Browse Hierarchy BUSM233: Complex Networks for Environmental Economics

The module will apply the structure and dynamics of complex networks analysis to various aspects of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Examples include the collaboration network among countries co-signing environmental treaties and citation networks among treaties. The module will focus on the main topological properties of networks, including degree, clustering, centrality, and shortest distances. These properties will then be combined into models of growth that explain how real-world networks acquire and sever links over time. Each network model will be discussed and assessed against a number of real-world problems. For example, which cooperation structures most facilitate the diffusion of climate policies among countries? Do multilateral environmental agreements lead to the emergence of exclusive groups of countries collaborating on environmental issues, and how do these groups evolve over time? How vulnerable is the system to countries¿ misconduct or withdrawal from agreements? To address these and many other problems, the course will develop an interdisciplinary approach to networks by combining current research literature on complex social networks with relevant contributions from environmental economics.