IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/easeco/v49y2023i3d10.1057_s41302-023-00239-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Teaching Environmental Macroeconomics to Undergraduate Students

Author

Listed:
  • Sahar Milani

    (St. Lawrence University)

Abstract

Since environmental economics is typically under the umbrella of microeconomics, there is less emphasis on macroeconomic issues in undergraduate-level environmental economics textbooks. This presents a significant content deficiency because it limits the discussion of global environmental policy and growth. In this paper, I propose a simplified version of Brock and Taylor (J Econ Growth 15(2):127–153, 2010)’s “green” Solow model that is accessible for undergraduates. I assume that the growth rate of emissions is equal to the growth rate of capital per effective worker in addition to several omissions. The result is a restatement of the model that requires no calculus or differential equations to understand. I also discuss how this stand-alone content can be taught to students of different skill levels and in various class formats as a complement to empirical applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Sahar Milani, 2023. "Teaching Environmental Macroeconomics to Undergraduate Students," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 49(3), pages 391-407, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:easeco:v:49:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1057_s41302-023-00239-0
    DOI: 10.1057/s41302-023-00239-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41302-023-00239-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41302-023-00239-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daron Acemoglu & Philippe Aghion & Leonardo Bursztyn & David Hemous, 2012. "The Environment and Directed Technical Change," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(1), pages 131-166, February.
    2. Pedro de Araujo & Roisin O’Sullivan & Nicole B. Simpson, 2013. "What Should be Taught in Intermediate Macroeconomics?," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(1), pages 74-90, March.
    3. Mark Aguiar & Gita Gopinath, 2007. "Emerging Market Business Cycles: The Cycle Is the Trend," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 115, pages 69-102.
    4. Hanley, Nick & Shogren, Jason & White, Ben, 2013. "Introduction to Environmental Economics," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, edition 2, number 9780199568734.
    5. William Brock & M. Taylor, 2010. "The Green Solow model," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 127-153, June.
    6. Gene M. Grossman & Alan B. Krueger, 1995. "Economic Growth and the Environment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 353-377.
    7. N Gregory Mankiw, 2016. "The Tradeoff between Nuance and Clarity," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 42(2), pages 169-170, March.
    8. Tsigaris, Panagiotis & Wood, Joel, 2016. "A simple climate-Solow model for introducing the economics of climate change to undergraduate students," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 65-81.
    9. Herman E. Daly, 2007. "Ecological Economics and Sustainable Development, Selected Essays of Herman Daly," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12606.
    10. Erik Craft & Maia Linask, 2020. "Learning effects of the flipped classroom in a principles of microeconomics course," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(1), pages 1-18, January.
    11. Bruce T. Elmslie & Edinaldo Tebaldi, 2010. "Teaching Economic Growth Theory with Data," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(2), pages 110-124, March.
    12. Roberto Duncan, 2015. "Simple Models to Understand and Teach Business Cycle Macroeconomics for Emerging Market and Developing Economies," Working Papers 49, Peruvian Economic Association.
    13. Nathan Wozny & Cary Balser & Drew Ives, 2018. "Evaluating the flipped classroom: A randomized controlled trial," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(2), pages 115-129, April.
    14. Daron Acemoglu, 2013. "Economic Growth and Development in the Undergraduate Curriculum," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(2), pages 169-177, June.
    15. Gilbert E. Metcalf & James H. Stock, 2020. "Measuring the Macroeconomic Impact of Carbon Taxes," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 110, pages 101-106, May.
    16. Jimena González-Ramírez & Jill Caviglia-Harris & John C. Whitehead, 2021. "Teaching Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Review of the Economic Education Literature," International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics, now publishers, vol. 15(3), pages 235-369, September.
    17. Herman E. Daly, 1991. "Towards an Environmental Macroeconomics," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 67(2), pages 255-259.
    18. Roberto Duncan, 2015. "A Simple Model to Teach Business Cycle Macroeconomics for Emerging Market and Developing Economies," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(4), pages 394-402, October.
    19. Kolstad, Charles, 2011. "Intermediate Environmental Economics: International Edition," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, edition 2, number 9780199732654.
