Suchergebnis: Katalogdaten im Herbstsemester 2017

Umweltnaturwissenschaften Master Information
Vertiefung in Umweltsysteme und Politikanalyse
Theoretische Grundlagen der Umweltpolitikanalyse
NummerTitelTypECTSUmfangDozierende
701-0727-00LPolitics of Environmental Problem Solving in Developing CountriesW2 KP2GU. Scheidegger
KurzbeschreibungThe course focuses on processes and drivers of decision-making on natural resources management issues in developing countries. It gives insights into the relevance of ecological aspects in developing countries. It covers concepts, instruments, processes and actors in environmental politics at the example of specific environmental challenges of global importance.
LernzielAfter completion of the module, students will be able to:
- Identify and appraise ecological aspects in development cooperation, development policies and developing countries' realities
- Analyze the forces, components and processes, which influence the design, the implementation and the outcome of ecological measures
- Characterize concepts, instruments and drivers of environmental politics and understand, how policies are shaped, both at national level and in multilateral negotiations
- Study changes (improvements) in environmental politics over time as the result of the interaction of processes and actors, including international development organizations
- Analyze politics and design approaches to influence them, looking among others at governance, social organization, legal issues and institutions
InhaltKey issues and basic concepts related to environmental politics are introduced. Then the course predominantly builds on case studies, providing information on the context, specifying problems and potentials, describing processes, illustrating the change management, discussing experiences and outcomes, successes and failures. The analysis of the cases elucidates factors for success and pitfalls in terms of processes, key elements and intervention strategies.

Different cases not only deal with different environmental problems, but also focus on different levels and degrees of formality. This ranges from local interventions with resource user groups as key stakeholders, to country level policies, to multi- and international initiatives and conventions. Linkages and interaction of the different system levels are highlighted. Special emphasis is given to natural resources management.

The cases address the following issues:
- Land use and soil fertility enhancement: From degradation to sustainable use
- Common property resource management (forest and pasture): Collective action and property rights, community-based management
- Ecosystem health (integrated pest management, soil and water conservation)
- Payment for environmental services: Successes in natural resources management
- Climate change and agriculture: Adaptation and mitigation possibilities
- Biodiversity Convention: Implications for conservations and access to genetic resources
- Biodiversity as a means for more secure livelihoods: Agroforestry and intercropping
- The Millennium Development Goals: Interactions between poverty and the environment
- Poverty and natural resources management: Poverty reduction strategies, the view of the poor themselves
- Food security: Policies, causes for insecurity, the role of land grabbing
- Biofuels and food security: Did politics misfire?
- Strategy development at global level: IAASTD and World Development Report 2008
SkriptInformation concerning the case studies and specific issues illustrated therein will be provided during the course (uploaded on Moodle)
LiteraturRobbins P, 2004. Political ecology: a critical introduction. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 242 p.

Peet R, Robbins P, Watts M, 2011. Global political ecology. Routledge, New York, 450 p.

Keeley J, Scoones I, 2000. Knowledge, power and politics: the environmental policy-making process in Ethiopia. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 38(1), 89-120.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThe performance assessment will consist of an individual essay to be written by each student based on at least five references in addition to the sources provided in the course. Students can choose from a list of topics. Criteria for assessment will be communicated at the beginning of the course.
701-1563-00LClimate PolicyW6 KP3GA. Patt, J. Lilliestam
KurzbeschreibungThis course provides an in-depth of analysis both of the theoretical underpinnings to different approaches to climate policy at the international and national levels, and how these different approaches have played out in practice. Students will learn how legislative frameworks have developed over the last 25 years, and also be able to appraise those frameworks critically.
LernzielClimate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, touching all aspects of the environment and of society. There is broad recognition (although with some dissent) that governments ought to do something about it: making sure that emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) stop within the next 30 to 40 years; helping people to adapt to the consequences of the climate change to which we have already committed ourselves; and, most controversially, perhaps taking measures to actively remove GHG’s from the atmosphere, or to alter the radiation balance of the Earth through solar engineering.

