Economic Theory as it relates to climate change

Assignment: Students are to pick a specific Economic theory presented in class (Externality Theory, Benefit-Cost Analysis, Ecological Modernization Theory, or Privatization Theory) summarize the theory as it relates to climate change and analyze the potential benefits and/or problems that are associated with the theory as it relates to solving climate change.
Report Content: The primary purpose of this paper is to begin to think deeply about environmental economic theory, the benefits and drawbacks of different theoretical perspectives, and the potential for theory to guide policy in order to solve climate change. The organization of the paper is as follows (1) Introduction describing the problem of climate change, the particular theoretical perspective being utilized, and a broad overview of the paper (roughly 1-1 ½ pages). (2) In the body of the paper the student will summarize the particular theory being used. Then provide a section on why this particular theory is beneficial to solving climate change and guiding climate change policy. Finally, highlight some of the potential drawbacks and complications of the theory in implementing it in practice and/or problems internal to the theory. (Body roughly 7-8 pages). (3) Conclusion summarizing the main points of the paper and the students conclusion concerning the theory chosen (roughly 1 page). (4) A reference page with a list of at least five references (preferably more) used in the paper cited in MLA or APA format.

Guidelines on authoritative and primary sources:
-You must use and cite at least five authoritative & primary sources in your report.
-All authoritative and factual material in your report must include a source reference in the narrative body and a complete citation in your list of citations. I will ignore any report content that is not adequately cited from an authoritative source. If you provide any numbers or offer any knowledgeable statement in your report, you must cite the authoritative source.
Authoritative & primary sources include government reports; peer-reviewed journal articles; books or monographs authored by experts (see below) and published by a reputable publisher; technical reports from reputable research institutes, reputable consulting firms, reputable nongovernment organizations (NGO), or trade associations (beware of advocacy); content provided by people or entities generally considered to be expert on a topic.
-For the purpose of this course an expert is a university researcher with a PhD; someone recognized as an expert at a government agency or reputable consultancy, NGO, or research institute; an industry participant (or a widely recognized industry observer) who can speak with authority on an industry practice.
-The Internet is a perfectly satisfactory medium to retrieve authoritative content, but beware of advocates, blogs, wikis, news aggregators, and informal Internet sites.
-Advocates or advocacy organizations have expertise, but their potential advocacy bias can at times disqualify them as authoritative sources.
-Blogs and wikis are not considered authoritative & primary sources in this class. They are fine places to learn about a topic and to find authoritative sources, but do not cite them.
-Newspaper & similar sites that report on a primary study are a secondary source. You can use them to become acquainted with a topic, just like a blog or wiki. Newspaper stories that interview experts and provide primary content can be an authoritative source.
-Any inadequately cited source (i.e., just listing a URL to some website), blog, or wiki will automatically be considered non-authoritative and will not count towards your minimum list of authoritative & primary sources used in your report.

Econ 450 Paper Guidelines Fall 2015

Assignment: Students are to pick a specific Economic theory presented in class (Externality Theory, Benefit-Cost Analysis, Ecological Modernization Theory, or Privatization Theory) summarize the theory as it relates to climate change and analyze the potential benefits and/or problems that are associated with the theory as it relates to solving climate change.

Report Parameters: 9-10 numbered pages not including sources cited; lines double-spaced, margins should be 1 inch from left and right and the font is 12 point Times New Roman. No plastic covers. Stapled in the upper-left corner.Can be printed front and back.

Report Content: The primary purpose of this paper is to begin to think deeply about environmental economic theory, the benefits and drawbacks of different theoretical perspectives, and the potential for theory to guide policy in order to solve climate change. The organization of the paper is as follows (1) Introduction describing the problem of climate change, the particular theoretical perspective being utilized, and a broad overview of the paper (roughly 1-1 ½ pages). (2) In the body of the paper the student will summarize the particular theory being used. Then provide a section on why this particular theory is beneficial to solving climate change and guiding climate change policy. Finally, highlight some of the potential drawbacks and complications of the theory in implementing it in practice and/or problems internal to the theory. (Body roughly 7-8 pages). (3) Conclusion summarizing the main points of the paper and the students conclusion concerning the theory chosen (roughly 1 page). (4) A reference page with a list of at least five references (preferably more) used in the paper cited in MLA or APA format.

