The course “Economics for the Environment’ begins with an explanation of what economics is. In this explanation, a role for economics in the consideration of environmental matters is established. The potential for markets to solve environmental problems is explored and this is accompanied by an analysis of government, or ‘command and control’ mechanisms for dealing with environmental issues. Throughout the course economic principles and techniques are set out. These include opportunity cost, demand, transaction costs, property rights and benefit cost analysis.

This course also provides the basic skills for further studies in environmental and resource economics.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Evaluate how the discipline of economics, and economic tools such as cost-benefit analysis, can be used to analyse environmental and natural resource use issues.
2. Analyse the potential for market and government ('command and control) mechanisms to address environmental issues.
3. Evaluate the role of economics in the management of natural resources, including water, forests, energy and fisheries, at local, regional and global levels.

Research-Led Teaching

A feature of the course will be the use, where possible, of recent research on real world examples.

Field Trips

There are no field trips. Students will be given feedback during tutorial sessions throughout the semester.

Additional Course Costs

None

Examination Material or equipment

N/A

Required Resources

Weekly reading list

The weekly reading list can be found on the course Canvas site. The list underpins the workshop-based structure of the course. Workshops are reading-focused and organised around careful engagement with key economic thinkers and debates, so students are expected to come to workshops having completed the required readings for that week. Workshops typically involve short student-led presentations and small-group discussion focused on a key author or perspective, supported by lecture input that situates the readings within broader economic traditions and environmental policy debates. Required readings provide a shared foundation for discussion, while recommended readings offer additional context and support for students who wish to deepen their understanding or are presenting in a given week.

* refers to required readings. The rest are recommended.

Recommended Resources

General economics texts:

Chang, Ha-Joon (2014), Economics: The User's Guide, New York: Bloomsbury Press.

Ferber, Marianne & Julie Nelson (eds) (1993), Beyond Economic Man: Feminist Theory and Economics, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Nelson, Julie (2018), Economics for Humans, Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Stanford, Jim (2015), Economics for Everyone, London: Pluto Press. https://economicsforeveryone.ca/

Stilwell, Frank (2011), Political Economy: The Contest of Economic Ideas, 3rd edn, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Quiggin, John (2019), Economics in Two Lessons: Why Markets Work So Well, and Why They Can Fail So Badly, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

 

Green economics texts:

Cato, Molly Scott (2009), Green Economics: An Introduction to Theory, Policy and Practice, London: Earthscan.

Cato, Molly Scott (2021), Economy and Environment, 2nd edn, Abingdon: Routledge.

Raworth, Kate (2017), Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think like a 21st-century Economist, London: Penguin.

Harris, Jonathan M & Brian Roach (2018), Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach, 4th edn, Abingdon: Routledge.

Tietenberg, Tom & Lynne Lewis (2018), Environmental and Resource Economics, 11th edn, Abingdon: Routledge.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Verbal feedback during tutorials

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Referencing in tutorial exercises, and in exams

For the tutorial exercises, including references in your answers is optional. Just stating standard results accurately without references is enough; but you can add references if you wish, though make sure they are appropriate ones! To save space, you can reference a textbook like this in the text of your answer: '(HR Box 3.2)', '(HR Fig. 3.4)' or '(TL pp63-4)', and the lecture slides like this: '(Lec 2 slide 34)' or '(Lec 3 slide 10)' – without having to add any citations in a References list at the end. Referencing is permitted but not expected in exams.

Hints for assessment answers:

Answer the question as written, not the question you'd like to answer, and don't include irrelevant material. Generally, it's a good idea to include the wording of the question somewhere in your answer. For example, if somewhere in your answer to "Why does X happen?" you write "X happens because...", you're showing that you're answering the question.

Avoid too many passives like saying this or that wonderful environmental action should be done, otherwise you're often just indulging in wishful thinking. Say which people, firms or governments need to do these things, so that you realise the practical and political implications of what you're suggesting.

Including diagrams can gain you marks, or it can reveal your ignorance. For example, more than half of the ENVS2007 students who tried to draw HR Fig 8.5, or TL Fig 14.3 or 14.6, for an exam answer in 2019 made a mistake which showed they didn't understand the diagram.

