Admission requirements
This course is obligatory for students of the MSc Governance of Sustainability.
Description
The extraction of raw materials from the natural environment is one of the most impactful anthropogenic activities. It not only causes damage to ecosystems and human health; it is also linked to water and energy use. A transition to a more Circular Economy (CE) may help solve this issue. In a circular economy the need for virgin materials is dramatically reduced by introducing known concepts like re-use and recycling as well as new concepts like the service-economy and closed-loop business models. In this course we will analyse the basic concepts of a Circular Economy and the role of public institutions and policy in the transition towards it.
The course addresses questions such as “What are key material flows within the metabolism of society?” “What are the main sources of raw materials?” “What is the difference between re-use, recycling and urban mining?” “What are the key characteristics of closed-loop business models and the service economy?” “What are the main (governance) challenges of implementing a circular economy?” “How do societal needs, market dynamics and public policymaking interact in the circular economy domain?” “How can we design policies that can be effective?” “What role does evidence play in policy making?”
The Policy Cycle is used in this course as a framework for analysing the realization of the CE. We first get acquainted with the concepts of government, governance, public policy, which are necessary to understand policy making processes. We explore who is acting in the public domain, including both state and non-state actors. By discussing various models of agenda setting, we move from policy problem definition to complicated theories which unite the concepts of actors, ideas and institutions, and explain why some problems get the attention in the policy making machine while others remain untouched. We will unpack how different countries view and design CE policies, what policy tools are possible and what are the trade-offs We will also delve into the nuances of using evidence in policy making and discuss the potential of stakeholder engagement to improve policy output.
Throughout the course, the framework of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to make a distinction between different circular economy strategies is used. We first introduce concepts as industrial ecology, societal metabolism and critically reflect upon the foundations of the Circular Economy ideas of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. We subsequently follow our course with an analysis of current material use and the drivers behind material use. End-of-life waste management and recycling options and their international context are examined. Specific attention will be paid to methods and tools that allow us to examine the (international) supply chain products showing us how consumption in Europe may lead to environmental and societal problems in other parts of the world. Important data sources on material flows, waste generation, recycling and how the collection of these data is institutionalized gives a foundation for any further research in this area. In the second half of the lectures, you learn how different business models and product design may help transition a society towards a more circular economy including barriers that may hinder this transition.
Course objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
Can critically evaluate the principal concepts of a CE
Can apply concepts of reduce, re-use, recycling, the service economy and closed loop business models
Can evaluate technical and socio-economic implementation challenges of a transition to a CE
Can explain the socio-economic drivers for this transition (e.g., policy goals and measures, scarcity, security of supply, certification, etc.)
Can measure the metabolism of society based on existing data sources.
Can critically evaluate each of the phases of the CE policy process cycle
Can appraise the intricacy of the environmental sustainability challenges for the policy making
Can assess what is required for effective evidence-based policy making
Can design a coherent CE policy action plan for a specific stakeholder
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
The course will be taught using a combination of lectures, working groups and an integrated group assignment.
The lectures will address topics such as resource use, recycling and urban mining, and the governance and policy making processes. It introduces tools for the analysis of materials flows within society such as material flows accounting, input-output analysis and life cycle assessment. We will discuss the possible impacts the transition to a circular economy will have on materials flows and extraction of raw materials and the governance role in designing policies that can benefit CE. We also analyze the limitations of the CE, e.g. is recycling a good idea if it requires a significant amount of energy?
The working groups are used to work on individual exercises. Exercises include analysing case studies, reflecting upon these case studies, comparing and contrasting different regions. Using (online) analytical tools are also part of the individual exercises. In addition, students engage in a role play based on assigned roles that are relevant to the implementation of a CE. Attending the working groups is mandatory.
Parallel to the lectures and working groups throughout the course, students will work in small groups in a transdisciplinary setting on specific topics linked to governance of the circular economy. Real-life challenges will allow students to integrate the acquired knowledge and understanding from lectures and working groups.
Assessment method
The grading consists of an individual written exam (50%), and the integrated group assignment comprised of two components: technical report (25%) and policy action plan (25%). Students are assigned to different groups for each component of the integrated group assignment.
At least 5.5 grade must be received for the exam and the integrated group assignment to be able to successfully complete this course. This means the following:
There is no compensation between the grade for the exam and the grade for the integrated group assignment.
There is a compensation between the elements of the integrated group assignment. This means that the average grade for the technical report and the policy action plan has to be at least 5.5 to pass the integrated group assignment part of this course.
Retake policy:
In case the exam grade is lower than 5.5 there will be an opportunity to retake the exam in the first semester. Please see MyTimetable and Brightspace page for more information.
In case the average grade for the technical report and the policy action plan (i.e. the grade for the integrated group assignment) is lower than 5.5 there will be an additional assignment. Please see MyTimetable and Brightspace for more information.
In case the retakes do not amount to at least 5.5 grade for the exam or the integrated group assignment, students can request by the Board of Examiners to take their partial grades to the next academic year.
Reading list
See Brightspace.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Coordinator(s): Dr. E.V. Bondarouk, Dr. G.E. Breeman and Dr.ir. A. de Koning
Remarks
Other students than MSc Governance of Sustainability that are interested in following this course need to contact the study advisors of the programme via studyadvisor-gofs@cml.leidenuniv.nl
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.