An efficient format for a problem based introductory economics course

Problem-based learning is rather labor intensive for teaching staff. In addition, the problem-based structure does not work always optimally in practice. Brainstorming during pre-discussion of tasks becomes very superficial, preparation of the students is far from optimal, and post-discussion is more focused on repeating what is already in the book than on the task being discussed. However, these problems can be solved.This paper discusses a number of innovations in the format of the standard problem-based course. The uses of a large case study and the role of lectures in this, a virtual learning environment, subgroup activities, mind maps in post-discussion, and writing will be discussed. The combination of these innovations increases the efficiency of the group meetings and provides an opportunity to reduce the number of tutor group meetings. The approach that is discussed here is both useful for people who want to introduce problem-based learning as a learning approach in an efficient way as for those who want to improve on an existing problem based learning system.Economics ;

Crude oil: using a large case to teach introductory economics

Problem-based learning is rather labor intensive for teaching staff. In addition, the problem-based structure does not work always optimally in practice. Brainstorming during pre-discussion of tasks becomes very superficial, preparation of the students is far from optimal, and post-discussion is more focused on repeating what is already in the book than on the task being discussed. However, these problems can be solved.This paper discusses a number of innovations in the format of the standard problem-based course. The uses of a large case study and the role of lectures in this, a virtual learning environment, subgroup activities, mind maps in post-discussion, and writing will be discussed. The combination of these innovations increases the efficiency of the group meetings and provides an opportunity to reduce the number of tutor group meetings. The approach that is discussed here is both useful for people who want to introduce problem-based learning as a learning approach in an efficient way as for those who want to improve on an existing problem based learning system.Economics ;

Forestry in the MAGNET model

Forestry data have been included in the global general equilibrium MAGNET model at LEI Wageningen UR. This provides the opportunity to analyse substitution between forestry, natural forests and agriculture with the model, which is essential to analyse biodiversity and greenhouse gas effects of different policies options with respect to feed, food and fuel. The report discusses the background of the GTAP land use database used for the implementation, the way it has been implemented and some first simulation results. The report investigates the weaknesses of the implementation determining a research agenda for further improvements of modeling forestry into the MAGNET model

New Principles in Planning Evaluation

Maintaining and enhancing living conditions in cities through a combination of physical planning and environmental management is a newly emerging focus of governments around the world. For example, local governments seek to insulate sensitive land uses such as residential areas from environmentally intrusive activities such as major transport facilities and manufacturing. Regional governments protect water quality and natural habitat by enforcing pollution controls and regulating the location of growth. Some national governments fund acquisition of strategically important sites, facilitate the renewal of brown fields, and even develop integrated environmental quality plans. This book provides recently developed and tested methods for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of planning and policy options. Several contributions focus on new substantive areas of concern in planning evaluation, including environmental justice and sustainable urban development. Applications of evaluation in several planning contexts are demonstrated, and special problems that these pose are assessed. Several chapters address how to communicate the process and results to several stakeholder groups, and how to engage these groups in the evaluation process. Each chapter employs a realworld case in practice, thus dealing with the complexity of applying planning evaluation, and providing practical advice useful in similar situations

A Global Review on Peri-Urban Development and Planning

Urban regions worldwide are increasingly facing the challenge of dealing with highly dynamic metropolitan growth and, at the same time, institutional changes like decentralisation and globalisation. These kinds of changes express themselves most evidently in peri-urban areas, where urban and rural life meets. These peri-urban areas in particular have been the stage for rapid physical, social and economic transformations, both in developed and developing countries. Peri-urbanization takes place here. Based on literature review, this paper presents an effort to identify generic attributes of peri-urbanisation and the way in which development planning tends to reply. Three major attributes are identified: peri-urban space (the spatial expression of peri-urban development), peri-urban life (the functional appearance of land uses, activities and peri-urban innovation), and peri-urban change (a causal and temporal perspective featuring flows and drivers of change). It is also shown that prevalent institutional replies in planning and development generally fail to acknowledge the dynamic and increasingly fragmented attributes of global peri-urbanisation

