Section Economics
We aim to be a key player in research and education on economics of sustainable development. We aspire to produce output that is both socially and academically relevant.
About the Section of Economics
The aim of the Section of Economics at Wageningen University is to be a key player in research and education on economics of sustainable development. We aspire to produce output that is both socially and academically relevant.
Organisation and responsibilities
The section of economics consists of five chair groups, home: Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy (AEP), Urban Economics (UEC), Environmental Economics and Natural Resources (ENR), Development Economics (DEC), and Economic and Environmental History (RHI). Together, we are responsible for education and research in economics in the domain of Wageningen University. In terms of education, this includes:
- The economic programmes and courses in the curricula of Wageningen University including the BSC programmes BEB, BBC, BIN and BMK and various other BSc programmes, the MSc programmes MME, MID, MES and various other MSC programmes.
- The various PhD courses on economics, including Advanced Micro-economics, Advanced Macroeconomics and Advanced Econometrics. In addition, the section organises irregular but specialised PhD courses on topics of great interest.
Strategy
Our strategy is to make best use of our resources through focus and cooperation across groups. We invest in the development of human resources, encourage the pursuit of research funding, and encourage publications in leading journals.
We aim at using our resources to identify pressing and interesting issues, both from a scientific and social perspective. We seek to make original and innovative contributions to the development and application of economic theories and methods.
Ambitions
Our ambition is to provide up-to-date training on economics of sustainable development, focusing both on industrialised and developing countries. We combine a strong international perspective and a deep knowledge of behaviour, institutions, and methodology to enhance our understanding of the interactions between economic and ecological processes.
In research, our ambition is to be a leading player in the development and testing of new theories and methods in the domain of economics of sustainable development. Research results are disseminated via international journals, preferably top ones, presentations at international conferences and symposia, and through the publication of books and PhD theses.
Human resources
An important strategy element is the development and recruitment of our human resources. We focus on attracting the best candidates, and through the tenure track system we facilitate the development of academic skills of our staff. Through international exchange of visitors, students and staff we strengthen our skills and contribute to the development of the skills of others.
Attracting research funds
Sources of funding include the EU, NWO, WOTRO, ESF, DGIS, DFID, BSIK, INREF and other (inter)national funding agencies.
Publication and dissemination of ideas and results
Our publication strategy is to publish in leading international journals, preferably in the top category. We publish theoretical and methodological papers, but also applied work. This contributes to the desired scientific and social relevance, as expressed in our aim.
Cooperation
We seek to cooperate with the best scientists and economists in the world and are continually updating our projects in order to be leading and innovating. Cooperation is focused on internal cooperation within the section, on cooperation with other researchers within Wageningen university (especially beta-gamma integration), and on cooperation with colleagues elsewhere in the Netherlands or the world.
Domains
Allocation through markets often fails because of the existence of externalities, public goods, common property resources and market power. We analyse how to reach an optimal allocation of resources and a reduction in poverty. We do not only focus on rational behaviour but also on limited rationality and ways to improve efficiency in the pursuit of desired outcomes. We are aware that we cannot be leading in all domains of economics, so we focus on a limited number of domains in which we have expertise and where we can deliver top quality in the context of the focus of Wageningen University and Research Centre and its Graduate Schools. In particular:
Responsible Production and Consumption
- agricultural production and consumption of food;
- regional economics;
- international trade in food and fibre;
- economics of optimal land use.
Disparities
- economics of institutions and institutional change;
- economics of conflicts and post-conflict recovery;
- microfinance, innovation and poverty alleviation;
- behavioural and experimental economics in a context of failing markets.
Natural Resources and the Environment
- economics of natural resource management (energy resources, soils, water, biodiversity);
- economics of mitigation and adaptation to climate change;
- economics of international coalitions;
- individual decision-making and the environment.
Our chair groups
Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy
The main research focus of the Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Group (AEP) is the economic analysis of agriculture, food and rural areas.
Special attention is given to:
• production, trade, processing and consumption of agricultural and food products
• the development of rural areas
• agricultural, rural and food policies
• institutional and organisational aspects of agriculture and rural areas.
Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy
The main research focus of the Agricultural Economics and Rural Policy Group (AEP) is the economic analysis of agriculture, food and rural areas.
Special attention is given to:
• production, trade, processing and consumption of agricultural and food products
• the development of rural areas
• agricultural, rural and food policies
• institutional and organisational aspects of agriculture and rural areas.
Economic and Environmental History
The mission of the Economic and Environmental History Group (RHI) is to offer temporal depth to societal debates and social theories on sustainable and equitable welfare development. We apply comparative historical methods to better understand long-term patterns of interdependence between people, institutions and environments. Our empirical work builds on a combination of qualitative sources and large statistical datasets, which we construct from historical archives across the globe. Our current research projects focus on Africa, Asia and Western Europe (c. 1500-2000).
Development Economics
The mission of the Development Economics Group (DEC) is to contribute to an improved understanding of the processes of sustainable development, institutions, conflict and poverty alleviation. To this end, DEC selects teaching material and focuses on research that can shed light on the dynamics of factor productivity and resource use in developing countries.
Urban Economics
The number of people living in urban environments is increasing rapidly. The mission of the Urban Economics (UEC) group is to contribute to more resilient cities in terms of social equality, economic advantages and environmental quality. Therefore, UEC focusses on two main themes: sustainable consumption and urban-rural interactions. We use insights from general-, urban- and behavioural economics to improve the understanding of consumer and household decision making concerning sustainability, health and well-being and the impacts at the individual, urban and regional level.
Environmental Economics and Natural Resources
The Environmental Economics Group (ENR) focuses at the economic analysis of national and international environmental problems, such as climate change, water management, biotechnology, and biodiversity. The aim is to contribute to a better understanding of these problems and to identify possible solutions, including policy recommendations.
