ECO/POL 115, POL300
Economic and Political Foundations of Sustainability
Fall 2010
Professor: Lisa Glidden
Office: Mahar 439
Email: [email protected]
Office Hrs: M 12:30 – 1:30,
Class Website: via Angel
TTh 11-12, and by appt.
Class Meetings: TTh 12:45 – 2:05 in Mahar 309
Professor: Glenn Graham
Office: Mahar 419
Email: [email protected]
Office Hrs: TTh 11-12,
Class Website: via Angel
W 10-11, and by appt.
Class Meetings: TTh 12:45 – 2:05 in Mahar 122
Course Description: This course will use methodology drawn from economics and
political science to study domestic and international sustainability issues. Particular
attention will be paid to the interaction and codependency of politics and economics in
determining how natural resources are allocated. The theoretical and empirical methods
used by economist and political scientists will be used to develop hypotheses about the
theory of optimal sustainable development, and the actuality of sustainable development.
Students will be required to explore how the interaction of politics and economics leads
to either sustainable or unsustainable development.
Responsibilities: We expect that you fulfill the following responsibilities. Attend all
sections. While we are aware that obligations may cause some sections to be missed,
the material we will examine can be complex, and many absences or the failure to
keep up with the reading will adversely affect your ability to accomplish the goals of
this course. Be prepared for each class by carefully reading all assignments.
Prepared students will be able to ask informed questions, contribute to discussions
and perform well on the papers.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
 Understand the concept of sustainable development.
 Understand how political decisions are made.
 Understand how economic processes guide resource allocation decisions
 Apply social science methodology to analyze sustainability issues.
 Understand the relative importance and interaction between economic and
political processes in sustainable development.
 Identify the political and economic constraints towards adopting sustainable
technologies both domestically and on an international basis.
 Articulate a position on sustainable development for a given country or
group of countries.
Required Text : All readings are posted on Angel.
Course announcements and materials: Class materials will be posted on an Angel
course management page. This page is accessed through the SUNY learning
network at https://oswego.sln.suny.edu. Use your SUNY email ID and password to
log in to your Angel account. In an effort to save paper, all assignments will be
posted on Angel.
Grading: Grades for this course will be determined as follows:
Mid-term exam – 20%
Final exam -20%
Problem sets (2) – 20%
Essays – 4 at 10% each
The grading scale that we will be use is (all numbers are in percent of total available
points.)
A 93 to 100,
A- 90 up to 93,
C+ 77 up to 80, C 73 up to 77,
D- 60 up to 63, E Below 60
B+ 87 up to 90, B 83 up to 87, B- 80 up to 83,
C- 70 up to 73, D+ 67 up to 70, D 60 up to 65,
Exams: There will be a mid-term exam and a final exam in this course. There will be
no deviation from exam dates unless there is a college wide class cancellation. In
that event the exam will be administered during the first class session following the
resumption of classes. All exams are cumulative and will have an essay/short
answer format.
Make-up exams: Make-up exam are inherently unfair. Therefore we do not give
make-up exams for any reason. If you miss the mid-term exam the weight from
that exam will be added to your final exam, making it worth 50% of your total class
grade. If you miss the final you will lose all points assigned to it.
Curves: We do not employ any sort of curving mechanism to compensate for low
exam/course grades. There will be enough opportunities available to obviate the
need for curving adjustments.
93 and above rule: If you earn a class average of 93 you will receive an A in the
course and are exempt from taking the final exam. In order to qualify for this
exemption you must take both exams and turn in all papers. Extra credit points
are not counted in the calculation of your average for the 93 and above rule.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is cheating, and some are surprised to learn what constitutes plagiarism. It is
presenting someone else’s thoughts, ideas, or works as your own. You must provide a
citation when you directly quote, indirectly quote, or paraphrase someone else’s work.
See me if you have any questions on citations. Cases of plagiarism will be referred to the
Dean’s office. You can make sure that you don’t plagiarize either by checking out this
link: http://www.oswego.edu/library/instruction/plagtut/index.html
Campus Resources:
There are many resources on campus to help you to succeed in this class.
Office Hours
We hold office hours every week. Please feel free to come by to talk about the class,
your research paper, or if you want to further understand a concept, etc.
Class Discussions
We will have some discussion every class meeting. This is a time for you to bring up
questions for discussion, talk about the posted discussion questions, talk about
current events, etc. Use this time to develop, define, and refine your own informed
arguments.
Writing Center1
The OLS Writing Center is designed to assist you with the complexities of the writing
requirements of your courses. Our professional staff has had over 30 years of experience
writing, tutoring, and educating.
Do you want someone to read your writing before you hand it in? Not quite sure how to
use that semicolon? Need some help putting together that 'A' paper that you know you
can?
The writing center provides walk-in services or appointment based assistance, which ever
works better for your schedule. We're open Monday-Friday from 10-5. OLS is located at
106 Poucher Hall (312-3094).
Penfield Library
The Library has ‘Research Guides by Subject’, journals, databases, tutorials,
handouts and reference librarians to assist you. Please utilize this valuable
resource.
Disabled Student Services
The Office of Disability Services is available to assist students who have a legally
documented disability or students who suspect that they may have a disability. If
you have a disabling condition that may interfere with your ability to successfully
complete this course, please contact the office of Disability Services. Also, please see
me to let me know how we may be of assistance. Alternative testing for students
with learning disabilities is available.
Phone: (315) 312-3358
email:
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]
web: www.oswego.edu/dis_svc
visit /mail: 183 Campus Center, SUNY Oswego, NY 13126
1
This section is from the Office of Learning Services website
(http://www.oswego.edu/academics/support/OLS/writingc.html) accessed 1/5/07
COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1: How do we define sustainability?
Weeks 2 – 5: How do we allocate resources to achieve the greatest societal value,
and is sustainability consistent with maximizing societal value?
 Economic core: Scarcity and opportunity costs – limited resources, but
unlimited wants
o Natural resources are one of several inputs to production of goods
and services. Using a resource to produce one good carries the
opportunity cost of not being able to use the resource to produce a
second good
 Politics core: What is societal value? What is the good life?
o The good life, that is, what a society considers valuable is a social
construction. This section examines the notion of citizenship and its
role in defining and advocating for the greatest societal value
Week 6 – 9: Getting the prices right to bring about sustainable behaviors
 Economics core: Valuing Natural Resources
o Unlike other resources natural resources do not have a market price
determined by the opportunity costs of the original owner. How do
we determine the value of a good that is not traded in a market, and
how does valuation affect the prospect of sustainability?
 Politics core: Changing behavior and norms
o What kinds of changes in behavior will be needed to bring about a
sustainable society? What is the relationship between behavior and
politics? What are the ways that people’s behavior changes?
Weeks 10 – 13: Incentive Effects
 Economics core: Problems with price and ownership lead to perverse
incentive effects
o What unique characteristics of natural resources lead to incentive
effects that are detrimental to sustainability?
 Politics core: the global north/global south divide
o This section examines the particular political challenges that arise
regarding issues of inequality, differentiated effects of a changing
environment, and creating global agreements
Weeks 14 and 15: Talking across disciplines—can we come to any conclusions?
Course Schedule
Week 1
Defining sustainability
Tues, 8/30
Introduction to the course
Thurs, 9/1
Week 2
Tues, 9/6 &
Thurs, 9/8
Week 3
Tues, 9/13 &
Thurs, 9/15
Week 4
Tues, 9/20 &
Thurs, 9/22