Your grade: Your final report grade will reflect (i) content quality, (ii) compliance with paper parameters, (iii) organization and writing quality. The key measures of the quality of the content in your paper will be your ability to show that you understand the theory chosen, your ability to articulate the main points of the theory and your ability to develop thoughtful arguments for using the theory to guide climate change policy as well as highlight some of the places where the theory fails. All arguments should be backed up with reference material. You may use writings assigned in class including the main textbook for this class, but you are encouraged to draw from literature not assigned in the class. I am here as a resource to help guide you in developing your papers and can potentially point you in the direction of literature concerning your topic.

Citation style guide:

In the narrative body of report you must cite sources for all authoritative factual content. Do so as follows: …Gutierrez (2012) reports that only 45 percent of European construction firms are BASTA certified….

Quotation in narrative body of report: “Sweden’s BASTA is considered to be the most robust hazardous substances-related certification in the European construction industry, with extensive scientifically-based standards and clear performance benchmarks” (Gutierrez, 2012, p. 12).

Style for citation list (“Sources Cited”):

Journal article: Gutierrez, Javiera. 2012. “A Critical Assessment of Sweden’s BASTA Certification System.” Journal of Sustainable Construction Systems 25: 3-31.

Book or edited volume: Gutierrez, Javiera. 2012. “Sweden’s BASTA Certification.” In Sustainable Construction Systems in the 21st Century, ed. K. Ito. Copenhagen, Denmark: Old World Publishing Company.

Interview: Gutierrez, Javiera. 2013. Personal communication (email correspondence 03/12/2013).

Website: Gutierrez, Javiera. “Introduction to Sweden’s BASTA Certification.”European Sustainable Construction Systems Institute (ESCSI). http://www.escsi.org/BASTA_Gutierrez.pdf. [note: If your cite Internet material that is not in a completed report, then indicate date accessed].

Multiple authors: Gutierrez, Javiera, and Paul Nguyen. ….

Guidelines on authoritative and primary sources:

-You must use and cite at least five authoritative & primary sources in your report.

-All authoritative and factual material in your report must include a source reference in the narrative body and a complete citation in your list of citations. I will ignore any report content that is not adequately cited from an authoritative source. If you provide any numbers or offer any knowledgeable statement in your report, you must cite the authoritative source.

Authoritative & primary sources include government reports; peer-reviewed journal articles; books or monographs authored by experts (see below) and published by a reputable publisher; technical reports from reputable research institutes, reputable consulting firms, reputable nongovernment organizations (NGO), or trade associations (beware of advocacy); content provided by people or entities generally considered to be expert on a topic.

-For the purpose of this course an expert is a university researcher with a PhD; someone recognized as an expert at a government agency or reputable consultancy, NGO, or research institute; an industry participant (or a widely recognized industry observer) who can speak with authority on an industry practice.

-The Internet is a perfectly satisfactory medium to retrieve authoritative content, but beware of advocates, blogs, wikis, news aggregators, and informal Internet sites.

-Advocates or advocacy organizations have expertise, but their potential advocacy bias can at times disqualify them as authoritative sources.

-Blogs and wikis are not considered authoritative & primary sources in this class. They are fine places to learn about a topic and to find authoritative sources, but do not cite them.

-Newspaper & similar sites that report on a primary study are a secondary source. You can use them to become acquainted with a topic, just like a blog or wiki. Newspaper stories that interview experts and provide primary content can be an authoritative source.

-Any inadequately cited source (i.e., just listing a URL to some website), blog, or wiki will automatically be considered non-authoritative and will not count towards your minimum list of authoritative & primary sources used in your report.

Note on plagiarism: Plagiarism means taking someone else’s written work or ideas and passing them off to me as your own. Your report must be written by you, in your own words. I can type in text from your report to find out if you are plagiarizing. If you use someone’s words it MUST be in a quote and it MUST be cited. Don’t plagiarize.

Follow this link for a similar paper written from scratch