Research for the Environment

The environment is a scarce good. Research in the field of environmental economics clarifies how one should sustainably use environmental resources and which rules society should abide by to achieve this.

As part of the Division of Social Sciences the Department of Economics works together in interdisciplinary groups on current problems in the fields of water, (bio)-energy, nature conservation and biodiversity as well as climate change. Here questions are analysed concerning economic valuation, the concepts of institutions and decision-making processes as well as the instrumentation of environmental and resource policies. Furthermore, the department develops methods for the economic and ecological modeling of environmental systems.

Leading-Edge Cluster Research at Leipzig – UFZ, DBFZ and HHL part of the Leading-Edge Cluster "BioEconomy"

The initiative "BioEconomy" is one out of five winners of the Leading-Edge Cluster competition of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) which is intended to take Germany to the top of the league of technologically advanced nations. "BioEconomy" focuses primarily on integrated material and energetic use of non-food biomass, especially timber, predominantly in eastern Germany. The Department of Economics is engaged in the scientific evaluation of the cluster's prerequisites as well as its performance. Kick-off will be in 2012.

"Simplify your life" – the deeper wisdom of Ramsauer's new inland navigation policy

Read Dr. Bernd Klauer's statement regarding the new inland navigation policy of the German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer.

to the point of view (in German)
further points of view from the department of economics

CONHAZ – Costs of Natural Hazards: Final synthesis report now available

The EU project CONHAZ, coordinated by UFZ, aimed at compiling and synthesising current knowledge on cost assessment methods. After discussing project results together with more than 60 European experts on a conference in Leipzig in November 2011, the final synthesis report is now available. The report summarizes the current best practices of cost assessment methods for different natural hazards and different cost types. Furthermore, it gives recommendations for practitioners and highlights research needs.

The final synthesis report as well as other project report can be downloaded here:
www.conhaz.org

Main points of research

The Department of Economics plays a part in numerous interdisciplinary research topics at the UFZ.

to the main points of research

Working groups

The Department of Economics is involved in the interdisciplinary working groups social science water research, nature conservation, climate change as well as governance and institutions .