Environmental & resource economics
Environmental economics is a fast growing area which is at the cutting edge of many resource management issues. It incorporates non-market valuation, choice modelling, ecosystem services, cost benefit analysis, economic modelling, etc.
Lincoln University is well known for its strong commitment to academic and postgraduate research in these areas and the strongly interdisciplinary work that underpins the programmes. The employment market is strong in NZ and is increasingly important overseas. PhD students in particular are encouraged to join a vibrant programme in this area.
Several masters' degrees including students undertaking Masters' of Professional Study dissertations also focus on environmental and resource economics topics.
For students with a background in:
- Commerce / Economics
- Environmental economics
- Advanced geography or ecology or environmental studies with some economics.
Career pathways include:
- Resource economists in: local and international research organisations, regional councils, multinational companies or consulting
- Academia or related areas of research.
Current students and topics
| Some current students |
Topics |
| Ed Hearnshaw |
PhD - Economic approach to ecosystem management. View Ed's EEN 2005 paper on this topic http://een.anu.edu.au/progpap.html. |
| Peter Tait |
PhD - The external costs of dairy farming in Canterbury. View Peter's (PDF. 148 KB) first paper on this topic. |
| Emma Morgan |
Developing a decision support tool to help the Department of Conservation make best use of species recovery funds. |
| Harpinder Sandhu |
Quantifying the economic value of ecosystem services in arable land: A bottom-up approach. |
| Anita Wreford |
PhD - Trade and its links to the environment: Greenhouse gas emissions and agriculture. |
Some research topics and supervisors
| Some topics |
Supervisors |
| Carbon sequestration - economic aspects of biosecurity and management of invasive species, environmental certification and marketing, forest and resource valuation. |
Hugh Bigsby |
| Valuation of ecosystem services in agriculture - Economic analysis of nature conservation issues, rentals for use of coastal space, perceptions of the state of the environment. |
Ross Cullen |
| Experimental economics - behavioural economics |
Lana Friesen |
| Trade and environment modelling |
Caroline Saunders |
| Non market valuation |
Geoff Kerr |
Active researchers and supervisors
Prof. Ross Cullen: supervising 3 PhD students.
Prof. Caroline Saunders, Director of the AERU.
Associate Prof. Geoff Kerr, NMV expert.
Associate Prof Hugh Bigsby: forestry economics
Dr Lana Friesen, experimental economics
Dr Ian MacDonald, game theory
Dr Katie Bicknell, production and resource economics
Dr Baiding Hu, productivity and efficiency estimation, Chinese economy, energy economics.
Recent news and developments
2004 and 2005 AARES Masters' thesis award winners:
Peter Tait, MCM, Unit pricing of household waste collection. See NZ Economic Papers, 39(1), 83-103.
Useful links:
The NZ non-market valuation data base is a useful site. http://oldlearn.lincoln.ac.nz/markval/
NZ ecosystem services in agriculture site, http://ecovalue.uvm.edu/newzealand/
The AERU provides research on many resource and environmental economics topics.
Page last updated on: 17/01/2012