MSc Development Finance / Course details

The unit aims to:

This course unit will enable students to think critically about key issues in development economics and environmental sustainability and how to address them. More specifically, this course unit aims to impart knowledge and develop critical thinking about a number of selected topics  concerned with the interface between the economics of environment and development at the macro and micro scale.

This course unit will endow students with a unique opportunity to have in-depth knowledge of the present global challenges of and to meet the requirements of potential employers in academia, private sector and international organizations.

Syllabus (indicative curriculum content):

This course unit is taught over 10 weeks in Semester 2. Curriculum content for each week includes the following topics:

Week 1: Introduction and Overview

Part I: Macroeconomics of Environmental Sustainability and Development
Week 2: Theory of Economics of Environmental Sustainability 
Week 3: Sustainable Economic Growth and Green Growth

Part II: Microeconomics of Environmental Sustainability and Development
Week 4: Economics of Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity
Week 5: Economic Development and Tropical Forests Ecosystems
Week 6: Economic Development: Poverty, Food, and Agriculture 
Week 7: Economics of Water Management and Marine Resources

Part III: Further Topics in Economics of Environment and Development  
Week 8: Economics of Urban Development and Air Pollution
Week 9: Economics of Energy Transitions and the Clean Economy
Week 10: Revision and Exam Preparation 
 

Weekly lectures starting in Week 1, accompanied by weekly seminars, which begin in Week 2.

In-person lectures will be preceded by a pre-recorded (asynchronous) video that broadly introduces each topic – thus allowing for extra time for questions and discussion during the in-person lectures.

Students (working in groups of 3) will be pre-assigned to give a presentation on a topic that is closely linked to that of the preceding lecture. Seminars will start with the students’ presentation, and this will lead to a Q&A and group discussion moderated by the unit’s instructor. Live constructive feedback on this presentation will constitute part of students’ formative assessment.

For the summative assessment (carrying 100% of the grade), students are required to submit an individual essay on one of the topics related to environmental sustainability and economic development applied to a low- and middle-income country. The last lecture (Week 10) discusses strategies and provides examples of such essays.

All materials will be made available online on VLE. 

By the end of this course unit, students can expect to be able to understand and critically reflect on: 
Conceptual frameworks of economic development and environmental sustainability issues faced by low- and middle-income countries
Theoretical perspectives guiding development policy and management of the natural environment
The criticality of the natural environment (e.g. natural wealth) for economic growth, development and wellbeing
The economic drivers of environmental impacts across a range of development contexts (local, national and international)
The empirical evidence about environment and economic development on which these debates are informed
The limitations of this economic perspective on the linkages of development and environmental sustainability.
 

By the end of this course unit, students can expect to be able to understand and critically reflect on: 
Able to frame problems on economic development and environmental sustainability in an effective manner.  
Draw reasoned conclusions from the theory and evidence. 
Elaborate well-reasoned arguments and communicate them in a written essay
 

By the end of this course unit, students can expect to be able to understand and critically reflect on: 
Create and give a presentation and lead a discussion with peers

By the end of this course unit, students can expect to be able to understand and critically reflect on: 
Work collaboratively with peers
Presentation and leadership skills. 

Feedback will be provided as per Faculty of Humanities guidelines
 

The following references provide an overview of current debates around economics of environmental sustainability and will be referenced throughout the course. In addition, topic-specific readings will be made available before each lecture.

-    G Atkinson et al. (eds.), Handbook of Sustainable Development, Edward Elgar, 2014.
-    R Lopez and M Toman (eds.), Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability. Columbia University Press, 2006.
-    World Bank. The Changing Wealth of Nations: Revisiting the Measurement of Comprehensive Wealth. Washington, D.C. World Bank Group. 2024.
-    Dasgupta, S. P. The economics of biodiversity - the Dasgupta review, 2021.
-    E Barbier, Economics for a fragile planet, Cambridge University Press, 2022.
-    R Bluffstone. Environmental Economics and Ecosystem Services. Routledge, 2025
-    W Adams, Green development: environment and sustainability in a developing world.  Routledge, 2020.
-    T Sterner and J Coria, Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management. Routledge, 2012.
-    A Banerjee and E Duflo, Poor economics: a radical rethinking of the way to fight global poverty, Public Affairs, 2011.