It’s a complicated set of problems, especially the first of these, known as mitigation. Fundamentally this is because it means doing something that humanity has never really tried before at a planetary scale: deliberately altering the ways the we produce, convert, and consume energy, which is at the heart of modern society. Modern society – the entire anthropocene – grew up on fossil fuels, and the huge benefits they offered in terms of energy that was inexpensive, easy to transport and store, and very dense in terms of its energy content per unit mass or volume. How to manage a society of over 7 billion people, at anything like today’s living standards, without the benefits of that energy, is a question for which there is no easy answer. There are also other challenges outside of energy. How do we build houses, office buildings, and infrastructure networks without cement, a substance that releases large amounts of CO2 as it hardens? How do we reverse the pace of deforestation, particularly in developing countries? How do we eliminate the GHG emissions from agriculture: the methane from cows’ bellies and rice paddies, together with the chemicals that enter the atmosphere from the application of fertilizer?

These are all tough questions at a technical level, but even tougher when you consider that governments typically need to employ indirect methods to get these things to happen. Arguably a government could simply pass a law that forbids people from using fossil fuels. But politically this is simply unrealistic, at least while so many people depend on fossil fuels in their daily lives. What is to be done? For this, one needs to turn to various ideas about how government can and should influence society. On the one hand are ideas suggesting that government ought to play a very limited role, relative to private actors, and should step in only to correct “market failures,” with interventions designed specifically around that failure. On the other hand are ideas suggesting that government (meaning all of us, working together through a democratic process) is the appropriate decision-making body for core decisions on where society can and should go. These issues come to the fore in climate policy discussions and debates.

This course is about all that. The goal is to give students a glimpse into the enormous complexity of this policy area, an understanding of some of the many debates that are currently raging (of which the debate about whether climate change is actually real is probably the least complicated or interesting). We want to give students the ability to evaluate policy arguments made by politicians, experts, and academics with a critical eye, informed by a knowledge of history, an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings, and the results of empirical testing of different strategies. A student taking this course ought to be able to step into an NGO or government agency involved in climate policy analysis or political advocacy, and immediately be able to make an informed and creative contribution. Moreover, by experiencing the depth of this policy area, students should be able to appreciate the complexity inherent in all policy areas.
LiteraturThere will be daily reading assignments, which we will then discuss critically during the class sessions. All of these will be posted in PDF format on a course Moodle. In addition, there will be three books to be read over the course of the semester. One of these can be accessed in PDF form free of charge, whereas the other two will need to be purchased. Those two are:

The Climate Casino, by William Nordhaus. Yale University Press.

Transforming Energy, by Anthony Patt. Cambridge University Press.
701-1651-00LEnvironmental Governance Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
Maximale Teilnehmerzahl: 30
O3 KP2GE. Lieberherr, G. de Buren, R. Schweizer
KurzbeschreibungThe course addresses environmental policies, focusing on new steering approaches, which are generally summarized as environmental governance. The course also provides students with tools to analyze environmental policy processes and assesses the key features of environmental governance by examining various practical environmental policy examples.
LernzielTo understand how an environmental problem may (not) become a policy and explain political processes, using basic concepts and techniques from political science.

To analyze the evolution as well as the key elements of environmental governance.

To be able to identify the main challenges and opportunities for environmental governance and to critically discuss them with reference to various practical policy examples.
InhaltImprovements in environmental quality and sustainable management of natural resources cannot be achieved through technical solutions alone. The quality of the environment and the achievement of sustainable development strongly depend on human behavior and specifically the human uses of nature. To influence human behavior, we rely on public policies and other societal rules, which aim to steer the way humans use natural resources and their effects on the environment. Such steering can take place through government intervention alone. However, this often also involves governance, which includes the interplay between governmental and non-governmental actors, the use of diverse tools such as emission standards or financial incentives to steer actors' behavior and can occur at the local, regional, national or international level.

In this course, we will address both the practical aspects of as well as the scientific debate on environmental governance. The course gives future environmental experts a strong basis to position themselves in the governance debate, which does not preclude government but rather involves a spectrum from government to governance.

Key questions that this course seeks to answer: What are the core characteristics of environmental challenges from a policy perspective? What are key elements of 'environmental governance' and how legitimate and effective are these approaches in addressing persistent environmental challenges?
SkriptLecture slides and additional course material will be provided on Moodle.
LiteraturWe will mostly work with readings from the following books:
- Carter, N. (2007). The politics of the environment: Ideas, activism, policy (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Hogl, K., Kvarda, E., Nordbeck, R., Pregernig, M. (Eds) (2012): Environmental Governance: The Challenge of Legitimacy and Effectiveness. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesA detailed course schedule will be made available at the beginning of the semester.
During the lecture we will work with Moodle. We ask that all students register themselves on this platform before the lecture and to bring a laptop, tablet or smartphone to class, so that you can complete exercises using Moodle.

