Economics for a human-dominated planet explores fundamental economic issues due to people and nature being inherently intertwined in a time when human activities fundamentally reshape Earth dynamics. The aim of the course is to equip students with tools to understand, analyze, and address these issues, with focus on pollution and natural resources. 

The course begins by setting the stage and introducing fundamental concepts such as biosphere, Anthropocene, Great Acceleration, social ecological systems, tipping points, and regime shifts. We discuss why and how combining complex adaptive systems theories with standard economic theories can offer a deeper understanding of the intertwined dynamics linking nature and society. In the second part of the course, we dive into the topic of ecosystem tipping points and regime shifts (abrupt and persistent change in the structure and function of an ecosystem). We study mechanisms that trigger these phenomena and investigate the implications of tipping points for optimal management of these ecosystems. We discuss how to model and handle uncertainty, the interaction of fast and slow system dynamics, and policy implications. In the third part of the course, we study situations of decentralized management and collective action in the context of regime shifts and tipping points. We use game theory to discuss collective action situations and study experimental design to test resource users’ behavioral response to potential tipping points. We also reflect on research frontiers linked to phenomena such as spatial connectivity, biodiversity, and early warning signals and critically assess what type of scientific methods can be useful in these different contexts.

The teaching consists of a mix of online, pre-recorded, and on-site lectures along with discussions and practical exercises. The course targets PhD students in sustainability sciences and economics who would like to deepen their understanding of the economic implications of living on a human-dominated planet. The course provides insights and methods from multiple disciplines and research fields such as economics, ecology, behavioral science, complexity science, and mathematics. We investigate multiple ways to combine these approaches and critically discuss their benefits and limitations. 

This course provides students with a coherent understanding of the scientific foundation necessary to analyze, evaluate, and prioritize economic problems on a human-dominated planet. The students will learn the importance of understanding ecosystem dynamics and their role in influencing human actions and decisions. By the end of the course, the students will have a well-rounded understanding of the economic challenges linked to economic drivers of tipping points and regime shifts, the policies that can mitigate their effects, and the behavioral responses they can generate.  They will have tested, combined, and critically discussed multiple scientific methods useful to study these types of problems from fields including economics, ecology, complex systems analysis, behavioral science, mathematics, and policy. By engaging with real world examples of resource and pollution management, this course equips students with the analytical tools and collaborative skills needed to assess and implement effective research strategies toward more sustainable futures on a human-dominated planet. Bz the end of the Economics for a human-dominated planet course, students will have:

• mastered core concepts and key principles in understanding nature and society as a complex adaptive system, and the challenges and implications for economic analyses of resource and pollution management problems.
• applied different ways to model tipping points and studied multiple management approaches in this context, including optimal management and collective action.
• applied behavioral experiment design in contexts with tipping points or other elements of complexity.
• improved their ability to provide constructive review of scientific articles, critically assess scientific findings, and understand the limitations of specific scientific methods, modelling choices and assumptions.
• engaged with some of the most pressing policy problems from local to global scales and identified concrete ways to simplify complex problems to perform constructive policy analyses while remaining aware of key social and ecological dynamics.

Attendance is mandatory for at least 80% of the course sessions, in accordance with university regulations. Active participation is essential to successfully complete the course, as many sessions involve group work, case studies, and in-class discussions. Exceptions or absences beyond this limit require formal and prior approval and valid justification.

The “Economics for a human-dominated planet”-course adopts a comprehensive teaching and learning approach that combines foundational instruction, interactive engagement, and applied group work. Lectures introduce core concepts and methods. Interactive discussions further enrich students’ understanding of the concepts and approaches by highlighting key assumptions, policy implications, and limitations, thereby fostering critical thinking and in-depth understanding. Real-world case studies illustrate the practical application of complex ecosystem dynamics such as tipping points and the economic, policy, behavioral, and sustainability implications related to changes in the provision of ecosystem services, natural resource use and pollution management.

Students engage in collaborative group projects, where they design and analyze specific problems or test particular methods such as behavioral experiments. This fosters teamwork and problem-solving skills in an interdisciplinary context. Independent study and literature analyses further enhance learning by encouraging students to engage critically with academic research and apply their insights to complex environmental challenges. This blended teaching design ensures students gain both theoretical knowledge and practical expertise, preparing them for interdisciplinary research with an economics lens for a human-dominated planet.

The assessment for the “Economics for a human-dominated planet course is designed as a continuous learning evaluation, ensuring students receive ongoing feedback to guide their progress and understanding throughout the semester. It includes a variety of methods to evaluate knowledge, engagement, and critical thinking:

• Participation (10 points): Active participation in discussions and group activities is essential and reflects students' commitment to learning and collaboration.
• Review report and presentation (20): Critically reading other scientists’ work is key to being a good researcher who contributes to the research community and understands how to advance the research frontier.
• Group Work and Presentation (40 points): Collaborative projects allow students to apply theoretical knowledge to a specific research question, culminating in a group presentation of their approach and proposed solutions.
• End term Exam (30 points): An end term exam evaluates students' understanding of the course’s key topics and their ability to analyze economic issues emerging at the interface between nature and society.

This continuous evaluation approach assesses student performance and provides opportunities for improvement, fostering deeper learning, critical thinking, a better understanding of the course material and training in multiple scientific methods.

Students must be enrolled in a PhD program to take the course.

Please log in with your WU account to use all functionalities of read!t. For off-campus access to our licensed electronic resources, remember to activate your VPN connection connection. In case you encounter any technical problems or have questions regarding read!t, please feel free to contact the library at readinglists@wu.ac.at.

PhD students with different disciplinary backgrounds in environmental natural or social sciences are welcome to take this course. Interactions between students from multiple disciplinary backgrounds will be promoted to the extent possible during the course to support interdisciplinary learning and research approaches.

The students will test many different scientific methods and are not expected to be knowledgeable in all of them before the start of the course. However, some preliminary knowledge of at least one of the following theories, fields or methods is recommended: economics, complex systems, behavioral experiments, systems dynamics, game theory, systems ecology, sustainability science. 

Appointments via email only: anne-sophie.crepin@wu.ac.at