The Institute for Environmental Economics and World Trade (IUW) is part of the School of Economics and Management at the Leibniz University of Hannover (LUH). It exists since 2006 and is headed by Prof. Dr. Ulrike Grote

The overall objective of the institute is to contribute to a better understanding of the linkages between international trade, the environment and development. Identifying mechanisms through which positive links are established between trade, the environment and development are at the centre of the institute's research interests.

A major focus of the research has been therefore put on questions about the use of environmental and social labelling and certification for export goods and its impact on developing countries, about food safety in trade, the competitiveness of countries, and the governance of value chains in agricultural and industrial sectors. Moreover, an emphasis is put on analyzing and assessing environmental, agricultural and trade policies at national, regional and international scales, and exploring the relationship between regionalism and globalization. The research agenda also focuses on market-based instruments for funding of ecosystem services, clean development mechanisms (CDM), and emission trading, as well as vulnerability, shocks and migration.

The following research methods are being applied at IUW:

• village, household and consumer surveys and their econometric analyses
• Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) at different levels (village, region, nation-wide) and natural resource accounting
• village economy-wide mathematical modelling
• value chain analysis
• contingent valuation and contingent choice modelling to explore Willingness to Pay
• exploring the prospects of game theory and experimental economics for policymaking and natural resource management, and environmental treaty-making
• institutional analysis

• Biofuel value chain potential to respond to climate change (GTZ/BMZ funded project) (with case studies in Tanzania)
• International Markets for Certified Ecosystem Services (BMBF funded project starting June 2010) (with case studies in Tanzanian and Namibian Wetlands)
• Vulnerability to poverty and dynamics of poverty (DFG project) (Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malawi)

Our teaching program covers courses related to the "World Trade", "Global Environmental Economics", as well as "International Agricultural Policy", "International Competitiveness" and "Econometrics". In addition, a series of lectures on the "Economics of Water" and "Economics of Energy" are being held on a regular basis.

Grote, U. and Warner, K.(2010) 'Environmental change and migration in Sub-Saharan Africa', Int. J. Global Warming, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp.17-47.

Jena, Pradyot R. and Ulrike Grote (2010): Changing Institutions to Protect Regional Heritage: A Case for Geographical Indications in the Indian Agrifood Sector. Development Policy Review, 28 (2), pp. 217-236

Rayhan, Israt and Ulrike Grote (2010): Crop Diversification to Mitigate Flood Vulnerability in Bangladesh: An Economic Approach. Economics Bulletin, 30 (1): pp. 597-604.

Faße, A., Grote, U. and Etti Winter (2009): Value Chain Analysis: Methodologies in the Context of Environment and Trade Research. Discussion Paper No. 429, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Hannover.

CHAKRABARTY, S. and U. GROTE (2009): Child Labor in Carpet Weaving: Impact of Social Labeling in India and Nepal. World Development, Vol. 37, No. 10, Elsevier Publ., pp. 1683-1693

Grote, U. (2009): Environmental Labeling, Protected Geographical Indications, and the Interests of Developing Countries. The Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy 10(1), 94-110

RAYHAN, ISRAT AND ULRIKE GROTE (2007): Coping with Floods: Does rural-urban migration play any role for survival in Rural Bangladesh? Journal of Identity and Migration Studies, Vol.1, No.2, pp.82-98

BASU, A.K., CHAU, N.H. and U. GROTE (2006): Guaranteed Manufactured without Child Labor. The economics of consumer boycotts, social labeling and trade sanctions, Review of Development Economics, 10(3), 2006, pp.466-491

Winter, E., A. Faße and K. Frohberg (2008): Management options of conserving the Kakamega tropical rainforest: a game-theoretic village modeling approach. Paper presented at the UNEP/ISEE conference in Nairobi 7-11 August.

Winter, E. (2009): Food Security, Energy Equity, and the Global Commons: a Computable Village Model applied to sub-Saharan Africa. Paper presented at the EAERE conference in Amsterdam 24-27 June.