 

General points:

Back up your laptop notes every day! Losing or breaking a laptop just before an assessment is due is not a valid reason for any special consideration.

Do not make travel plans during teaching weeks or the exam period! Planned travel (as opposed to travel for unforeseen reasons) is not a valid reason for deferred assessment.

For all assessment extensions, Special Assessment Considerations and Deferred Examinations, contact whoever of Paul or Thang is currently lecturing (copied to your tutor if appropriate) in the first instance.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	SECTION I - THE ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENTSection I introduces core economic concepts and competing traditions of economic thought to examine how economies are organised and how production, work, consumption, and institutions interact with the environment. It builds a foundation for analysing environmental problems by situating them within historical, social, and economic structures rather than treating them as isolated market failures.
2	Workshop 1: The economy, technology, inequality, and environmental changeTuesday 24/2 or Wednesday 25/2Questions:What is the economy made up of? How and why has economic growth transformed the biosphere? How do capitalism, technology, and inequality shape environmental outcomes?This workshop introduces economics as a way of understanding how production, work, and consumption interact with ecosystems over time. It provides the conceptual overview needed for tutorials that analyse Australian economic sectors as environmental systems. Key readings / thinkers: CORE Economics (Chapter 1); introductory political economy perspectives.	Tutorial: The Australian economy as an environmental systemWednesday 25/2 or Thursday 26/2Goal: Introductions and orientation to the course’s applied, data-focused approachData focus: Overview indicators of the Australian economy and environment (sectoral output, employment, exports, emissions).We will build understanding that: the course does not assume prior training in economics; tutorials will emphasise descriptive economic data rather than mathematical modelling; economic data is used to interpret how environmental problems are organised and governed; confidence in reading and questioning economic information is a core learning outcome of the course.
3	Workshop 2: Self interest, cooperation, and environmental public goodsQuestions:Can self-interest be harnessed for sustainability? How do social preferences, norms, and institutions shape environmental outcomes?This workshop examines social dilemmas and collective action problems that arise in managing shared environmental resources. It aligns with the agriculture tutorial by providing frameworks for understanding private land use alongside shared goods such as soil, water, and biodiversity. Key author discussion: Garrett Hardin and Elinor Ostrom.	Tutorial: AgricultureTheory: Self-interest, cooperation, public and private goodsGoal: See how private property, incentives, and collective goods interact in Australia's land-based production sectorData focus: Farm output and employment; land ownership and farm size; water use, land condition, and public support.We will build understanding that: agricultural production is organised around private landholdings but relies heavily on shared environmental resources; individual production decisions generate benefits and costs that extend beyond farm boundaries; markets alone provide limited coordination for managing soil, water, biodiversity, and biosecurity risks; patterns of land ownership and farm structure reflect historical and institutional arrangements as well as market forces; collective institutions and policy interventions play an ongoing role in sustaining agricultural production and environmental outcomes.
4	Workshop 3: Fair and efficient economic policyQuestions:How do economists evaluate environmental policy? What tensions arise between efficiency and fairness? Who gains and who loses from different policy choices?The workshop introduces key evaluative criteria used in economic policy analysis. It aligns with the mining tutorial by foregrounding distributional outcomes, rents, and the limits of efficiency metrics in extractive industries. Key author discussion: Vilfredo Pareto and Arild Vatn.	Tutorial: MiningTheory: Fairness and efficiencyGoal: See why efficiency metrics struggle with distribution and harmData focus: Australia's export revenues vs employment; Royalties vs profits; Regional vs national benefits.We will build understanding that: mining produces high economic value relative to employment levels; standard efficiency measures (exports, GDP contribution) provide limited insight into distributional outcomes; the capture and allocation of mining rents depend on institutional and policy settings; environmental and social impacts vary across regions and communities and are not always aligned with economic benefits; efficiency-based evaluation tools have limits when impacts are long-term, uncertain, or unevenly distributed.
