Designing Economic Instruments for the Environment: 2 Day PD Course

Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, with support from The Ivey Foundation, is delivering a 2-day professional development course entitled: “Designing Economic Instruments for the Environment”.

This hands-on course has been developed in conjunction with academic experts, current practitioners and adult learning professionals and focuses on the practical elements of economic instrument design.

The course is broken out into four different lessons:

• Lesson 1: Economic Instruments 101 – Instrument Types, Current Examples & Applications
• Lesson 2: Economic Instrument Design Fundamentals – Instrument Elements & Environmental Outcomes
• Lesson 3: Economic Instrument Implementation Fundamentals – Turning Concepts into Reality & Strategic Considerations
• Lesson 4: Case Study ‘Competition’ – Pulling it all Together

What will you learn?

This course will give you a fundamental grounding in the design, development and delivery of economic instruments for environmental outcomes. During the session, participants will develop and defend their own instrument through a facilitated case-study competition.

In addition to session materials, participants will also leave the session with a practical tool for identifying and assessing the best economic instrument to address a specific environmental issue.

Who should attend?

The course is intended for policy analysts with a range of backgrounds from across government(s). Analysts and advisors from environment, natural resources, finance, transport, fisheries, agriculture and more.

Why participate?

Participants will leave the course with the knowledge and practical methods to advance environmental objectives through the use of economic instruments.

Course Instructor:

The course will be delivered by:

Chris Ragan

Chair, Canada's Ecofiscal Commission
McGill University, Department of Economics

Formerly

Clifford Clark Visiting Economist, Finance Canada
Special Advisor to the Governor, Bank of Canada

View Biography

Christopher Ragan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at McGill University. He is the Chair of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, which launched in November 2014 with a 5-year horizon to identify policy options to improve environmental and economic performance in Canada. He is also a member of the federal finance minister’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth, which began in early 2016.

Chris Ragan is also a Research Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, from 2010-13 he held the Institute’s David Dodge Chair in Monetary Policy, and for many years was a member of the Monetary Policy Council. In 2009-10, he was the Clifford Clark Visiting Economist at Finance Canada; in 2004-05 he served as Special Advisor to the Governor of the Bank of Canada. In 2010-12 he was the President of the Ottawa Economics Association.

Ragan’s published research focuses mostly on the conduct of macroeconomic policy. His 2004 book, co-edited with William Watson, is called Is the Debt War Over? In 2007 he published A Canadian Priorities Agenda, co-edited with Jeremy Leonard and France St-Hilaire from the Institute for Research on Public Policy. He is the author of Economics (formerly co-authored with Richard Lipsey), which after fifteen editions is still the most widely used introductory economics textbook in Canada. Ragan also has a regular column in The Globe and Mail. Ragan teaches regularly for McKinsey & Company in its internal MBA program. He also teaches in EDHEC’s Global MBA program in France. In 2007 Ragan was awarded the Noel Fieldhouse teaching prize at McGill University.

Ragan received his B.A. (Honours) in economics in 1984 from the University of Victoria and his M.A. in economics from Queen’s University in 1985. He then moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where he completed his Ph.D. in economics at M.I.T. in 1989. See his personal McGill website for downloads of his published research as well as his newspaper columns: https://mcgill.ca/economics/christopher-t-s-ragan

Schedule:

Day 1 – March 16: 8:00 to 19:00 (Including catered lunch and a working dinner)
Day 2 – March 17: 8:00 to 16:00 (including catered lunch and breaks)

Register soon!

The first course held in February 2017 in Ottawa sold out six weeks before the session – make sure to register soon!

This course is limited to 30 participants and registration closes on February 28th. Early bird pricing is available until February 10th and is limited to 8 participants.

Important Note: Registration is limited to Policy Analysts and Advisors, or similar positions in the Federal and Provincial Government. Therefore, please only register for this course if you are a current Federal or Provincial Employee. For other interested individuals, please email info@ecofiscalstg.wpenginepowered.com to request an exception.