Environmental Economics Unit (EEU)
The Environmental Economics Unit (EEU) at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has initiated the EfD initiative.
The EEU manages the EfD initiative and supports the EfD centers through the EfD Secretariat.
The EfD initiative builds on long term capacity building in the Environmental Economics Capacity Building Program. This program is, like the EfD initiative, funded by the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation (Sida) and carried out by the Environmental Economics Unit (EEU), University of Gothenburg.
Sida identified already at the end of the 1980s two fundamental problems; firstly, a lack of capacity to analyze the complex interaction between the economies and the ecological systems, and secondly, a failure to adequately address these problems with relevant and cost-efficient policy instruments.
Sida has therefore since 1991 supported an Environmental Economics Capacity Building Program at the EEU. With the implementation of that program it has become clear that the problem is not only a matter of lack of capacity but that there are also institutional gaps. Although there are now an increasing number of academics who are trained to analyze these problems they do not typically come a work environment that is conducive for this kind of policy research.
Domestic think-tanks in six developing countries
In response to this gap the EfD initiative aims to maintain domestic think-tanks in six developing countries. These centers are characterized by relevant applied research on poverty-environment issues, strong links to policy making bodies and processes, and involvement in domestic and regional master’s and Ph.D. programs.
In addition to being the core support of the centers, the EfD initiative supports domestic academic programs, applied research, and activities to increase the use of environmental economics in both domestic and international policy processes. The centers are an integrated tool in Swedish development cooperation and a contribution to the implementation of the recommendations in the Paris Declaration.
Sida Helpdesk for Environmental Economics
Sida Helpdesk for Environmental Economics is located at the Environmental Economics Unit, University of Gothenburg.
