Special Studies

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Is globalization good or bad for the environment? What roles do multinational corporations (MNCs) play for their environmental influences? Can MNCs contribute or harm UN sustainable development goals (SDGs)? These questions lie at the core of this discussion-based course, which is inspired by the recent literature on globalization and environmental sustainable development. It covers with some of the key empirical questions, such as whether trade liberalization shifts polluting industry to jurisdictions with weak environmental policy, whether more stringent environmental policy erodes international competitiveness, and whether trade liberalization exacerbates the depletion of natural capital. Moreover, a number of policy issues will then be discussed, including the implications of environmental problems for the design of trade policy reforms; the effects of openness on the design of environmental policy; the implications of issues such as "race to the bottom" for the design of trade agreements, and the interaction between globalization and climate change.