    20. Sheldon H. Stein, 2007. "A Beginner's Guide to the Solow Model," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(2), pages 187-193, April.
    21. Rita A. Balaban & Donna B. Gilleskie & Uyen Tran, 2016. "A quantitative evaluation of the flipped classroom in a large lecture principles of economics course," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(4), pages 269-287, October.
    22. Committee, Nobel Prize, 2018. "William D. Nordhaus and Paul M. Romer: Economic Growth, Technological Change, and Climate Change," Nobel Prize in Economics documents 2018-2, Nobel Prize Committee.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Peter Mikek, 2023. "A Flipped Classroom Experiment in Growth Theory," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 49(3), pages 433-456, June.
    2. Jin, Wei & Shi, Xunpeng & Zhang, Lin, 2021. "Energy transition without dirty capital stranding," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    3. Wei Jin & ZhongXiang Zhang, 2018. "Capital Accumulation, Green Paradox, and Stranded Assets: An Endogenous Growth Perspective," Working Papers 2018.33, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    4. Chang, Juin-Jen & Wang, Wei-Neng & Shieh, Jhy-Yuan, 2018. "Environmental rebounds/backfires: Macroeconomic implications for the promotion of environmentally-friendly products," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 35-68.
    5. Bertinelli, Luisito & Strobl, Eric & Zou, Benteng, 2012. "Sustainable economic development and the environment: Theory and evidence," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 1105-1114.
    6. López, Ramón E. & Yoon, Sang W., 2020. "Sustainable development: Structural transformation and the consumer demand," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 22-38.
    7. Ramón López & Sang Won Yoon, 2013. "Sustainable Economic Growth: Structural Transformation with Consumption Flexibility," Working Papers wp375, University of Chile, Department of Economics.
    8. Wei Jin & Rick van der Ploeg & Lin Zhang, 2020. "Do We Still Need Carbon-Intensive Capital When Transitioning to a Green Economy?," CESifo Working Paper Series 8745, CESifo.
    9. Ye, Chusheng & Ye, Qin & Shi, Xunpeng & Sun, Yongping, 2020. "Technology gap, global value chain and carbon intensity: Evidence from global manufacturing industries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    10. Waknis, Parag, 2017. "A Segmented Markets Model to Teach Analysis of Monetary Policy Shocks in Developing Economies," MPRA Paper 78011, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. López, Ramón E. & Yoon, Sang W., 2014. "Environmental Sustainability with a Pollution Tax," Working Papers 166244, University of Maryland, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    12. Francesco Vona & Francesco Nicolli & Lionel Nesta, 2012. "Determinants of renewable energy innovation: environmental policies vs. market regulation," Sciences Po publications 2012-05, Sciences Po.
    13. Fabian Knorre & Martin Wagner & Maximilian Grupe, 2021. "Monitoring Cointegrating Polynomial Regressions: Theory and Application to the Environmental Kuznets Curves for Carbon and Sulfur Dioxide Emissions," Econometrics, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-35, March.
    14. Anjum, Zeba & Burke, Paul J. & Gerlagh, Reyer & Stern, David I., "undated". "Modeling the Emissions-Income Relationship Using Long-Run Growth Rates," Working Papers 249422, Australian National University, Centre for Climate Economics & Policy.
    15. de Haas, Ralph & Popov, A., 2018. "Financial Development and Industrial Pollution," Other publications TiSEM a0a4fb82-734a-442a-9ea1-a, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    16. Vella, Eugenia & Dioikitopoulos, Evangelos V. & Kalyvitis, Sarantis, 2015. "Green Spending Reforms, Growth, And Welfare With Endogenous Subjective Discounting," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(6), pages 1240-1260, September.
    17. Haiqian Ke & Wenyi Yang & Xiaoyang Liu & Fei Fan, 2020. "Does Innovation Efficiency Suppress the Ecological Footprint? Empirical Evidence from 280 Chinese Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-23, September.
    18. Michael Peneder & Spyros Arvanitis & Christian Rammer & Tobias Stucki & Martin Wörter, 2022. "Policy instruments and self-reported impacts of the adoption of energy saving technologies in the DACH region," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 49(2), pages 369-404, May.
    19. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09j0h0ji242 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Edy Yusuf Agung Gunanto & Tri Wahyu & Jaka Aminata & Banatul Hayati, 2021. "Convergence CO2 Emission in ASEAN Countries: Augmented Green Solow Model Approach," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(5), pages 572-578.
    21. William Brock & M. Taylor, 2010. "The Green Solow model," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 127-153, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Green Solow model; Sustainable growth; Undergraduate curriculum;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate
    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:easeco:v:49:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1057_s41302-023-00239-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.