Economics of Natural Resources

Natural resources provide essential inputs for human society such as food, energy and water. However, sustainable use of natural resources, ensuring quality of life for all, is threatened by many factors such as misallocation of resources, strategic interactions between users, ineffective governance, and global environmental changes. Our research addresses how we can use natural resources sustainably considering the interactions between the biophysical and the socio-economic systems.

First, we use bio-economic optimization models that account for current and future welfare to inform policy makers how to use scarce resources efficiently. Second, we develop game-theoretical models to shed light on the strategic interactions between resource users. Third, we develop social-ecological systems models to study the institutions that govern the use of natural resources in response to global environmental changes. We combine those approaches to analyse renewable resources such as fisheries, forests and water, and non-renewable resources such as phosphorus. We use theoretical and empirical methods to provide novel scientific insights and policy recommendations.

Projects

Key Publications