In association with Mansfield College, Oxford University, Pluto Press Publishers, Inderscience Academic Publishers and the Higher Education Academy Economics Network
Participatory Training - Workshop
Principles and Concepts of Green Economics
at Mansfield College, Oxford University
Saturday 10November 2007
This training is supported as a mini project by
The Higher Education Academy Economics Network
The course is especially recommended for working teaching economics in Higher Education, who will gain an awareness of different economics approaches to problems of social, environmental and distributive justice, issues and also for those wishing use the knowledge for other teaching, campaigning or in creating policy or in the development of their business.
The programme includes ( but is in process of finalisation)
Introduction to approaches to economics
Neo-classical and main stream approaches
Presented by Volker Heinemann
Introduction to Green Economics
alternative, radical and heterodox approaches to economics
Presented by Derek Wall and Miriam Kennet
Green social theory and approaches to economics
Presented by Miriam Kennet, Volker Heinemann, Professor Jack Reardon
and Derek Wall
Teaching Economics and How Green are economics textbooks ?
New developments and book projects introduced
Professor Jack Reardon with Miriam Kennet
Professor Grazia-Ietto Gilies South Bank University and the Open University
Basic Principles of Multinational Corporations, theories, their activities and their effects
Bio-diversity and Eco-cide: the fifth mass extinction of species is happening now; Experts explain the elements of it; the causes and justification in main stream economics; eco-system services aspects; and how a green economics perspective can help; planning for a different economics perspective; planning to save diversity
Presented by Clive Hamilton, world expert in bio-diversity- Oxford University, Environmental Change Institute and Miriam Kennet ( being confirmed)
Visioning the elements of a lower growth economy
Introduction to a lower growth economy
Miriam Kennet explores the theoretical underpinnings with Derek Wall
Aims and principals of green economics
Supply chain examples
Case studies and Examples from Scotland, Nigeria,
Presented by David Rabey Director of DEFRA Procurement, with Miriam Kennet and Rose Bridger
Green Economics Perspectives, Policies and Indicators
Victor Anderson Economist at the Sustainable Development Commission
Energy Perspectives and perspectives in Green Economics
Pollution rights, permits and vouchers
Present by Professor Jack Reardon University of Wissonsin Stout.
Green Economics and the Regulation of Greenhouse Gasses
Presented by Oliver Tickell
Introduction to microeconomics:
Choices and incentives in economics, regulation and taxation
Presented by Professor Jack Reardon
Introduction to Macroeconomic theory and international trade
Presented by Miriam Kennet and Volker Heinemann
International corporations and supply chain management
stakeholder theory and corporate social responsibility
Supply chain structural issues
Real change in hearts and minds or just green wash to enhance the bottom line
Supply chain examples
Case studies and Examples from Scotland, Nigeria,
Presented by David Rabey Director DEFRA Procurement, with Miriam Kennet and Rose Bridger
The training will use participatory methodology, an example of problem based learning and working in smaller groups and discussion of case studies.
Trainers will include:
Miriam Kennet, Green Economics Institute Co-Founder and Director and Editor of the International Journal of Green Economics, who has researched economics and environmental change at Oxford University, (and is a member of Mansfield College, Oxford University) South Bank and Oxford Brookes Universities and is currently researching at the University of Keele. Miriam's research interests include Green Economics and the effects of supply chain economics on social and environmental justice. She is author of various published books and articles on green economics, and is currently preparing books for Zed Books and Pluto Press including Principles of Green Economics with Professor Jack Reardon in the USA.
Volker Heinemann, Green Economics Institute Founder and Director, associate editor of the International Journal of Green Economics, has studied economics at Kiel, Goettingen and Nottingham Universities. Volker’s research interests include International trade, development economics, macroeconomics and monetary economics.
Victor Anderson Author Higher Economist at the Sustainable development Commission
David Rabey, Director of Purchasing and Supply at DEFRA
Professor Jack Reardon, Economics at Wisconsin Stout University USA Economics and author of specialist text books in Green Economics and Energy issues in economics.
Rose Bridger, Development Manager of the Green Economics Institute and Consultant for DEFRA and specialist in food supply chain issues who is researching into supply chains, food miles, and structural implications of supply chain developments for a book for Pluto Press.
Yann Raineau is an agronomist/biologist from France, who has spent the last few months researching social and environmental justice in Madagascar. (Subject to availability)
Professor Grazia –Ietto Gillies author Economics specialist in Foreign Direct Investment and trade and multinational corporations and theories of intra- industry trade and intra-firm trade; explains their activities, impacts, effects.
Oliver Tickell Telegraph and BBC Environmental Journalist specialist in alternatives to Kyoto and energy and climate issues. Oliver is architect of the Kyoto2 framework for an alternative to Kyoto and a second framework. (To be confirmed)
Clive Hamilton (being confirmed) world expert in Bio-diversity from the Oxford University Environmental Change Institute
Derek Wall Campaigner activist, National Green Speaker, author of 5 books and numerous articles on green issues, including Earth First and green social movements, Babylon and Beyond, and a Green History, economics lecturer at Birkbeck College, London University
Booking details:
Admission including tea, coffee and lunch is £65.00 per person
(£55.00 for members of the Green Economics Institute).
