Economics and Resource Management
Projects
IØR
Several research projects have their own web pages.
Ecology and Economy of Agriculture in a Changing Climate (EACC) Climate change (CC) will affect a multitude of interlinked processes and components within agroecosystems, including their economics. A complexity of interactions between economic and ecological components within the systems precludes predictions of CC effects, based on the study of single phenomena. In EACC, we will use an established cluster of economic and natural scientific models (ECECMOD) to explore the CC effects on agriculture in Norway. In its existing form, the model cluster can use regionalized global change weather scenarios such as those created by the REGCLIM project to drive the simulation of crop yield functions, farming economy, optimal farming practice, and important environmental variables: nitrate leaching and soil erosion.
Emerging Theories and Methods in Sustainability Research (THEMES): Marie Curie Summer Schools A series of four Marie Curie funded Summer Schools in Emerging Theories and Methods in Sustainability Research will be organised by leading universities across Europe. The topics for the summer schools are: Analysing Complexity (Barcelona 2006), Institutional Analysis of Sustainability Problems (Bratislava 2007), Methods and tools for environmental appraisal and policy formulation (Lisbon 2008), Integrated analysis of complex adaptive systems (Brighton 2009). Perspectives from ecological economics form an important basis for the series. The Norwegian University of Life Sciences by Arild Vatn coordinates the series.
Tropical deforestation and land use change This project represents a long term research interest of the principal researcher (Angelsen). Forest conversion to agriculture (deforestation) is studied by the use of agricultural household models, and then linking land users’ decision parameters (prices, technologies, etc.) to broader socio-economic and political factors. Early work included a study from Indonesia (Angelsen 1995) and more general studies on the causes of tropical deforestation (Angelsen 1999). Following a review of “Economic models of deforestation” in 1998, which has become one of the most cited works on deforestation, a comparative project looked at the impact of better agricultural technologies on deforestation. This was published as an edited volume in 2001 (Angelsen and Kaimowitz 2001), and also resulted in some more specific articles (e.g., Angelsen and Kaimowitz 2004). Current work focuses on the forest transition (Rudel et al. 2005), and linking that with the von Thünen model and systematic shifts in agricultural and forest rents, as done in a recent World Bank background paper (Angelsen 2006). Future work will involve comparative studies on how the forest transition is operating in different parts of the tropics.
Published: 02.02.04
Updated: 05.03.09
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