Law and economics of green transition and social justice

The course aims at offering an outlook of the general legal principles that regulate environment protection and sustainable development, and their interplay with economic models and social justice issues, with a focus on policy design. In particular, a first part will be devoted to discuss the legal tools, explore the relation between environment protection and constitutional models, and explore the Constitutional values of Sustainable Development and the relation between human rights, human health protection, animal health protection and environment protection: the so called "one health approach". The second part will be aimed at understanding environmental problems within the economic theory, and relate them to social justice and public policy.

At the end of the course, the student should have advanced knowledge of the legal and economics tool to protect environment, assess the interplay between economics and legal aspects in order to protect environment, assess the interplay between environment protection law, economic tools and the role of the State in the matter of public health (which includes environment protection), understand the interactions of Ethics and Economics and their application to public policy. Moreover, the student should be able to independently identify and analyse problems related to environment issues and its linkages with the concept of sustainable development; improve oral and written skills, including arguing convincingly with the professor and with classmates, with logical and legal thoroughness and propriety of language.