5	Workshop 4: Work, industry, well-being, and scarcityQuestions:Why do we work and consume as much as we do? How are consumption patterns linked to wellbeing and environmental pressure? What alternatives have economists proposed?This workshop explores economic perspectives on work, consumption, and prosperity. It aligns with the electricity tutorial by framing energy transitions as changes in labour, infrastructure, and everyday consumption, not only technology. Key author discussion: Karl Marx and Tim Jackson.	Tutorial: Electricity (fossil fuels and renewables)Theory: Work, consumption, wellbeing, and transitionGoal: Understand how labour, infrastructure, and consumption patterns shape energy system transitionsData focus: Employment by energy type; electricity generation capacity over time; household energy consumption.We will build understanding that: different electricity technologies support distinct patterns of employment, skills, and regional economic activity; changes in generation capacity reflect both technological shifts and policy and investment decisions; electricity systems are shaped by long-lived infrastructure that constrains the pace and form of transition; household energy consumption patterns influence demand, distributional outcomes, and wellbeing; energy transitions involve changes in work, consumption, and social organisation, not only fuel substitution.
6	Workshop 5: Firms and marketsQuestions:How do firms operate within markets? Does competition drive environmental harm or innovation? How do governments intervene in market outcomes?The workshop focuses on firms as central economic actors and examines how markets are structured by property and regulation. It aligns with the forestry and land management tutorial by linking firm behaviour to land-use decisions and ecological outcomes. Key author discussion: Edith Penrose and Jim Stanford.	Tutorial: Forestry and land managementTheory: Firms and marketsGoal: See how market activity in forestry is shaped by property relations and regulatory frameworksData focus: Ownership concentration; plantation versus native forestry; export orientation.We will build understanding that: forestry markets are organised through specific property arrangements and regulatory settings; firm size and ownership structure influence production practices and land-use outcomes; plantation and native forestry operate under different economic and ecological logics; export orientation shapes investment decisions, production intensity, and environmental pressures; firm behaviour mediates how market incentives translate into ecological consequences.
7	Workshop 6: Institutions, power, and inequalityQuestions:How do economic institutions shape environmental outcomes? What role do power and inequality play in environmental degradation and protection?This workshop foregrounds institutions as the rules that organise markets and allocate resources. It aligns with the water tutorial by analysing how institutional design shapes access, risk, and inequality in water governance. Key author discussion: Kate Raworth and James Boyce.	Tutorial: Water (Murray–Darling Basin)Theory: Institutions, power, and inequalityGoal: Understand water markets as institutional designs that shape access, risk, and outcomesData focus: Water entitlements and trades in the MDB; price volatility; regional impacts.We will build understanding that: water markets operate through legally defined entitlements embedded in regulatory and governance arrangements; patterns of trading and price volatility differ across users and regions; access to water and exposure to risk are unevenly distributed among irrigators, communities, and ecosystems; market outcomes reflect institutional design choices as well as hydrological conditions; data on entitlements, prices, and trades can be used to analyse how power and inequality are produced within market systems.
8	SECTION II - ECONOMIC POLICIES FOR THE ENVIRONMENTDrawing on the economic concepts and sectoral insights developed in the first half of the course, Section II focuses on policy instruments, institutional design, and state capacity, and evaluates how different approaches perform in practice across Australian environmental policy domains.
9	Workshop 7: Market failure and market-based policyQuestions:What causes market failure in environmental contexts? How do pollution taxes, trading schemes, and other market-based instruments work? What assumptions do they rely on?This workshop introduces the economic logic behind market-based environmental policy instruments. It aligns with tutorials on carbon markets and offsets by examining how abstract policy tools operate within real economic sectors. Key author discussion: Robert Stavins and Clive Spash.	Tutorial: Carbon markets and offsets (ACCUs)Theory: Market failure, pollution, and market-based instrumentsGoal: Understand how carbon markets operate in practice and how offsets are generated, traded, and governedData focus: ACCU supply by method; prices and volumes; agricultural sources of offsets.We will build understanding that: carbon markets are institutional constructions rather than natural market outcomes; offset supply reflects specific land-use practices and regulatory definitions; price signals depend on policy design, credibility, and enforcement; carbon markets interact unevenly with agricultural production and land management.
