Sustainability

The topic of sustainability is dealt with in various ways in teaching at CRED. Sustainability is the subject of almost half of the teaching events on offer. More than a third of the lecturers deal with the topic of sustainability directly in the courses offered.

The MSc Applied Economic Analysis of the University of Bern is listed in the “Study Guide for Economic Sciences 2020”, which provides a comprehensive overview of the treatment of sustainability issues in the economics courses of Swiss universities.
 

The University of Bern has a clear focus on sustainability and is committed to sustainability research. CRED makes a significant contribution to this strategic priority.

For geography researchers within CRED, sustainability is a central concern. It is one of the main focuses of the “Political Urbanism and Sustainable Spatial Development” research unit. Among other things, the effects of urban densification on social sustainability are invetigated (in the SNSF project: Governing densification - The impact of performance based planning on quality urban densification). Sustainable local and regional economic development is also a general focus of the Economic Geography unit, for example in the following projects: Social innovations and independence from growth (SNSF project), Transformative companies and growth independence (project with the Wyss Academy), Resilience and socio-economic transformation of industrial cities (SNSF project).

The Tourism Research Unit (CRED-T) is currently analyzing how sustainable development can be better taken into account in Swiss federal tourism policy (see here). A short study on the current situation of climate neutrality and its significance for Swiss tourism will be prepared for the Swiss Tourism Forum and a round table under the title Strategic Options for Climate Neutrality in Tourism 2030 will be moderated.

CRED economists address questions of sustainability for instance in a project about the long-run development of urban form with a focus on sprawl and its determinants. Moreover, current research studies the impact of natural disasters for real-estate development as well as mobility and social mixing in cities in the presence of environmental shocks (pollution and urban heat). 

For the entrepreneurship researchers within CRED (Business Administration), sustainability is an important overarching research topic. For instance, we investigate how both startups and established firms can be innovative and successful in the long run through sustainable entrepreneurship. Also, we examine what makes student entrepreneurs pursue non-financial goals, and what the corresponding firm-level outcomes are.