Sustainable development

The course will introduce students to the theory and empirical foundation of sustainable development.
After the introduction of the concept and history of sustainable development, the more theoretical part of the course will present analytically the concept of sustainability in the context of modern growth theory emphasizing the dichotomy optimality vs sustainability, the introduction of non-renewable resources and the concept of decoupling.
The second part of the course will introduce the different dimensions of sustainability, it will present what is the role of sustainable development in the international setting and in the international policy agenda. The applied part of this module will introduce the main sustainable development indicators and it will analyse the relationship between economic development and the environment.

At the end of the course students will get acquainted with the fundamental models of macro-economic growth theory, will be able to apply them and interpret their results in the broader context of sustainability and sustainable development.
Furthermore, they will familiarize with the multidimensional concept of sustainability, understand trade off and potential complementarities across sustainable development dimensions, they will get a clear view of the multiple challenges that economic policies have to face to promote sustainability, and also of the opportunities that may arise. Finally, they will be updated on the ongoing international UN debate on sustainable development. Overall, the course will improve the students' capacity to address the sustainability challenge with an holistic and integrated perspective, supporting the idea that complexity can be managed.