Bring definitions of sustainability for discussion
Resources and Social Value


“Is Sustainability a Realistic Objective for Society?”
“Does Sustainability Mean a Lower Standard of Living?”
Resources and Social Value


“Is Sustainability Compatible with Human Welfare?”
“Will Restricting Carbon Emissions Damage the U.S.
Economy?”
Resources and Social Value


“Should We Drill for Offshore Oil?”
“Is Carbon Capture Technology Ready to Limit Carbon
Emissions?”
Week 5
Resources and Social Value
Tues, 9/27
Thurs, 9/29
Meet in Mahar 122
 “Are Biofuels Responsible for Rising Food Prices?”
Rosh Hashanah – No classes
Week 6
Valuing Sustainability
Tues, 10/4 &
Thurs, 10/6
Week 7
Tues, 10/11 &
Thurs, 10/13

Valuing Sustainability


Week 8
Tues, 10/18 &
Thurs, 10/20
Week 9
“Is the Precautionary Principle a Sound Approach to
Risk Analysis?”
“Should a Price Be Put on the Goods and Services
Provided by the World’s Ecosystems?”
“What is a Tree Worth?”
Valuing Sustainability

“Is Monetizing
Sustainability?”
Ecosystem
Valuing Sustainability
Services
Essential
for
Tues, 10/25 &
Thurs, 10/27
Week 10
Tues, 11/1 &
Thurs, 11/3
Week 11
Tues, 11/8 &
Thurs, 11/10
Week 12
Tues, 11/15 &
Thurs, 11/17

“Does the Market Work Better than Government at
Achieving Sustainability?”
Incentive Effects

“Are Western Values, Ethics, and Dominant Paradigms
Compatible with Sustainability?”
Incentive Effects

“Is Sustainability Practical for Emerging Economies?”
Incentive Effects

“Is Global Environmental Degradation an Issue of
Poverty Rather Than Environmental Policy?”
Week 13
Sustainability in Natural Resources
Tues, 11/22
Thurs, 11/24
 “Can Our Marine Resources Be Sustainably Managed?”
Thanksgiving Day—no class
Week 14
Sustainability in Natural Resources
Tues, 11/29 &
Thurs, 12/1
Week 15
Tues, 12/6
Thurs, 12/8

“Should Sustainability in Energy Resources Be Based on
Conservation?”
Conclusions – meet as one group both days in 122

“Is Corporate Sustainability More Public Relations Than
Real?”
Talking across Disciplines