10	Workshop 8: Efficiency, supply-side and 'command' regulationQuestions:When do governments fail to regulate pollution effectively? Are traditional regulations necessarily inefficient? How do supply-side and demand-side policies differ?The workshop challenges the sharp distinction between “market” and “command-and-control” policy. It aligns with tutorials on industrial emissions and land-clearing regulation by analysing how different policy tools shape firm behaviour and environmental outcomes. Key author discussion: Richard Denniss and David Driesen.	Tutorial: Industrial emissions and the Safeguard MechanismTheory: Efficiency, supply-side policy, and regulationGoal: Examine how regulatory and supply-side climate policies shape industrial behaviourData focus: Emissions by facility and sector; baselines and compliance options; exports of coal, gas, steel, and aluminium.We will build understanding that: industrial emissions are concentrated in a small number of sectors and facilities; regulatory baselines and rules structure firm responses to climate policy; supply-side policies affect production, investment, and trade exposure; policy effectiveness depends on institutional design rather than instrument labels.
11	Workshop 9: Indigenous people and economic policyQuestions:What is meant by the ‘hybrid economy’? How does the resource curse operate in settler economies? What kinds of economic policy support Indigenous self-determination?This workshop examines Indigenous political economy and critiques mainstream policy approaches to development and resource extraction. It aligns with tutorials comparing Indigenous rights and benefits across mining, water, and energy governance. Key author discussion: Marcia Langton and Jon Altman.	Tutorial: Indigenous rights, resources and green transitionsTheory: Indigenous economic policy and the hybrid economyGoal: Compare how economic policy frameworks address Indigenous rights and benefits in environmental transitionsData focus: Land and water rights; benefit-sharing arrangements; planning processes in mining, water, and energy projects.We will build understanding that: Indigenous economies operate through mixed market, state, and customary arrangements; resource governance shapes the distribution of benefits and harms from development; environmental markets and planning systems interact unevenly with Indigenous rights; policy design influences opportunities for self-determination.
12	Workshop 10: Gender and green policyQuestions:What does gender have to do with environmental economics? How do gendered labour, care, and power relations shape environmental policy outcomes?The workshop introduces feminist economics as a lens for analysing environmental policy. It aligns with tutorials comparing gendered employment patterns across forestry, conservation, and environmental management sectors. Key author discussion: Bina Agarwal and Julie Nelson.	Tutorial: Gender, labour and environmental workTheory: Gender and green policyGoal: Understand how gender shapes labour markets and outcomes in environmental sectorsData focus: Employment by gender across forestry and conservation; job security and pay; occupational segmentation.We will build understanding that: environmental work is distributed unevenly across gendered labour markets; sectoral organisation influences job quality and security; policy design can reinforce or challenge existing inequalities; gender analysis provides insight into how environmental policy operates in practice.
13	Workshop 11: Labour and green industrial policyQuestions:What is industrial policy? How do states shape markets through planning, investment, and regulation? Can green industrial policy drive environmental and economic transformation? This workshop brings together labour markets, state capacity, and climate policy. It aligns with tutorials on net-zero strategies by examining how governments use targeted intervention to restructure industries and manage transition risks. Key author discussion: Mariana Mazzucato and Ha-Joon Chang.	Tutorial: Green industrial policies and net-zero planningTheory: Labour and green industrial policyGoal: Analyse how governments use industrial policy to shape low-carbon transitionsData focus: Public investment and subsidies; planning and approvals; trade exposure and strategic industries.We will build understanding that: net-zero transitions rely on active state involvement in markets; public policy shapes risk, investment, and innovation pathways; industrial strategy influences employment and regional outcomes; environmental transitions are economic restructuring processes, not only technological shifts.
14	Workshop 12. Integrating economic analysis for environmental policyFocus: Review, synthesis, and applicationQuestions:How do different economic frameworks diagnose environmental problems? How do choices about evidence, values, and institutions shape policy advice? What makes economic policy analysis persuasive, credible, and defensible?This workshop draws together the economic concepts, sectoral insights, and policy instruments covered across the course. It focuses on how to integrate theory, data, and institutional analysis when developing environmental policy advice. Key activity: Guided comparison of policy approaches using different economic frameworks.	Tutorial: The structural edit and synthetic report editingFocus: Refining analysis and strengthening policy argumentsGoal: Develop skills in structural editing, synthesis, and clarity in environmental economic policy writingData focus: Student policy report drafts, sectoral data, and policy evidence.We will build understanding that: effective policy reports depend on clear problem framing, logical structure, and explicit economic reasoning; synthesis involves integrating theory, data, and institutional context rather than adding more content; structural editing focuses on argument flow, section purpose, and alignment between diagnosis and recommendations; clarity and concision improve the credibility and persuasiveness of economic policy advice.