We recommend that students have (a) three-years BSc education of a (technical) university; (b) successfully completed Bachelor introductory course to environmental policy (Entwicklungen nationaler Umweltpolitik (or equivalent)) and (c) familiarity with key issues in environmental policy and some fundamental knowledge of one social science or humanities discipline (political science, economics, sociology, history, psychology, philosophy)
851-0585-41LComputational Social Science Information Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen W3 KP2SD. Helbing, K. K. Kleineberg, C. Koch
KurzbeschreibungThe seminar aims at three-fold integration: (1) bringing modeling and computer simulation of techno-socio-economic processes and phenomena together with related empirical, experimental, and data-driven work, (2) combining perspectives of different scientific disciplines (e.g. sociology, computer science, physics, complexity science, engineering), (3) bridging between fundamental and applied work.
LernzielParticipants of the seminar should understand how tightly connected systems lead to networked risks, and why this can imply systems we do not understand and cannot control well, thereby causing systemic risks and extreme events.

They should also be able to explain how systemic instabilities can be understood by changing the perspective from a component-oriented to an interaction- and network-oriented view, and what fundamental implications this has for the proper design and management of complex dynamical systems.

Computational Social Science and Global Systems Science serve to better understand the emerging digital society with its close co-evolution of information and communication technology (ICT) and society. They make current theories of crises and disasters applicable to the solution of global-scale problems, taking a data-based approach that builds on a serious collaboration between the natural, engineering, and social sciences, i.e. an interdisciplinary integration of knowledge.
851-0589-00LTechnology and Innovation for DevelopmentW3 KP2VP. Aerni
KurzbeschreibungTechnological change plays a crucial role in efforts to create a more sustainable future. In this context, policy decision makers must design rules that minimize its risks and maximize its benefits for society at large. The course discusses this challenge from an interdisciplinary perspective taking into account legal, economic, historical, development and environmental aspects..
Lernziel- to recognize the challenges and opportunities of technological change in terms of sustainable development
- to become familiar with policy instruments to promote innovation
- to improve understanding of political decision-making processes in the regulation of science & technology
- improved understanding of the role of science and technology in the context of human and societal development
InhaltScience and Technology Policy is normally associated with the improvement of national competitiveness; yet, it is also an integral part of effective environmental and development policies.
The course will discuss the challenges and opportunities of technological change in terms of sustainable development and show how public policy on the national and the international level is responding to this change.

In this context, students are to become familiar with the basic principles of political economy and New Growth Theory and how such theories help explain political decisions as well as political outcomes in the area of Science, Technology and Innovation. State interventions are either designed to regulate (e.g. environmental regulations, anti-trust law) or facilitate (e.g. intellectual property rights protection, public investment in R&D and technical education, technology transfer) technological change. This will be illustrated by looking at different industries and different national systems of innovation. Subsequently the positive and negative consequences for society and the natural environment will be discussed from a short-term and a long-term perspective.
SkriptReader with issue-specific articles. E-version is partly available under
Link
LiteraturAerni, P. 2015a. Entrepreneurial Rights as Human Rights: Why Economic Rights Must Include the Human Right to Science and the Freedom to Grow Through Innovation. Banson, Cambridge, UK

Aerni, P. 2015b. The Sustainable Provision of Environmental Services: From Regulation to Innovation. Springer, Heidelberg.

Aerni, P., Gagalac, F., Scholderer, J. 2016. The role of biotechnology in combating climate change: A question of politics. Science and Public Policy, 43 (1): 13-28.

Aerni, P., Nichterlein, K., Rudgard, S, Sonnino, A. 2015. Making Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) Work for Development in Tropical Countries. Sustainability 7 (1): 831-850.

Aerni, P. 2013b. Do Private Standards encourage or hinder trade and innovation? NCCR Trade Working Paper 18/2013.

Aerni, P. 2009a. What is Sustainable Agriculture? Empirical Evidence of Diverging Views in Switzerland and New Zealand. Ecological Economics 68(6): 1872-1882.

