MAF 502 - Economics of Natural Resources, Prof. David Letson

Goals:

This course brings together the approaches of natural resource and environmental economics to provide a comprehensive overview of the economics of national, international, and global environmental problems.

Material:

A unifying theme throughout is the concept of sustainable development, defined as "maximizing the net benefits of economic development while maintaining the services and quality of natural resources over time". We will use economic reasoning to examine the causes and consequences of environmental and resource problems, and measures for dealing with them.

Assignments:

Two exams, writing assignment and in-class presentation of paper.

Grades:

Grades are based on 30% each exam, 30% writing assignment, and 10% class participation.

Textbook:

(P&T) David W. Pearce and R. Kerry Turner. Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990.