Tutorial Registration

Please register for tutorials via MyTimetable.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
Participation (10%)	10 %	*	1,3
Tutorial paper (1000 words, 20%)	20 %	*	1,2,3
Mid-semester economic appraisal (1000 words, 20%)	20 %	03/04/2026	1,2,3
Policy report (2500 words, 50%)	50 %	29/05/2026	1,2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Canvas’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Participation in both seminars (interactive lectures) and tutorials is strongly encouraged to get the most from the course.

Examination(s)

NA

Assessment Task 1

Participation (10%)

Participation is assessed through the completion of small in-class tasks during workshops and tutorials across the semester. Up to 20 one-point participation tasks will be offered. Students who accumulate 10 points will receive the full participation mark.

Participation tasks are designed to recognise engagement with course material and may include contributions to discussion, short written reflections, or completion of in-class activities. Students are not required to complete every task.

See further details on Canvas.

Assessment Task 2

Tutorial paper (1000 words, 20%)

Due: 5pm Friday during the nominated tutorial week

Weighting: 20% of your overall grade for ENVS2007

Length: Two pages (approximately 1000 words)

Between Weeks 2 and 11, students will nominate one week in which to submit a tutorial paper. Papers are submitted individually. In addition, students will work in small groups (2–4 students) to facilitate discussion through a short presentation in the workshop for that week.

The purpose of this task is to develop skills in close reading, note-taking, and synthesis of economic scholarship. Each paper focuses on two key authors discussed in workshops that week: one author introduced primarily through student-led discussion, and one introduced through lecture input. Students are expected to engage most closely with the anchor author for that week, while using the second author to situate, contrast, or extend the analysis.

In the submitted paper, students should:

• introduce the core arguments of the author;
• situate these arguments within broader debates in environmental and economic thought;
• comment on the authors’ methodological approach (for example, how they reason about evidence, institutions, power, or behaviour); and
• connect these ideas to the workshop discussions and the sectoral material examined in tutorials for that week.

The paper should demonstrate synthesis rather than summary. End your papers will 2 questions prompted by the analysis. Students are not expected to provide technical economic analysis; the emphasis is on understanding how different economic perspectives frame environmental problems and policy responses.

Students will also participate in a short group presentation (maximum 2 slides) introducing one author and posing 1–2 questions to support class discussion. The presentation is a hurdle requirement. It is not marked; the tutorial paper is assessed.

Assessment criteria

1. Critical reflection on the scholarship and authors being discussed
2. Accurate use of sources
3. Insightful commentary on the authors’ methods and methodologies
4. Reflexive questions to help engage an reader
5. Text is well written with attention to grammar, punctuation and spelling
6. Accurate Harvard referencing

Assessment Task 3

Mid-semester economic appraisal (1000 words, 20%)

Length: 1000 words

Weighting: 20% of your overall grade for ENVS2007

Due: 5pm Friday 3 April

The mid-semester assessment is a short economic appraisal of one Australian economic sector examined in Weeks 2–6 of the course.

Students will select a sector and provide a structured analysis of its economic organisation, key environmental challenges, and the economic concepts most relevant to understanding these challenges. The appraisal should focus on how the sector is organised (for example in terms of markets, firms, institutions, property relations, labour, or incentives) and how this organisation shapes environmental outcomes.

This task is designed to consolidate core economic ideas from the first half of the course and to build analytical skills that will support preparation for the final policy report later in the semester. It emphasises economic description and explanation, rather than policy design.

Further details, including sector options, suggested structure, and submission instructions, will be provided on the course Canvas site.