Aerni, P. 2007. Exploring the Linkages between Commerce, Higher Education and Human Development: A Historical Review. ATDF Journal 4(2): 35-47.

Aerni, P. 2004. Risk, Regulation and Innovation: The Case of Aquaculture and Transgenic Fish. Aquatic Sciences 66: 327-341.

Arthur, B. 2009. The Nature of Technology. New York: Free Press.

Baylis, K./Rausser, G. C. and Leo S. 2005. Including Non-Trade Concerns: The Environment in EU and US Agricultural Policy. International Journal of Agricultural Resources Governance and Ecology, 4 (3/4): 262-276.

Brown, T. (2013) The Precautionary Principle is a blunt instrument. The Guardian. July 9, 2013.

Burk, D. L. & Lemley, M. A. 2009. The Patent Crisis and How to Solve it. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Burk, D., L. 2013. Patent Reform in the United States: Lessons Learned. Regulation: 1-25.

Carr, N. 2008. The Big Switch. Rewiring the World from Edison to Google. W. W. Norton & Company, New York.

Christensen, C. 2011. Innovatior's Dilemma. Harper Business, New York.

Christensen, Jon. 2013. The Biggest Wager. Nature 500: 273-4.

Diamond, Jared. 2013. The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies. Viking, New York.

Diamond, Jared. 1999. Guns, Germs and Steel. New York: Norton.

Farber, Daniel. 2000. Eco-pragmatism: Making Sensible Environmental Decisions in an Uncertain World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000.

Farinelli, F., Bottini, M., Akkoyunlu, S., Aerni, P. 2011. Green entrepreneurship: the missing link towards a greener economy. ATDF Journal 8(3/4): 42-48.

Freidberg, S. (2007). Supermarkets and imperial knowledge. Cultural Geographies, 14(3): 321-342.

Goldstone, Jeffrey. 2010. Engineering Culture, Innovation, and Modern Wealth Creation. In: C. Karlsson, R.R. Stough, B. Johansson (eds) Entrepreneurship and Innovations in Functional Regions. Northampton: Edgar Elgar.

Hamblin, J. D. 2013. Arming Mother Nature: The Birth of Catastrophic Environmentalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jefferson, D. J., Graff, G. D, Chi-Ham, C. L. & Bennett, A. B. (2015) The emergence of agbiogenerics. Nature Biotechnology 33 (8): 819-823

Juma, Calestous. 2016. Innovation and its Enemies. Oxford University Press.

Kaul, Inge, Grunberg, Isabelle, and Marc A. Stern (eds). 1999. 'Global Public Goods. International Cooperation in the 21th century.' Published for the United Nations Development Program. New York: Oxford University Press.

Rosenberg, Nathan. 2000.'Schumpeter and the Endogeneity of Technology'. London: Routledge.

Warsh, David. 2006. Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThe 2-hour course (5-7 p.m.) will be held as a series of lectures. The course materials will be available in form of an electronic Reader at the beginning of the semester.
The class will be taught in English.
Students will be asked to give a (a) presentation (15 Minutes) or write a review paper based on a article selected from the electronic script, and (b) they will have to pass a written test at the end of the course in order to obtain 3 credit points in the ECTS System. In the final mark (a) will have a weight of 40% and (b) 60%.
860-0023-00LInternational Environmental Politics
Besonders geeignet für Studierende D-ITET, D-USYS
W3 KP2VT. Bernauer
KurzbeschreibungThis course focuses on the conditions under which cooperation in international environmental politics emerges and the conditions under which such cooperation and the respective public policies are effective and/or efficient.
LernzielThe objectives of this course are to (1) gain an overview of relevant questions in the area of international environmental politics from a social sciences viewpoint; (2) learn how to identify interesting/innovative questions concerning this policy area and how to answer them in a methodologically sophisticated way; (3) gain an overview of important global and regional environmental problems.
InhaltThis course deals with how and why international cooperation in environmental politics emerges, and under what circumstances such cooperation is effective and efficient. Based on theories of international political economy and theories of government regulation various examples of international environmental politics are discussed: the management of international water resources, the problem of unsafe nuclear power plants in eastern Europe, political responses to global warming, the protection of the stratospheric ozone layer, the reduction of long-range transboundary air pollution in Europe, the prevention of pollution of the oceans, etc.