Accommodation can be arranged in the college.
Please email to enquire about rates and availability
This course is a pre requisite to gaining accreditation as a full member of the Institute.
To book please email the Institute Events Manager to reserve a place and register at
This training must be pre booked and pre registered
Please print off the booking form from the website
and send it to:
Events Manager, 6 Strachey Close, Tidmarsh, Reading RG8 8EP
or email Miriam Kennet, Institute Director for details of the course
Who should attend:
Economics specialists and people teaching economics in Higher Education
Academics of all disciplines keen to understand green issues and how economic thinking can impact their work, especially from a perspective of social theory, human rights, international relations, environmental science and psychology. For individuals who are interested to understand inter and trans disciplinary studies, holism and long termism, post modernism, critical realism and feminist analysis.
Company directors and business people keen to learn about the possibilities of moving beyond short term considerations to understand, promote and create a wider problem solving environment.
Campaigners keen to understand how economics works, how to use economics to their benefit in campaigning and to understand where the theoretical and practical fault lines are today.
Policy makers interested in the unique mesh of social and environmental positions that is one of the fastest growing global movements today
This course will provide accreditation points for membership of the Institute
GREEN ECONOMICS SUCCESSFUL TRAINING DAY!!
On Saturday 10 March, the Green Economics Institute organized its first ever Training Day. 28 participants and 8 trainers spent eight green hours together, in Mansfield College, Oxford University, to discuss Green Economics. The program of the day included courses about green economics perspectives and views, environmental economic theories, carbon trading, as well as numerous participating case studies on environmental and social justice, supply chain and sustainability, corporate effects analysis, green taxes, flight pollution and the greening of local authorities.
The Institute had the great luck and honour to welcome guests with outstanding and really various backgrounds, allowing really pertinent interventions and thorough discussions to take place. This day was a successful step towards the creation of a community of practice, gathering people exchanging their knowledges and opinions on green issues, as part of the green economic interdisciplinary scope.
In the morning, Oliver Tickell, journalist and campaigner on health and environment issues, inaugurated the day by introducing the debate on carbon trading and current environmental stakes, and presented the framework Kyoto2, working for a second Climate Protocol.
The day followed with a broad presentation of Green Economics principles and aims, thanks to a speech by Miriam Kennet, Co-Director of the Green Economics Institute. She focused on the origins of the discipline and its theoretical backgrounds, as well as on the necessity to re-write economics. Yann Raineau, French student in environment and economics and Leonardo intern in the Institute, presented the principles, achievements and limits of the cost-benefit analysis, practical tool used by environmental economics, sister discipline of the green economics, as in introduction to Miriam’s speech.
The morning ended by a case study session about environmental and social justice, when the attendees could choose to examine one of three different situations. Some participated to a role game about the actual situation of Bushmen in Botswana, others discussed the situation and future prospects of the inhabitants of a small village in Madagascar, situated within the boundaries of a UNESCO site, while the last group, led by John Valentine, originator of the Flight Pledge Union, investigated about the ways to reduce our need for polluting planes! John introduced his case study by a vibrant speech, presenting the different aspects of the question and the ways to acting.
After lunch and a report back by each group to all the participants of the points discussed during the case study session, Volker Heinemann, Co-Director of the Institute, took up again with theory and presented green macroeconomics issues and the position of the Green Economics within the macroeconomic debate, shedding light on the green views of some macroeconomic features such as growth, development, unemployment or public sector, which participants reported that they found it to be an historic and completely new analysis of macro economics!
Participants then had the opportunity to work in small groups again with a second case study session, aimed at analysing corporate effects. Three examples could be examined: the greenwashing phenomenon via the study of Tesco’s behaviour, the situation caused by Telenor in Bangladesh or the consequences of Shell’s activities in Nigeria.
The afternoon went on with John Sloman, Director of the Economics Network (The Higher Education Academy), presenting the microeconomic views on environment and sustainability and the economic incentives proposed to tackle pollution issues and climate change. The participants could then argue on the good and bad points of a green tax thanks to a simple hypothetical example of a car tax controlled by satellite…
The training day ended with two last speeches. The first one came from Howard Johnson who spoke about the attempts to turn local authorities greener, based on his own experience. Finally, Rose Bridger, food system consultant, closed the day by an astonishing presentation on what is currently going on within the supply chain domain, and the contradiction between what is required by efficiency on the one hand and sustainability on the other hand.
Delighted to hear really positive feedbacks from the participants and hoping the experience can be soon repeated, the Green Economics Institute would like to thank all the marvellous attendees of the day, for their active participation and positive behaviour, and the trainers for their contribution to the good running of the day.
The next training days are booked for November 10th and 11th 2007 at Mansfield College Oxford University, to reserve a place please email the Institute Training Manager . The cost is £65 including lunches and teas and coffee etc. This slightly more advanced course is especially suitable for people who have some understanding of economics, who are teaching economics, or environmental subjects.
We will also be running the initial training course every year according to demand, so if you would like to register for that please email the address above to enquire about dates for the next one.
Both courses lead to substantial contributions to accreditation of the Institute, successful full completion of which accreditation, provides you with the letters MGEI, an official designation for career purposes.
Report by Yann Raineau