents material drawn from Chapter 8 of Microeconomics in Context, 5th edition, to explore the various motivations behind consumer behavior. The historical development of the “consumer society” is summarized, including a discussion of the institutions underlying mass consumerism. The relationship between consumption and well-being is surveyed, […]
We are pleased to announce the official launch of the GDP Center’s Economics in Context Initiative (ECI). The ECI team develops educational materials that are relevant to addressing some of the key issues of the twenty-first century including economic inequality, environmental sustainability, financial instability, globalization, and the changing nature of work. Our textbooks include Microeconomics […]