Courses

Energy economics is an introduction to the technology and economics of energy systems, power markets, and electricity networks. The economics of wind and solar energy, the cornerstones of low-carbon energy systems, lie at the heart of this course.

This course is offered as an elective for second-year students and as an Economics II course in the advanced track for first-year students. 

Renewable Energy Policies is an introduction to support schemes for renewable energy, discussing the “why” (justification) and the “how” (design) of such policies. We cover feed-in-tariffs, contracts-for-difference, renewable portfolio standards, and many more.

This course is offered as an elective for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only. 

Electricity system modeling is an introduction to computer-based modeling of electricity systems using spreadsheet programs (Excel) and numerical optimisation software (GAMS). In this do-it-yourself centred course, students will learn the science and the art – and the limitations – of electricity system modeling.

This course is offered as an elective for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only. 

The course on Electricity market design trains students in liberalised electricity markets, in particular in Europe. More specifically, it has a dual objective. First, it equips students with the knowledge to design robust and efficient electricity markets. Second, it trains students in trading on electricity systems (sometimes by exploiting weaknesses in market design).

This course is for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only.

The Policy Process: Climate and Energy offers an introduction to key concepts and practices in public policy making and governance. It provides a broad overview of climate and energy policy by drawing extensively on practical examples from these fields. 

This course is offered as an MPP core course. 

Econ II: Economic Growth & Climate Change studies the long-term consequences of economic growth and climate change through the lens of welfare economics. Equipped with insights from the major models of economic growth (Solow, Ramsey, Romer) and the empirical literature, we discuss if in a world of climate change, sustained economic growth is feasible – and desirable.

Prerequisites: Economics I 

This course is a core course for 1st year MIA and MPP students only. 

Emissions pricing represents a unique policy instrument to reduce greenhouse gases in the face of anthropogenic climate change. Instead of direct interventions like technological development on the efficiency side, emissions pricing aims to shifts costs of the overuse of global commons, like air and water, from the consumer back to the polluter - yet, not without controversies. This class will equip students with a solid theoretical basis to understand the emergence, function and the meaning of emission pricing, including the political economy of emission pricing and welfare-theoretical aspects as well as the technology push- and pull-effects, logics of negotiations and ethical foundations. In this course, theory meets practice when discussing several emissions pricing cases to prepare students to quickly understand ongoing debates and controversies as well as engage practically in this policy field. 

This course is offered as an elective for 2nd year MIA and MPP students only. 

Advanced climate policy provides a comprehensive overview and opportunity to engage with important details of the emerging field of climate policy. The European Union’s Green Deal and Germany serve as main case studies. 

This course is offered as an elective for MIA and MPP students. 

Sustainability 101 introduces key concepts and topics in sustainability. While the focus is on the environmental dimension, we also engage with the social and economic dimensions of sustainability and consider normative foundations. 

This course is offered as an elective in the open enrolment programme and as part of the Executive MPA programme. 

Food is no longer just a means of sustenance, but a topic of public debate and a vehicle for new understandings of the self, the nation, the environment and the planet. This interdisciplinary course places food production, distribution and consumption at the center of scrutiny, examining the world of food as a world of politics and power.

This course is for 2nd year MIA, MPP and MDS students only.

In this course, students will be introduced to key concepts and issues in the study of global environmental politics (GEP), with a particular focus on the political economy of environmental protection. Throughout the course, we will ask critical questions, such as: What factors contribute to successful treaty negotiations among countries? What types of rules are most effective? What role do non-state actors play in global environmental governance? How can we evaluate the effectiveness of environmental agreements? What obstacles hinder effective environmental agreements?

This course is for 2nd year MIA, MPP and MDS students only.

Food sustainability increasingly appears as a panacea for a large scope of ills—be they social, economic or environmental. This project course introduces students to thinking critically and creatively about the link between sustainability and food production as well as consumption. What practices can foster food sustainability? How can they be measured, and how can they be facilitated by policy? What do successful policies look like? The course will confront students with various perspectives, from farmers, political decision-makers, activists and corporations, for example. It will then turn to a practical issue, e.g. the urban-rural divide or obesity, in order to address them via food-related projects.

This course is for 1st year MPP students only.