Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Economia e Statistica "Cognetti de Martiis"

This course has the ambition to provide students of the Postgraduate degree “Economics of the environment, culture, and territory” with an introduction to the plurality of schools of thought in economics that have considered the embeddedness of the economic system into a larger ecological system and the requirements of sustainability as central concerns. After revisiting the historical origins of so-called ecological economics, the course distinguishes between the alternative theoretical, methodological, and ontological foundations of the variety of research programs that currently populate the sub-discipline, from those that located at the (mainstream) core of economics to those that belong to the (heterodox) periphery. The course then illustrates how some of the most innovative approaches, i.e. those that most convincingly have questioned the assumptions of the orthodox perspective in economics and of the resulting economic model, can help address the challenge posed by planetary boundaries, with the related needs to rethink prosperity and incorporate social concerns into ecological economics.  

Upon completion, students:

- will be able to recognize the most important debates in ecological economics, and will have acquired knowledge of the appropriate terminology, of the theoretical foundations of such debates, also in historical evolution (knowledge and understanding);

- will demonstrate awareness of the competition between alternative schools of thought, and to be able to critically discuss the various research programs in economics investigating the relationship between the economy and the larger ecological system, by retracing them back to key differences in theoretical foundations (applying knowledge and understanding);

- will be able to grasp critically the main theoretical assumptions behind policies inspired by so-called growth paradigm and those that conversely aims primarily at sustainability (making judgements); 

- will be able to make autonomous judgements upon the evolution of ecological economics and the specific importance its various strands can have in suggesting how to rethink prosperity (making judgements);

- will demonstrate to have acquired and to be able to employ the competencies required – ability to understand theoretical and applied aspects of suggested readings, autonomous judgement, communication skills (communication skills) - to conduct further autonomous researches (in different contexts, that is in both professional contexts and in specialising educational contexts) for various purposes (learning skills).

The course consists in 36 hours of frontal lectures, which may include tutorials and exercises on the course contents,

In compliance with the UniTo provisions about teaching activities during the Covid-19 pandemic and specifically for the 2020-21 academic year, this course has activated an Online teaching solution. Online learning occurs through live video streaming events. Registrations will be made available, together with other teaching material, on the Moodle platform page for this course at https://elearning.unito.it/scuolacle/course/view.php?id=1734.

The teacher will schedule meetings for interacting and discussing the course contents with students both online and, should the circumstances be favourable, in presence.  

In this course, assessment is through an oral exam on the whole ensemble of topics covered during the course, and presupposes reasoned and careful reading of reference documents indicated here. It serves to verify the acquisition of:

• the ability to understand topics and approaches dealt with during the course and related information;
• the ability to analyse concepts by using the correct terminology (especially when technical in nature)
• competencies in identifying connections between concepts.

To get access to the exam, students must register online by using the Esse3 - System of the University of Turin, and an identification card.

Evaluation is expressed on a 30-point scale (maximum 30/30); to pass the examination, students must reach a score of 18/30.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students living outside Piedmont or abroad (and indeed all students will, should the circumstances prevent exams in presence) can opt for an online modality. 

• The origins of ecological economics
  • The early history of economists’ environmental concerns
  • Limits to growth
  • Georgescu-Roegen’s work
• The rise and development of ecological economics
  • The laws of thermodynamics into economics
  • The troubles of economic growthmanship
  • The social dimension
• Planetary boundaries and today’s research programs
  • Environmental economics and new resource economics
  • New environmental pragmatists
  • Social ecological economics
• The present and the future
  • Growth, post-growth, de-growth
  • Sustainable prosperity
  • The global green new deal

Mandatory readings for both attending and non-attending students:

• Tim Jackson, "Prosperity without Growth. Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow", Routledge, London and New York, 2017.
• Matthias Schmelzer, “The growth paradigm: History, hegemony, and the contested making of economic growthmanship”, Ecological Economics, Volume 118, October 2015, pp. 262-71
• Clive L. Spash and Viviana Asara, “Ecological Economics: From nature to society”. In: An Introduction to Pluralist Economics: Rethinking Economics, Routledge, London and New York, 2018, pp. 120-32.

The report

• "Building a Sustainable and Desirable Economy-in-Society-in-Nature", by
  Robert Costanza, Gar Alperovitz, Herman Daly, Joshua Farley, Carol Franco, Tim Jackson, Ida Kubiszewski, Juliet Schor, and Peter Victor, chapter 16 of S. Shmelev (ed.), "Green Economy Reader", Studies in Ecological Economics 6, Springer, pp. 367-454.

is a highly recommended reading. 

The course is held in the second semester (starting from February 25),

on Thursdays and Fridays, 12 to 2 pm (link fpr lectures at https://elearning.unito.it/scuolacle/course/view.php?id=1734).

Teaching modalities evidently depend on the constraints imposed by the pandemic, and may change compared to those described here. Online teaching is guaranteed during the whole academic year in any event.