Syllabus Bank
Climate change is the most important challenge facing humanity today, reconfiguring our economies and societies across the globe. Addressing climate change through the green transition will entail significant change and conflict. What does that change and conflict look like, and why? Which political actors and interests are involved, and how do they compete for influence over green standards and norms? The Governing the Green Transition course focuses on these questions, examining professional and organizational competition as markets change to bring in the green transition.
The course uses theories and approaches from International Political Economy and Sociology to examine how actors advance or impede the green transition needed to mitigate climate breakdown. We place particular stress on analyzing how a variety of actors coordinate and compete, tracing how they develop networks across different types of organizations. Students will apply theoretical frameworks and practical tools to a range of green transition issues. The course includes issues such as: environmental standards; plastics, energy and water use; food and agriculture; carbon markets; green accounting, taxation, pensions and investment, among others. International organizations, NGOs, firms and financial institutions, consultancies, and expert groups are considered as key actors in how green transition issues are controlled. Students will receive dedicated feedback from faculty throughout the course and at specific sessions to test their arguments and cases. The course develops students’ analytical skills in understanding competition and coordination around the green transition, climate change and sustainability, and bolsters their capacity to locate actors who influence key issues, as well as their case knowledge of green transition issues and change dynamics in the international political economy.