NA0203, Macroeconomic perspectives on environment and food, 7.5 Hp
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Syllabus

Valid from : Autumn semester 2026 (2026-08-31)

Level

First cycle (G1F)

Main field of study

Economics

Grading Scale

The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.

Course language

English

Entry Requirements

Objectives

The goal of the course is to develop students' understanding of macroeconomic methods and how they can be applied to questions related to long-run environmental sustainability of both small open economies such as Sweden's, and the global economy, particularly with respect to the use of natural resources and the food system.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to use macroeconomic tools to analyse long-run economic development and its relation to

• general patterns regarding natural resource use, food production, environmental quality, and the biosphere;
• changes over time in the global distribution of income and wealth, including links to climate change;
• national policies and international negotiations with regard to climate change and biodiversity;
• global food production, and its links to climate change and biodiversity.

Content

*Subject-related content *

The course begins with an overview of data regarding natural resource use, environmental quality, food production, and global inequality. We then study theories of economic growth both for economies at the technology frontier and those far from that frontier. Using these theories we analyse the following:

• The role of geography, history, and institutions in shaping local patterns of technological progress and growth;
• The demographic transition, food production, and how technological progress first leads to higher population, and later to higher incomes per capita;
• The causes and consequences of changes in relative prices – of, for instance, food, manufactures, and environmental quality – as technology progresses and the global economy grows;
• Why, in many cases, technological progress first leads to higher emissions of local pollutants, and later to drastic reductions in such emissions;
• How trends in country-level carbon emissions, and national policies and negotiating positions with regard to climate change, can be understood in the context of global economic development, and how this understanding can be used to improve outcomes;
• The key role of the global food system in determining future biodiversity and climate change, and what policies and actions can help to improve outcomes;
• Long-run prospects for the global environment and food system given continued rapid technological progress coupled with potentially declining population.

*Teaching formats *

To further student learning and promote discussion, a variety of methods are used: Lectures, seminars and presentations

The course focuses on the following generic competencies:

Critical thinking, problem-solving, scientific writing, presentation skills

Collaboration with the surrounding community takes place through

Guest lectures

The following elements are mandatory:

Mandatory elements may consist of attendance at guest lectures, active participation in seminars or similar.

Examination Formats and Requirements for Passing the Course

Passed written examination, approved oral examination, approved participation in compulsory components

Responsible Department/Equivalent

Department of Economics

Supplementary information

Included in program

• Politices kandidat - hållbar utveckling
• Business and Economics - Sustainable Development (BSc)
• Agricultural Science with a Specialisation in Economics and Business Administration