Tag: Ecological Economics

2026 Ecological Economics Summer Schools and Conference

If you are a PhD student, postdoc/early-career scholar, or practitioner who is interested in sustainability, ecological economics, and macroeconomic transformations, please take a look at the following opportunities.

Where: Pisa, Italy

This summer school – now in its 5th year – is designed for PhD and post-doc students. In special cases, master’s and bachelor’s students may also be eligible. A maximum of 60 participants will be admitted.

The summer school is full-time and involves approximately 23 hours of class attendance and 52 hours of individual study. After completing the final exam, on Saturday 11 July, students will recieve 3 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).

FACULTY

  • Keynote lecture: Giulia Romano (Università di Pisa)
  • Mario Biggeri (University of Florence, ITA)
  • Leonardo Boncinelli (University of Florence, ITA)
  • David Cano (University of Pisa, ITA)
  • Simone D’Alessandro (University of Pisa, ITA)
  • Tiziano Distefano (University of Florence, ITA)
  • Elisa Giuliani, Vice-Rector for Sustainability and the 2030 Agenda – Università di Pisa
  • Ralph Hall, (Virginia Tech, USA)
  • Tommaso Luzzati, (University of Pisa, ITA)
  • Igor Matutinovic, Zagreb School of Economics and Management
  • Emilio Padilla Rosa, Universitat Autonoma Barcelona
  • J. Christopher Proctor, Bocconi University – Institute for European Policymaking
  • Marcela Villarreal, former Director of the Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Learn more and apply here.

When: September 7-9, 2026

Where: Florence, Italy

This summer school offers an intensive introduction to Ecological Macroeconomics, with a special focus on its relevance for the Global South. Participants will receive a solid grounding in the foundations of Ecological Economics and Post-Keynesian Macroeconomics, and will learn key modelling approaches used to analyse sustainability transitions in diverse socio-economic contexts.

The programme covers Input–Output analysis, Stock-Flow Consistent modelling, and System Dynamics, providing participants with the conceptual and technical tools needed to explore the interactions between economic structures, environmental constraints, and social outcomes. A core component of the school is hands-on training on how to build Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) that incorporate biophysical limits, distributional dynamics, inequality, and policy scenarios.

Participants will work through practical modelling labs using Vensim and R, enabling them to implement dynamic models, run simulations, and analyse alternative development pathways. The school aims to equip a new generation of researchers—especially from and for the Global South—with state-of-the-art modelling skills to address climate, energy, and development challenges.

FACULTY

  • Tiziano Distefano (University of Florence, ITA)
  • Simone D’Alessandro (University of Pisa, ITA)
  • Guilherme Morlin (University of Pisa, ITA)
  • David An (University of Florence, ITA)
  • Vinicius Centeno (University of Florence, ITA)

Learn more and apply here.

When: September 10-12, 2026

Where: Florence, Italy

Ecological Macroeconomics is an emerging field at the intersection of macroeconomics, ecological economics, and complexity science. It develops modelling frameworks that embed economies within biophysical limits, explicitly address inequality and social justice, and explore de- and post-growth futures through scenario analysis rather than optimisation.

This inaugural international conference aims to bring together scholars, early-career researchers, students, and practitioners working on ecological macroeconomic theory and modelling, with a particular interest in applications to the Global South and policy design for a just transition.

Learn more and apply here.

2023 Study Abroad Program

The three main components of our 2023 study abroad program in Italy are now open for any student to apply. Virginia Tech students who are accepted into the VT program will be automatically enrolled into each part of the program.

VT Students: The application portal will remain open for the next week, so please apply this week if you would like to be considered for the program. Please also make sure you apply for a GEO Scholarship (due March 15th).

Non-VT/International Students: I hope you will considered applying to one or more parts of the program via the links below. In 2022, we had over 20 countries represented in the Pisa summer school that hosted around 40 students. It was a really engaging and culturally rich experience for everyone involved in the program.

2023 Study Abroad Progam in Florence/Pisa, Italy

If you are a rising senior or graduate student at Virginia Tech and are looking for a unique sustainability-related study abroad experience, please find me on the Drillfield on Wednesday (September 21) to learn more about the planned 2023 Florence-Pisa program in Italy or signup for the information session that will be held from 3-4pm on Friday, October 14.

If you are unable to attend the study abroad fair or information session, please complete this simple form to be kept informed of program updates.

Study Abroad Program in Pisa, Italy

Next summer, I will be co-running a study abroad program in Pisa, Italy, with colleagues Prof. Nicholas Ashford (MIT), Dr. Tiziano Distefano (University of Pisa), and Prof. Tommaso Luzzati (University of Pisa), from June 10-22, 2022.

We will be holding an information session about the program for students at VT and MIT from 10-11am on November 4, 2021. Please register here to join the session.

Sustainable Transitions in Employment, Economic Welfare, and the Environment

This unique program will provide students with a transdisciplinary perspective on sustainable development and is intended for rising seniors and graduate students interested in planning, policy, economics, business, innovation, environmental studies, and law. The program will explore the many dimensions of sustainability and how national, multinational, and international political and legal mechanisms can be used to further a transition towards sustainable development. 

The program has three unique learning environments.

The first section of the program will consist of a summer school based at the University of Pisa, Italy, which will run in parallel with two other summer schools led by the Center for Politics, Ontologies, and Ecologies (POE) and the European Society for Ecological Economics. Given the proximity of the summer schools, joint sessions will be held where the faculty engaged with each program will share their research with students from the other programs. These sessions will enrich the content of each program and provide an opportunity for intercultural exchange between students (and faculty).   

The second section of the program will consist of students attending the 14th Conference of the European Society for Ecological Economics (ESEE), which will be hosted by the University of Pisa. 

During the third and final section of the program, students will travel to the Apuan Alps (close to Pisa in Italy), where they will share what they learned from the summer school and ESEE conference and discuss/debate future economic/societal transformation strategies. This final reflection will take place in the mountains, where group discussions will be held outside (weather permitting), and students will have the opportunity to hike in the Italian Alps.