The course is open to all ETH students. Participation does not require previous coursework in the social sciences.

After passing an end-of-semester test (requirement: grade 4.0 or higher) students will receive 3 ECTS credit points. The workload is around 90 hours (meetings, reading assignments, preparation of test).

Visiting students (e.g., from the University of Zurich) are subject to the same conditions. Registration of visiting students in the web-based system of ETH is compulsory.
SkriptAssigned reading materials and slides will be available at Link (select link 'Registered students, please click here for course materials' at top of that page). Log in with your nethz name and password. Questions concerning access to course materials can be addressed to Dennis Atzenhofer at Link). All assigned papers must be read ahead of the respective meeting. Following the course on the basis of on-line slides and papers alone is not sufficient. Physical presence in the classroom is essential. Many books and journals covering international environmental policy issues can be found at the D-GESS library at the IFW building, Haldeneggsteig 4, B-floor, or in the library of D-USYS.
LiteraturAssigned reading materials and slides will be available at Link (select link -Registered students, please click here for course materials- at top of that page). Log in with your nethz name and password. Questions concerning access to course materials can be addressed to Link).
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesNone
851-0609-06LGoverning the Energy Transition Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
Number of participants limited to 30.

Primarily suited for Master and PhD level
W2 KP2VT. Schmidt
KurzbeschreibungThis course addresses the role of policy and its underlying politics in the transformation of the energy sector. It covers historical, socio-economic, and political perspectives and applies various theoretical concepts to specific aspects of governing the energy transition.
Lernziel- To gain an overview of the history of the transition of large technical systems
- To recognize current challenges in the energy system to understand the theoretical frameworks and concepts for studying transitions
- To demonstrate knowledge on the role of policy and politics in energy transitions
InhaltClimate change, access to energy and other societal challenges are directly linked to the way we use and create energy. Both the recent United Nations Paris climate change agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals make a fast and extensive transition of the energy system necessary.
This course introduces the social and environmental challenges involved in the energy sector and discusses the implications of these challenges for the rate and direction of technical change in the energy sector. It compares the current situation with historical socio-technical transitions and derives the consequences for policy-making. It then introduces theoretical frameworks and concepts for studying innovation and transitions. It then focuses on the role of policy and policy change in governing the energy transition, considering the role of political actors, institutions and policy feedback.
The course has a highly interactive (seminar-like) character. Students are expected to actively engage in the weekly discussions and to give a presentation (15-20 minutes) on one of the weekly topics during that particular session. The presentation (30%) and participation in the discussions (20%) will form one part of the final grade, the remaining 50% of the final grade will be formed by a final exam.
SkriptSlides and reading material will be made available via moodle.ethz.ch (only for registered students).
LiteraturA reading list will be provided via moodle.ethz.ch at the beginning of the semester.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThis course is particularly suited for students of the following programmes: MA Comparative International Studies; MSc Energy Science & Technology; MSc Environmental Sciences; MSc Management, Technology & Economics; MSc Science, Technology & Policy; ETH & UZH PhD programmes.
Modellierung und statistische Datenanalyse
NummerTitelTypECTSUmfangDozierende
701-1453-00LEcological Assessment and Evaluation Information W3 KP3GF. Knaus
KurzbeschreibungThe course provides methods and tools for ecological evaluations dealing with nature conservation or landscape planning. It covers census methods, ecological criteria, indicators, indices and critically appraises objectivity and accuracy of the available methods, tools and procedures. Birds and plants are used as main example guiding through different case studies.
LernzielStudents will be able to:
1) critically consider biological data books and local, regional, and national inventories;
2) evaluate the validity of ecological criteria used in decision making processes;
3) critically appraise the handling of ecological data and criteria used in the process of evaluation
4) perform an ecological evaluation project from the field survey up to the descision making and planning.
SkriptPowerpoint slides are available on the webpage. Additional documents are handed out as copies.
LiteraturBasic literature and references are listed on the webpage.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThe course structure changes between lecture parts, seminars and discussions. The didactic atmosphere is intended as working group.

