We are looking for PhD candidates and particularly interested in those with an economics or a strong quantitative background – get in touch!
In our Lab, we design environmental policies to address key environmental challenges both at a local and a global level, such as climate change, air pollution, and nature conservation. In their decision-making processes, policymakers face the significant challenge of incorporating the interactions between economic development and the environment in which it takes place. Our research is designed to provide an evidence-based for policy.
Based on the principles of welfare economics this Lab examines how the market economy fails to function correctly in the allocation of society's scare resources. We carry out research on the measurement of, and factors determining, societal welfare; definition and measurement of 'value' in this context; how markets fail to correctly price certain assets; and how policy can be designed to correct for these market failures. We place a particular emphasis on the design of policies to address major global environmental challenges such as climate change, air quality, waste and biodiversity loss.
The Lab has been heavily involved in policy advice to national and international governments and organisations. Amongst other assignments, Lab Members have served as Advisor to the European Commissioner for the Environment, Member of the Climate Change Advisory Council of Ireland, Board member of the European Environment Agency, Chair of the National Competitiveness Council, Chair of the National Productivity Board, Board Member of the National Economic and Social Council, Chief Economist of the Environmental Defense Fund, Member of the United Nations ECE Task Force on Integrated Assessment Modelling, Visiting Professor to the World Bank, Consultant to the OECD.
Amongst numerous European and other research projects, the UCD Environmental Economics Lab played a pivotal role in providing policy support to the EU during the development phase of the European Emissions Trading Scheme. UCD was co-ordinator and lead research institution of the European Commission funded CATEP (Concerted Action on Tradable Emissions Permits) Network providing those in the EU policy system with insights that allowed them to understand some of the key design issues, and what theory and experience had to offer in clarifying choices and their implications. In 2005 the EU ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme) was launched, the world’s first transfrontier carbon emissions trading scheme. Carbon has now established itself as a legitimate traded commodity similar to any of the other commodities traded on markets around the world.
Thank you for your interest in the Lab and we welcome applications to join our lab as a researcher, PhD student or intern.