WISO100279 Resource economics

Type
course with continuous assessment
Semester hours
3
Lecturer (assistant)
Schmid, Erwin , Wald, Juliette , Braito, Michael
Organisation
Sustainable Economic Development
Offered in
Wintersemester 2026/27
Languages of instruction
Deutsch
Content

The course introduces key concepts, theories, and tools in resource economics. It focuses on the analysis of the use of renewable and non-renewable resources, taking into account regional and global dynamics as well as intertemporal relationships. Students develop the ability to understand resource-use problems from an economic perspective, systematically assess their social, ecological, and economic interactions, and develop well-founded approaches to sustainable resource management.

The aim is for students to be able to participate in societal debates on the sustainable use of resources on the basis of sound scientific knowledge.
Previous knowledge expected

Basics of microeconomics (WISO100252)
environmental economics (WISO100277)
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- explain fundamental concepts, terminology, and tools of resource economics, particularly with regard to renewable and non-renewable resources;
- describe the importance and dynamics of economic, social, and ecological factors in regional, global, and intertemporal resource use;
- apply resource economics models and tools to specific problems, for example to conduct intertemporal cost-benefit analyses and calculate socially optimal resource-use pathways;
- apply microeconomic methods to selected resource-use problems and analytically evaluate empirical data on resource availability, resource demand, and technological and social developments;
- identify regulatory instruments and societal policy approaches for the use of renewable and non-renewable resources, explain how they work, and comparatively evaluate them based on relevant criteria.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.