Prerequisites for attending this course are skills and knowledge equivalent to those taught in the following ETH courses:
- Pflanzen- und Vegetationsökologie
- Systematische Botanik
- Raum- und Regionalentwicklung
- Naturschutz und Naturschutzbiologie
701-1541-00LMultivariate Methods
Studierenden der Umweltnaturwissenschaften mit der Vertiefung Umweltsysteme und Politikanalyse wird sehr empfohlen entweder die Lehrveranstaltung 701-1541-00 im Herbstsemester ODER 752-2110-00 im Frühjahrssemester zu belegen.
W3 KP2V + 1UR. Hansmann
KurzbeschreibungDie Veranstaltung behandelt multivariate statistische Methoden wie lineare Regression, Varianzanalyse, Clusteranalyse, Faktorenanalyse und logistische Regression.
LernzielErlernen
(1) von Grundlagen und Anwendungsbedingungen unterschiedlicher multivariater Methoden,
(2) der Schätzung, Spezifikation und Diagnostik von Modellen,
(3) der Anwendung der Methoden mittels geeigneter Software anhand von Datensätzen im PC-Labor.
InhaltDie Veranstaltung beginnt mit einer Einführung in multivariate Methoden wie Varianzanalyse und multiple lineare Regression, bei denen eine metrische abhängige Variable durch mehrere unabhängige Variablen "erklärt" wird. Es folgen die zwei strukturierenden Verfahren Clusteranalyse und Faktorenanalyse. Im letzten Teil werden Verfahren zur Untersuchung von Zusammenhängen mit dichotomen oder polytomen abhängigen Variablen (z.B. die Wahl von Verkehrsmitteln) vorgestellt.
LiteraturWird zu Veranstaltungsbeginn bekannt gegeben.
101-0491-00LAgent Based Modeling in TransportationW3 KP2GM. Balac, T. J. P. Dubernet
KurzbeschreibungThe main topics of the lecture are:
1) Introduction to the agent-based paradigm and overview on existing agent-based models in transportation, including MATSim
2) Learn how to setup MATSim for policy analysis
3) Learn how to extend the software (includes Java programming)
4) Create, run and analyse a policy study
LernzielThe objective of this course is to make the students familiar with agent-based models and in particular with the software MATSim. They will learn the pros and cons of this type of approach versus traditional transport models and will learn to use the simulation. They will design a policy study and run simulations to evaluate the impacts of the proposed policies.
InhaltThe main topics are:
1) Introduction to the agent-based paradigm and overview on existing agent-based models in transportation, including MATSim
2) Introduction of basic modeling concepts (activity-based approach, user equilibrium...)
3) Learn how to setup MATSim for policy analysis
4) Learn how to extend the software (includes Java programming)
5) Create, run and analyse a policy study
LiteraturAgent-based modeling in general
Helbing, D (2012) Social Self-Organization, Understanding Complex Systems, Springer, Berlin.
Heppenstall, A., A. T. Crooks, L. M. See and M. Batty (2012) Agent-Based Models of Geographical Systems, Springer, Dordrecht.

MATSim

Horni, A., K. Nagel and K.W. Axhausen (eds.) (2016) The Multi-Agent Transport Simulation MATSim, Ubiquity, London
(Link)

Additional relevant readings, mostly scientific articles, will be recommended throughout the course.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThere are no strict preconditions in terms of which lectures the students should have previously attended. However, it is expected that the students have some experience with some high level programming language (i.e. C, C++, Fortran or Java). If this is not the case, attending the additional java exercises (101-0491-00U) is strongly encouraged.
363-0541-00LSystems Dynamics and ComplexityW3 KP3GF. Schweitzer, G. Casiraghi, V. Nanumyan
KurzbeschreibungFinding solutions: what is complexity, problem solving cycle.

Implementing solutions: project management, critical path method, quality control feedback loop.

Controlling solutions: Vensim software, feedback cycles, control parameters, instabilities, chaos, oscillations and cycles, supply and demand, production functions, investment and consumption
LernzielA successful participant of the course is able to:
- understand why most real problems are not simple, but require solution methods that go beyond algorithmic and mathematical approaches
- apply the problem solving cycle as a systematic approach to identify problems and their solutions
- calculate project schedules according to the critical path method
- setup and run systems dynamics models by means of the Vensim software
- identify feedback cycles and reasons for unintended systems behavior
- analyse the stability of nonlinear dynamical systems and apply this to macroeconomic dynamics
InhaltWhy are problems not simple? Why do some systems behave in an unintended way? How can we model and control their dynamics? The course provides answers to these questions by using a broad range of methods encompassing systems oriented management, classical systems dynamics, nonlinear dynamics and macroeconomic modeling.
The course is structured along three main tasks:
1. Finding solutions
2. Implementing solutions
3. Controlling solutions

PART 1 introduces complexity as a system immanent property that cannot be simplified. It introduces the problem solving cycle, used in systems oriented management, as an approach to structure problems and to find solutions.

