Course Spotlight - EC240: Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development

We sat down with Janani, who took EC240: Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development, to hear about her experience of studying the course. 

 

Why did you decide to attend LSE Summer School?

Throughout college, I’ve felt that my coursework as a business student often connects societal welfare to business strategy, but rarely delves into it as a distinct subject. LSE presented the perfect opportunity for me to pursue my academic interests regarding social impact - including sustainable development - at a prestigious, rigorous institution. Of course, I was also thrilled to experience the city of London!

Why did you choose your course?

Consuming content about climate change often leaves me with a sense of despair and hopelessness. Through the course, I hoped to gain some practical knowledge on the solutions regarding the issue, including the advantages and disadvantages of different policies and systems (e.g. carbon trading versus implementing a carbon tax). This would provide me with the kind of cautious optimism I need to work towards incremental impact in climate change, empowering me to be a changemaker.

Tell us about an average day as a student on your course.

The first activity of the day, after grabbing coffee and breakfast, was attending the main lecture. The lecture generally blended technical economic models with qualitative perspectives on sustainable development and climate change. Following the lecture, I’d usually grab lunch with a friend and then sit down to study in either a café (The Fleet Street Press provided a beautiful view of the street including the Royal Courts of Justice) or the LSE library. Then, I’d attend seminars which focused on hands-on applications of what we learned in lectures. I used evenings or weekends to explore the city of London with friends!

What was your favourite part of the course?

It’s hard to pinpoint a specific topic that I liked the most, since I found nearly all of them fascinating in varied ways. One topic that stood out to me was the debate over the valuation of environmental resources, including setting the appropriate discount rate for future climate change damages, and assessing the validity of various metrics (health costs as a measure of suffering from air pollution, property market patterns as a measure of how much green spaces benefit humans).

Speaking more broadly, I loved how the instructor brought up real-world examples from several countries to explain concepts. As a student from the United States, it was interesting to see parallels drawn between the US and the UK with regards to the political incentives and dynamics which make tackling the issue of climate change more difficult.

What advice would you give to students considering your course?

Exams are structured such that having in-depth knowledge on a significant portion of the course topics - to the point where you could teach someone else those topics - matters more than having superficial, memorised knowledge on every single concept. In other words, focus on quality over quantity in your understanding. Seeking help from your lecturers is an effective way to achieve this! If it feels intimidating to ask clarifying questions in front of a large audience during a lecture, an alternative might be asking questions to your class teachers in seminars, which have smaller class sizes.

What are your short-term professional goals, and how does your course contribute to these goals?

In the near future, I’d love to pursue a career in analytics, research or consulting. This course equipped me with a myriad of skills to succeed in these fields, whether it’s the ability to analyse both qualitative and quantitative data, or consider opposing perspectives in a nuanced manner.

Was meeting and talking to other students on your course easy?

Yes, definitely. There’s also a difference in the crowd that’s present during seminars versus during lectures, so I had plenty of opportunities to see new faces!

What would be your top tip for future Summer School students?

Since content is covered over just three weeks, the courses are fast-paced. For this reason, it’s imperative to remain caught up, as missing even a few days of lectures can put one quite behind. Achieving this doesn’t mean neglecting leisure or social activities. Rather, my tip is to focus on maintaining a solid routine, such as getting enough sleep to attend morning lectures and setting aside daily study time. This is most important during weekdays, and also quite important during Sundays.

How did you find the British teaching style?

I found the British teaching style to be intellectually stimulating. There was an emphasis on independent learning, meaning that beyond attending lectures and seminars, I had to take the initiative to deepen my understanding through readings, discussions, and self-study. Instead of rote memorisation, the focus was on critical thinking, application and argumentation. This was reflected in the exam format, where we had the option of choosing from several essay questions, each of which asked us to thoroughly demonstrate our understanding of a particular key topic.

Seminars aided me in being able to perform well on these exams. They helped with piecing course content together, connecting lecture concepts that often felt overwhelming due to their quantity. The exams were also graded anonymously and based on objective criteria, reflecting fairness in the British academic system.

Would you recommend your course and why?

Yes, I’d highly recommend my course! Since taking it, I’ve felt much more informed regarding sustainable development, even after some of the finer details have faded from my memory. Since completing the course, I’ve found myself engaging more frequently and critically with climate news, whether it’s updates from global climate conferences or policy decisions on environmental regulations.

 

This interview was written by one of our 2024 students, who are here to share their stories and help you understand the Summer School experience at LSE.