Assessment criteria

1. Clear and accurate description of the economic organisation of the chosen sector
2. Appropriate identification and use of economic concepts introduced in Weeks 2–6
3. Coherent explanation of how economic organisation relates to environmental challenges
4. Appropriate scoping and focus for the length of the task
5. Clear structure and logical progression of ideas
6. Accurate Harvard referencing
7. Clear writing and accurate grammar and expression

Assessment Task 4

Policy report (2500 words, 50%)

Due: 5pm Friday 29 May

Weighting: 50% of your overall grade for ENVS2007

Length: 2,500 words (excluding references)

The final assessment is an applied economic policy analysis addressing a key sector in the Australian economy. The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate your understanding of economic policy debates and your capacity to apply economic ideas to a contemporary environmental policy issue in Australia.

Scenario: Rapid green transformation

The Australian Net Zero Taskforce has committed to a 'rapid green transformation' of the Australian economy to meet its obligations under the Paris climate agreement and to move beyond incremental reform by addressing related challenges including inequality, biodiversity loss, water insecurity, and land degradation.

You have been asked to provide economic advice on one of the following issues:

1. Carbon border adjustment mechanisms and carbon leakage risks
2. Reforms to improve the national carbon market
3. Development of a ‘nature repair’ biodiversity policy
4. Water market reform in the Murray–Darling Basin
5. Speeding up an equitable electricity transition and decarbonisation
6. Addressing the resource curse in Australia’s critical minerals sector

Task

Drawing on the core readings as well as well-chosen additional academic and primary evidence, you will analyse an environmental-economic challenge in your chosen sector. Your report should:

• diagnose the causes of the problem by explaining how economic organisation in the sector (including markets, firms, institutions, property relations, incentives, and power) contributes to current outcomes;
• critically evaluate one or two specific policy instruments or governance arrangements currently shaping the sector, using economic concepts introduced in the course (for example efficiency, fairness, incentives, institutions, distribution, or state capacity); and
• propose and justify improvements to existing policy settings, or outline a new policy direction, explaining how your proposal improves on current arrangements and supports the government’s rapid green transformation objectives.

You are not expected to provide technical economic modelling or fully costed policy proposals. The emphasis is on economic reasoning, engagement with evidence, clarity of argument, and thoughtful consideration of trade-offs and institutional design.

Students may draw on different economic perspectives encountered in the course and should be explicit about the assumptions and values underpinning their analysis.

Report structure

You should give your report a clear and informative title that signals the thrust of your argument. The report should be organised into three substantive sections, with brief introduction and conclusion sections.

Indicative word count and focus

The report should be approximately 2500 words in total (excluding references). As a guide, students should aim for the following distribution:

1. Diagnosing the problem (approximately 900–1000 words)

• Provide a clear economic explanation of the contemporary environmental-economic problem in the sector you are analysing. Identify the key features of economic organisation shaping outcomes (such as markets, firms, institutions, property relations, incentives, or power). You should make explicit the economic perspective that anchors your analysis (for example neoclassical, institutional, political economy, feminist, or ecological economics) and briefly explain why this perspective is appropriate for understanding the problem.

1. Evaluating current policies (approximately 700–800 words)

• Critically evaluate one or two key policy instruments or governance arrangements currently shaping the sector. Rather than surveying many policies, provide a focused evaluation using economic concepts introduced in the course and evidence relevant to the Australian context.

1. Policy directions and reform (approximately 700–800 words)

• Propose and defend improvements to existing policy settings, or outline a new policy direction. Explain how your proposal addresses the diagnosed problems, identify advantages and disadvantages, and discuss key trade-offs and implementation considerations. Proposals should be grounded in economic reasoning and evidence rather than technical modelling.

The introduction and conclusion should be brief and used to frame and summarise the argument rather than introduce new material.

Assessment criteria

1. Substantive understanding of a contemporary environmental-economic issue
2. Appropriate scope used for policy problem and analysis, including clear justification of boundaries and focus.
3. Cogent application of economic concepts to explain the causes of an environmental problem
4. Cogent application of economic reasoning to evaluate existing policy instruments or governance arrangements
5. Critical evaluation of options for reform
6. A clear, well-structured argument and defensible vision for change
7. Accurate Harvard referencing
8. Clear presentation of ideas and accurate grammar and expression

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

No hardcopy submission is required for any assessment

Late Submission

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request it in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specied in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Re-submission of assignments is permitted up to the due time/date. No re-submissions after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students