Regular Online Assessment, Motivation and Learning

In 2002 regular online assessment was introduced as one of the pillars of an improved course in economics for business students. These online tests were introduced in the context of the problem-based teaching format used at Universiteit Maastricht, where students work in small groups guided by tasks. In this student-centred approach it is important that students come well-prepared to their group meetings. For students this is a type of Prisoner’s Dilemma, because students can free-ride on the preparation of other students. It has also characteristics of an Assurance Game, because if a large part of the group is not well-prepared, the students that did prepare well will also get not much out of the group discussion and therefore will be less motivated to prepare for themselves, too. The risk that such an Assurance Game arises is higher when the majority of students is not intrinsically motivated at the start of the course. The interest in the subject matter of the course will certainly not increase when students do not study enough. Regular online assessment may help to solve these dilemmas by forcing students to prepare at least the textbook they have to read before the group meetings.In this paper we discuss the role of online testing in the context of problem-based learning and show that after the introduction of online learning and other innovations students worked harder, had the feeling that they learned more and reported to be more interested in the subject-matter of the course (i.e. economics). It is obvious that the increase in work effort and motivation as the consequence of online testing is not limited to the context of a problem-based learning environment.Economics ;

Happiness and Loss Aversion: When Social Participation Dominates Comparision

A central finding in happiness research is that a person’s income relative to the average income in her social reference group is more important for her life satisfaction than the absolute level of her income. This dependence of life satisfaction on relative income can be related to the reference dependence of the value function in Kahneman and Tversky’s (1979) prospect theory. In this paper we investigate whether the characteristics of the value function like concavity for gains, convexity for losses, and loss aversion apply to the dependence of life satisfaction on relative income. This is tested with a new measure for the reference income for a large German panel for the years 1984-2001. We find concavity of life satisfaction in positive relative income, but unexpectedly strongly significant concavity of life satisfaction in negative relative income as well. The latter result is shown to be robust to extreme distortions of the reported-life-satisfaction scale. It implies a rising marginal sensitivity of life satisfaction to more negative values of relative income, and hence loss aversion (in a wide sense). This may be explained in terms of increasing financial obstacles to social participation.public economics ;

Strategic capacities in Dutch water management and spatial planning

Dutch water management currently is in a position of fundamental change and renewal. As a consequence of factors such as climate change, continuous land subsidence, urbanisation pressures, and a lacking natural resilience of the water system to absorb water surpluses and shortages, the emphases has shifted from technical measures such as heightening dikes and enlarging drainage capacities towards allowing water to take more space. Since the late 1990s, water management has been modified from an approach of ‘keeping it out’ towards ‘fitting it in’. As a consequence, ‘water management’ and ‘spatial planning’ are associated more closely, especially at the regional level of scale. Recent efforts by spatial planners and water managers to establish new connections have been mainly oriented towards a regulatory planning style: mutual reviewing of policy documents, the interchange of technical knowledge, the establishment of new legal instruments, and the imposition of norms and standards. The paper provides an overview of these efforts, and then introduces the observation that a supplementary strategic planning style would be helpful. Further attunement between ‘space’ and ‘water’ requires strategic capacities to ‘frame mindsets’, ‘to organise attention’, and to transform restrictions into opportunities. Based on a literature review and case studies, therefore, we raise some critical questions as to how efforts to synchronise regional water management and spatial planning match international insights in strategy making and capacity building. Following Healey et al., we understand regional strategy making to include a notion of providing regions with ‘institutional capacity’ and social, intellectual, and political capital. We also build on Mintzberg et al. to emphasise the importance of ‘real vision’ and the need for more ‘imagination applied to building a strategy’. To what extent can current attempts to link Dutch water management and spatial planning be regarded as a reflection of a more strategic planning style? How do prevailing institutional conditions offer constraints or opportunities for further strategic action? We employ the Dutch case to explore some of these exemplary questions.