Sustainable and Environmental Regulations

What it is about

You deal with theoretical and empirical questions of sustainable development as well as with the influence of different regime forms (democracy, autocracy, hybrid regimes) on the sustainability performance of states. You will also become familiar with instruments of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and assess their role in planning and decision-making processes. In the end you will be able to analyze sustainability issues in different policy fields and explain the principles and procedures of EIA/SEA.

What you will be able to do

• Basic knowledge of sustainable development and relevant policy fields
• Understanding of political regime forms and their effects on sustainability
• Comparative analysis of state contributions in various sustainability areas
• Knowledge of the purpose, principles and procedural steps of EIA and SEA
• Ability to assess environmental impacts and name methodological options
• Critical reflection on the strengths and limitations of EIA/SEA
• Ability to present results orally and summarize in writing

What the module consists of

• Seminar Sustainable Development and Regime Type (SDRT)Conveying theories and empirical comparisons on sustainable development and regime effects; basis for presentations and discussions
• Seminar Methods of Environmental Assessment (MEA)Introduction to concepts, methods and procedures of EIA and SEA; foundation for presentations and discussions

Teaching method

• Lecturesprovide basic knowledge and context
• Presentationsallow in-depth engagement with individual topics and training of presentation skills
• Class discussionspromote critical thinking and analysis of strengths and limitations
• (Small) group exercisesenable practical testing of methods and exchange among students
• Assigned Fachtexts/Readingssupport self-study and discussion