PART 2 discusses selected problems of project management when implementing solutions. Methods for identifying the critical path of subtasks in a project and for calculating the allocation of resources are provided. The role of quality control as an additional feedback loop and the consequences of small changes are discussed.

PART 3, by far the largest part of the course, provides more insight into the dynamics of existing systems. Examples come from biology (population dynamics), management (inventory modeling, technology adoption, production systems) and economics (supply and demand, investment and consumption). For systems dynamics models, the software program VENSIM is used to evaluate the dynamics. For economic models analytical approaches, also used in nonlinear dynamics and control theory, are applied. These together provide a systematic understanding of the role of feedback loops and instabilities in the dynamics of systems. Emphasis is on oscillating phenomena, such as business cycles and other life cycles.

Weekly self-study tasks are used to apply the concepts introduced in the lectures and to come to grips with the software program VENSIM.
SkriptThe lecture slides are provided as handouts - including notes and literature sources - to registered students only. All material is to be found on the Moodle platform. More details during the first lecture
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesSelf-study tasks (discussion exercises, Vensim exercises) are provided as home work. Weekly exercise sessions (45 min) are used to discuss selected solutions. Regular participation in the exercises is an efficient way to understand the concepts relevant for the final exam.
860-0002-00LQuantitative Policy Analysis and ModelingO6 KP4GA. Patt, T. Schmidt, E. Trutnevyte, O. van Vliet
KurzbeschreibungThe lectures will introduce students to the principles of quantitative policy analysis, namely the methods to predict and evaluate the social, economic, and environmental effects of alternative strategies to achieve public objectives. A series of graded assignments will give students an opportunity for students to apply those methods to a set of case studies
LernzielThe objectives of this course are to develop the following key skills necessary for policy analysts:
- Identifying the critical quantitative factors that are of importance to policy makers in a range of decision-making situations.
- Developing conceptual models of the types of processes and relationships governing these quantitative factors, including stock-flow dynamics, feedback loops, optimization, sources and effects of uncertainty, and agent coordination problems.
- Develop and program numerical models to simulate the processes and relationships, in order to identify policy problems and the effects of policy interventions.
- Communicate the findings from these simulations and associated analysis in a manner that makes transparent their theoretical foundation, the level and sources of uncertainty, and ultimately their applicability to the policy problem.
The course will proceed through a series of policy analysis and modeling exercises, involving real-world or hypothetical problems. The specific examples around which work will be done will concern the environment, energy, health, and natural hazards management.
Anwendungen
NummerTitelTypECTSUmfangDozierende
701-1543-00LTransdisciplinary Methods and ApplicationsW3 KP2GP. Krütli, M. Stauffacher
KurzbeschreibungThe course deals with transdisciplinary (td) methods, concepts and their applications in the context of case studies and other problem oriented research projects. Td methods are used in research at the science-society interface and when collaborating across scientific disciplines.
Students learn to apply methods within a functional framework. The format of the course is seminar-like, interactive.
LernzielAt the end of the course students should:

Know:
-Function, purpose and algorithm of a selected number of transdisciplinary methods

Understand:
-Functional application in case studies and other problem oriented projects

Be able to reflect on:
-Potential, limits, and necessity of transdisciplinary methods
InhaltThe lecture is structured as follows:

- Overview of concepts and methods of inter-/transdisciplinary integration of knowledge, values and interests (approx. 20%)
- Analysis of a selected number of transdisciplinary methods focusing problem framing, problem analysis, and impact (approx. 50%)
- Practical application of the methods in a broader project setting (approx. 30%)
SkriptHandouts are provided by the lecturers
LiteraturSelected scientific articles and book-chapters
701-1551-00LSustainability AssessmentW3 KP2GP. Krütli, C. E. Pohl
KurzbeschreibungThe course deals with the concepts and methodologies for the analysis and assessment of sustainable development. A special focus is given to the social dimension and to social justice as a guiding principle of sustainability as well as to trade-offs between the three dimensions of sustainability.

