The course will focus on the discussion of seminal and recent research papers in the field of environmental economics, with a particular focus on empirical analysis and policy evaluation.

The goal of the course is to provide students of an understanding of the state-of-the-art methods and issues in environmental economics, and preparing them to undertake a Master Thesis or other research projects.

Attendance is mandatory, a maximum of 2 absences are allowed. If a student misses more than 2 classes the course will not be graded.
Students that miss the first class of the course without notice will be deregistered.

The class will be centered on the discussion of policy-relevant studies or reports in environmental economics. The students will discuss with the instructor and with each other about a recently published paper or report. All students are supposed to read in advance the paper scheduled for the class and actively participating to the discussion. 

In the first part of the course, students will have to present a review of a scientific paper (about 1-2 pages long). On the first day of class, students will select one of the papers from a list. In the following classes they will have to critically evaluate the code and the data, the methodology, the research question and the conclusions of the paper they choose and present it in class (10-15 mins). 

In the second part of the course, the students will prepare a research proposal fit for a Master Thesis at WU Wien, and they will present it in class (10-15 mins). The proposal will contain information such as research question, motivation, data source, and methodology.

The final grade is composed by the following elements:

Individual review of a paper 40%

Individual written research proposal 40%

Individual presentation of the research proposal 20%

Note that late submissions of the review or the research proposal will not be accepted.

The grade scale is the following (based on total points):

Excellent (1): 90-100 points

Good (2): 80-89 points

Satisfactory (3): 70-79 points

Sufficient (4): 60-69 points

Fail (5): Lower than 60 points

Students are required to be registered and attend the Environmental Economics Field Course as well. Knowledge of R is strongly recommended.

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