The South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE), an initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) under its Regional Programme on Mountain Knowledge and Action Networks, is organizing a fifteen-day Summer School on Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from 5–19 May 2019. The main objective of the Summer School is to provide economists the basic skills necessary to teach and conduct research in environmental and natural resource economics. The course is for practicing economists from South Asia and the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region interested in enhancing their knowledge of the interlinkages between economic development, poverty, and the environment. The Summer School has been designed to enable participants to develop research proposals that they can later submit to SANDEE.

What can you expect from the Summer School?

The course will cover economic issues underlying sustainable development, externalities and market failure, policy instruments, non-market valuation, poverty-environment interactions, and natural resource use and pollution management. Participants will be exposed to theoretical issues and economic tools such as experimental economics and other relevant methodologies for analyzing environmental problems in developing countries. 

Who will teach the course?

The course will be taught by:

-Maximillian Auffhammer, Professor, University of California, Berkley

-Randall Bluffstone, Professor, Portland State University

-Sir Partha Dasgupta, Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus, Cambridge University

-Lata Gangadharan, Professor, Monash University

-AK Enamul Haque, Professor, East-West University

-Mani Nepal, Programme Coordinator, SANDEE and Lead Economist, ICIMOD 

-Joyashree Roy, Professor, Asian Institute of Technology

Additional guest speakers will be invited depending on their need and availability. 

Organization:

Mani Nepal (Programme Coordinator, SANDEE and Lead Economist, ICIMOD) is the course director and Neesha Pradhan (Programme Associate, SANDEE) will administer the course.  

Who should attend the course?

The ideal participant has a Master’s degree/PhD in economics and a good understanding of microeconomics, calculus, and basic econometrics. Junior and mid-career faculty and researchers – especially women working in member universities of the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) – are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to junior to mid-career university teachers and researchers who have submitted a research proposal to SANDEE on issues related to environmental and resource economics. Those who have already had training in environmental and resource economics through other programmes or universities, or are likely to go overseas for higher education within the next year are not eligible.  

What are you expected to do during the course?

The SANDEE Summer School is a residential teaching workshop. Participants are expected to read up on the topic of each day’s lecture beforehand, and participate in individual and group assignments and discussions. Working days, on occasion, will extend from 9 am–9 pm or beyond based on assignment demands. Participants are required to present an empirical paper and a research concept note during the Summer School. Last year’s Summer School agenda is available here.

Funding:

SANDEE will provide a scholarship of USD 3,500 per participant to cover course materials, international travel, meals, and accommodation during the Summer School (no cash). Participants are responsible for local travel arrangements, travel insurance, visa fee, and other personal expenses. Shortlisted participants are required to pay a small registration fee of USD 250 to confirm their participation.   

Venue:

The Summer School will be held at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. The participants should arrive on 4 May and depart on 20 May 2019.  

Application process:

Interested and eligible candidates from South Asia and the HKH region are requested to submit their application online and upload the following documents in PDF: 

-A one-page cover letter indicating how such a course will be useful in the applicant’s teaching and research activities, their exposure to basic mathematics (e.g., calculus, linear algebra) and computing skills (e.g., spread sheet, statistical software), and the name of the person nominating him/her (if any). 

-A three-page research concept note (a precursor of a research proposal) on issues related to environmental and resource economics in South Asia and the HKH. The concept note should include a discussion of the research problem and its policy relevance, a clear research question(s), an analytical framework, a short literature review that discusses at least three key peer-reviewed journal articles related to the proposed analytical framework, empirical methods (data requirement, collection, and analysis) and expected outcomes.

-A brief CV (no more than one page) indicating professional responsibilities/activities, (please include current job and institutional details), educational qualifications, (highest degree/institution), age, and two most important research publications, if any, current teaching responsibility (if relevant). 

Application Deadline: 22 February 2019

Please submit your application by 22 February 2019. We request you to pass this information along to interested colleagues. We are also seeking nominations from colleagues who have been part of SANDEE activities. Approximately 20–24 participants will be invited to the Summer School.   

Online Application Form:

https://goo.gl/5hN1Ej   

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