Photo: Annie Spratt / Unsplash
Seminars with a focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, offered this winter semester (2026/27) in collaboration with the Global Challenges Lab.
The Economics of the Green Transition (5 CP)
Prof. Dr. Thomas Lontzek and Liam Nyssen
This module provides a sound overview of the economic dimensions of the “green transition”. Building on an analysis of the climate as well as the biodiversity and ecosystem crisis, students become familiar with key instruments and approaches through which the economic sciences can contribute to addressing these challenges. The focus lies both on environmental-economic instruments for tackling the climate crisis and on specific approaches for protecting biodiversity and ecosystems, in each case with particular attention to their strengths, weaknesses, and interactions in practical application.
Students also engage with findings from transformation research and learn which factors determine the success or failure of socio-economic transformation processes. In the subsequent project phase, students work in groups on a lecture-related question and present and discuss their results in the form of a video podcast and a colloquium. The seminar takes place in person only and attendance at all sessions is mandatory.
- LanguageEnglish
- EligibilityB.Sc. (General Management; Quantitative Methods and Applications; Innovation and Markets)
- Credits5 CP
- Gradingvideo podcast (60%) + colloquium (40%)
- SDG focus
SDG 13 Climate Action
SDG 15 Life on Land
Course page at the Chair of Computational Economics →
Sustainable Finance (5 CP)
Dr. Marco Thalhammer
This quantitative-focused seminar offers an overview of recent topics in the field of sustainable finance. The primary emphasis is on the quantitative analysis of climate risk, complemented by coverage of other relevant areas such as ESG and biodiversity risk. Introductory lectures provide a foundation of knowledge, covering a descriptive overview and empirical studies with a focus on the past decade, as well as models for including climate risk in a theoretical asset pricing framework. A brief introduction to the emerging field of nature finance is also included.
In the second part of the seminar, students work in pairs on a recently published research article from a renowned academic finance journal under the supervision of the lecturer. The seminar takes place in person only and attendance at all scheduled group sessions is mandatory.
- LanguageEnglish
- EligibilityM.Sc. (a solid foundation in basic finance and econometrics is expected)
- Credits5 CP
- Gradingpresentation of an assigned research paper (50%) + research paper review (50%)
- SDG focusSDG 13 Climate Action
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
Course page at the Chair of Computational Economics →