The course is seminar-like, interactive.
LernzielAt the end of the course students should

Know:
- core concepts of sustainable development, and;
- the concept of social justice as a core element of social sustainability;
- important empirical methods for the analysis and assessment of local / regional sustainability issues.

Understand and reflect on:
- the challenges of trade-offs between the different goals of sustainable development;
- and the respective impacts on individual and societal decision-making.
InhaltThe course is structured as follows:
- Overview of rationale, objectives, concepts and origins of sustainable development;
- Importance and application of sustainability in science, politics, society, and economy;
- Sustainable (local / regional) development in different national / international contexts;
- Analysis and evaluation methods of sustainable development with a focus on social justice;
- Trade-offs in selected examples.
SkriptHandouts.
LiteraturSelected scientific articles & book chapters
701-1563-00LClimate PolicyW6 KP3GA. Patt, J. Lilliestam
KurzbeschreibungThis course provides an in-depth of analysis both of the theoretical underpinnings to different approaches to climate policy at the international and national levels, and how these different approaches have played out in practice. Students will learn how legislative frameworks have developed over the last 25 years, and also be able to appraise those frameworks critically.
LernzielClimate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, touching all aspects of the environment and of society. There is broad recognition (although with some dissent) that governments ought to do something about it: making sure that emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) stop within the next 30 to 40 years; helping people to adapt to the consequences of the climate change to which we have already committed ourselves; and, most controversially, perhaps taking measures to actively remove GHG’s from the atmosphere, or to alter the radiation balance of the Earth through solar engineering.

It’s a complicated set of problems, especially the first of these, known as mitigation. Fundamentally this is because it means doing something that humanity has never really tried before at a planetary scale: deliberately altering the ways the we produce, convert, and consume energy, which is at the heart of modern society. Modern society – the entire anthropocene – grew up on fossil fuels, and the huge benefits they offered in terms of energy that was inexpensive, easy to transport and store, and very dense in terms of its energy content per unit mass or volume. How to manage a society of over 7 billion people, at anything like today’s living standards, without the benefits of that energy, is a question for which there is no easy answer. There are also other challenges outside of energy. How do we build houses, office buildings, and infrastructure networks without cement, a substance that releases large amounts of CO2 as it hardens? How do we reverse the pace of deforestation, particularly in developing countries? How do we eliminate the GHG emissions from agriculture: the methane from cows’ bellies and rice paddies, together with the chemicals that enter the atmosphere from the application of fertilizer?

These are all tough questions at a technical level, but even tougher when you consider that governments typically need to employ indirect methods to get these things to happen. Arguably a government could simply pass a law that forbids people from using fossil fuels. But politically this is simply unrealistic, at least while so many people depend on fossil fuels in their daily lives. What is to be done? For this, one needs to turn to various ideas about how government can and should influence society. On the one hand are ideas suggesting that government ought to play a very limited role, relative to private actors, and should step in only to correct “market failures,” with interventions designed specifically around that failure. On the other hand are ideas suggesting that government (meaning all of us, working together through a democratic process) is the appropriate decision-making body for core decisions on where society can and should go. These issues come to the fore in climate policy discussions and debates.

This course is about all that. The goal is to give students a glimpse into the enormous complexity of this policy area, an understanding of some of the many debates that are currently raging (of which the debate about whether climate change is actually real is probably the least complicated or interesting). We want to give students the ability to evaluate policy arguments made by politicians, experts, and academics with a critical eye, informed by a knowledge of history, an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings, and the results of empirical testing of different strategies. A student taking this course ought to be able to step into an NGO or government agency involved in climate policy analysis or political advocacy, and immediately be able to make an informed and creative contribution. Moreover, by experiencing the depth of this policy area, students should be able to appreciate the complexity inherent in all policy areas.
LiteraturThere will be daily reading assignments, which we will then discuss critically during the class sessions. All of these will be posted in PDF format on a course Moodle. In addition, there will be three books to be read over the course of the semester. One of these can be accessed in PDF form free of charge, whereas the other two will need to be purchased. Those two are:

The Climate Casino, by William Nordhaus. Yale University Press.

Transforming Energy, by Anthony Patt. Cambridge University Press.
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