Jonathan Harris and Brian Roach presented at Nelson Mandela University on Ecological Economics, Energy, and Climate: New Paradigms for the Future on October 22, 2024. Harris and Roach also examined South Africa’s renewable energy transition and the potential for about two-thirds of its power from solar and wind by 2040.
By Brian Roach Standard economic theory fails to address the economic and political significance of modern multinational corporations. In this module, explanations of firm growth based on economies of scale and scope are supplemented with a discussion of the transnational mobility and influence of large corporations. The social and environmental responsibilities of multinationals are considered, […]
By Brian Roach Tax policy is one of the most debated, and often misunderstood, issues in politics and economics. This module provides students with critical tools to understand how taxes work and how they are essential for the government’s functioning. It introduces the US tax system, including the historical development of tax policies, and then presents […]
By Brian Roach, Pratistha Joshi Rajkarnikar, Neva Goodwin and Jonathan M. Harris This module, based on Chapter 10 of Microeconomics in Context, 5th edition, provides an overview of some of the key issues on economic and social inequality, looking beyond income measures to explore inequalities based on education, health care and discrimination in the labor market. […]
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 Brian Roach, Erin Lennox and Anne-Marie Codur This module provides an introduction to the economic analysis of environmental issues, providing broader perspectives on sustainability and ecological economics as well as standard environmental economic techniques such as valuation. Applications include fisheries management, sustainable agriculture, and global climate change. It has been updated to include the […]
By Brian Roach and Jonathan M. Harris This module provides thorough coverage of the issues involved in shifting from dependence on fossil fuels to renewable energy. Fossil fuel still provide about 80 percent of world’s energy. A transition to renewable energy is underway, but it needs to be accelerated to meet climate goals. Energy taxes […]
by David Timmons, Jonathan Harris and Brian Roach. This module covers issues that are central to the transition to renewable energy, including the potential of solar energy, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower and other low-carbon energy sources. It stresses the crucial role of energy efficiency in facilitating a transition to renewables, and discusses issues including electrification, […]
by Jonathan M. Harris, Brian Roach and Anne-Marie Codur This module, based on chapters 12 and 13 of Harris and Roach’s textbook, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach, discusses the scientific evidence on climate change, including recent projections on temperature and sea-level rise. It then evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of economic analysis of […]