EEU - Academic Capacity Building 2016-2019 (Continue) - Environmental Economy EEU Academic Capacity Building 2016-2019, GU (fortsättning) Fortsättning av samberedning Globforsk/Globpro av Environmental       Economics Program vid Enheten för miljöekonomi (EME) vid GU.          Globforsk har Academic Capacity Development delen (doktorandprogram + specialiseringkurser), Globpro Environment for Development (EfD)      initiativet. Avser stöd till redan antagna doktorander, som ett steg  i att fasa ut stödet till programmet i dess nuvarande form. Continuing of Co-preparatin Globforsk/Globpro of the Environmental    Economics Program at the Unit for Env Ec (UEE) at Gothenburg          University. Globforsk has the Academic Capacity Developm comp,        Globpro the Environment for Development (EfD) initiative. Concerns    support to admitted Ph.D. students, as a step in phasing out the      support in this form to the program. The Sida-funded PhD programme in Global Change and Climate Economics (previously Environmental and Development Economics) has its origins in support to PhD training at Göteborg University (GU) of students from low-income countries in the early 1990s. Since 1997, there has been a full-fledged PhD-programme in environmental economics at the Environmental Economics Unit (EEU) at the Department of Economics at GU. The overall objective of Sida's support has been to build long-term academic and institutional capacity in developing countries, in the area of economic analysis of natural resources and ecosystems. 
The programme has trained PhD students to carry out policy relevant research, and to teach and give policy advice, in order to transform societies towards an inclusive green and sustainable future. Specifically, the programme has included training in (i) analysis of the underlying reasons for environmental degradation and negative poverty-environmental links, (ii) evaluation of the impact on welfare, the costs of degradation and the benefits of sound environmental management, and (iii) design of cost-effective approaches and efficient instruments to deal with these problems. 
The programme has on average recruited five new students every other year until 2014. 45 PhD’s from 17 low-income countries will have graduated at GU by 2020. The gender balance has been roughly equal throughout the full programme period.
The original programme support was extended to the 2016-19 period in order to enable the then 13 enrolled PhD students to complete their training. During the final year (2019) three PhD students remained enrolled, of which two defended their PhD theses during 2019 and early 2020, and one is expected to finalize his thesis in 2020.
The PhD programme has been designed to provide the students with a strong base in economics in general and in environmental- and climate change economics in particular. The first year has consisted of course work in the general field of economic analysis, followed by a unique sequence of specialization courses in environmental, climate and natural resource economics during the second year. These courses have also been offered to other students from low-income countries (more than 300 PhD students from other countries have taken one or more of the specialization courses).
Special data collection grants have supported the students’ subsequent thesis work, and provided opportunity for students to interact with their home institutions. Supervision has mainly been done by EEU staff, but has often also involved previous graduates “in the field”. Back from field work, students have continued collaboration with faculty members, who have supported students in their data analysis, academic writing, and publication efforts.
The programme has also funded four PhD-students enrolled at the School of Economics, University of Cape Town (UCT). The collaboration between GU and UCT has been part of the programme's efforts to strengthen so called South - South collaboration and academic capacity in low-income countries. These students have pursued most of their training at UCT, but they have also come to Sweden for the specialization courses. Four students are expected to graduate at UCT in 2020.  
The PhD programme is part of the Sida funded Environmental Economics Programme (EEP) at the EEU at GU. The programme also includes the Environment for Development Initiative (EfD). The latter, which came into existence roughly around 2007, is a network for cross-country research collaboration, research-policy interaction and academic training, based at a number of research centres around the world. The overall objective of the centres is to support poverty alleviation and sustainable development in policy processes, particularly in low-income countries. The central EfD secretariat, with administrative functions, is hosted by the Swedish centre at the Department of Economics at GU, while the other EfD centres are found in Costa Rica, Chile, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Vietnam.