or
Continue with FacebookLooking to list your PhD opportunities? Log in here.
This project is no longer listed on FindAPhD.com and may not be available.
Click here to search FindAPhD.com for PhD studentship opportunities
Prof Matt Cole
Prof Robert Elliott
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Energy consumption and economic development are linked closely. This is particularly evident for the world’s poorest continent, Africa, which also has the least access to electricity. However, since Africa possesses an extensive river network, hydropower is increasingly viewed as the solution to the problem of meeting the continent’s growing energy demands. The World Bank (2009) has suggested that if Africa made appropriate investments in dam infrastructure and electricity transmission and distribution it could realise an 8 fold increase in electricity supply, thereby providing sufficient access to the entire continent.
However, while attractive as a cheap, low carbon, renewable energy source, hydropower is vulnerable to climate-driven variability in rainfall. The river systems that yield water for hydropower production are sensitive to climate change and droughts have, on many occasions, caused considerable power disruptions across Africa. With climate change predicted to increase rainfall variability, the potential economic consequences of an increasing dependence on hydropower become even more significant.
Given that most aspects of African economies depend directly or indirectly on electricity, understanding the implications of rainfall variability for hydropower supply is of considerable importance. This project aims to identify the economic implications of increasing hydropower investment in Africa in the face of climate change. We intend to provide the first answers to the following questions:
• How are power shortages due to droughts likely to affect industry and productivity?
• How do firms adapt?
• What role does international trade in power play in alleviating or amplifying the effects of droughts?
• How will these impacts evolve under different climate change scenarios?
The project will utilise a number of large datasets, many of them firm-level, and will require data analysis and econometric skills. Applicants should have a background in Economics. The start date is 24th September 2012.
However, while attractive as a cheap, low carbon, renewable energy source, hydropower is vulnerable to climate-driven variability in rainfall. The river systems that yield water for hydropower production are sensitive to climate change and droughts have, on many occasions, caused considerable power disruptions across Africa. With climate change predicted to increase rainfall variability, the potential economic consequences of an increasing dependence on hydropower become even more significant.
Given that most aspects of African economies depend directly or indirectly on electricity, understanding the implications of rainfall variability for hydropower supply is of considerable importance. This project aims to identify the economic implications of increasing hydropower investment in Africa in the face of climate change. We intend to provide the first answers to the following questions:
• How are power shortages due to droughts likely to affect industry and productivity?
• How do firms adapt?
• What role does international trade in power play in alleviating or amplifying the effects of droughts?
• How will these impacts evolve under different climate change scenarios?
The project will utilise a number of large datasets, many of them firm-level, and will require data analysis and econometric skills. Applicants should have a background in Economics. The start date is 24th September 2012.
Funding Notes
Scholarship provided (at ESRC rates) and fees paid. The PhD will be based in the Department of Economics.
How good is research at University of Birmingham in Business and Management Studies?
Research output data provided by the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
Click here to see the results for all UK universitiesProject supervisors
Career overview
Professor Matthew Cole is a Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Birmingham''s Business School. He holds a BA(Hons) in Economics, an MA in Economics, and a PhD in Economics, all obtained from the University of Nottingham. His research primarily investigates the connections between economic development and the natural environment, concentrating on international trade, air pollution, health, and biodiversity. Professor Cole has authored over 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals and numerous book contributions, accumulating more than 12,500 citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 46. He serves as a Co-Editor for the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, a leading international journal in his field. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the ESRC Peer Review College. His current research interests encompass pollution offshoring, pollution and health, the economics of biodiversity, and environmental inequality.
Research interests
Professor Matthew Cole''s research examines the relationships between economic development and the natural environment, focusing on international trade, air pollution, health, and biodiversity. His interests lie at the intersection of Environmental Economics, Development Economics, and International Economics. Current research topics include pollution offshoring, pollution and health, the economics of biodiversity, and environmental inequality. He has published over 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has received over 12,500 career citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 46. Professor Cole is also a Co-Editor of the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.
Career overview
Professor Robert Elliott is an applied economist at the University of Birmingham''s Business School, where he serves as the Director of Research in the Department of Economics. He obtained a BA and MA in Economics from the Universities of Leicester and Essex, respectively, and completed his PhD at the University of Nottingham under the supervision of Professor David Greenaway, Dr Peter Wright, and Robert Hine. Since joining the department in September 2003, Professor Elliott has developed a research profile that intersects international economics, development economics, environmental and energy economics, and international business, with a particular focus on the Chinese economy, firm behaviour, natural disasters, and the environmental impacts of globalisation. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, which include courses on the Global Economy and China and the World Economy, Professor Elliott is actively involved in various research initiatives. He is an editor for the Sustainable Future Policy Lab and a Director of the Trade, Environment, Development and Energy (TEDE) research group. His research encompasses a wide range of topics, including empirical environmental economics, international trade, energy economics, and the economics of natural disasters. He is currently engaged in the ''Brexit Uncertainty Index'' project and collaborates on Leverhulme Trust research projects related to globalisation and the environment. Professor Elliott is also a member of the Birmingham Plastics Network, an interdisciplinary team addressing the global plastics problem, and has been involved in numerous other initiatives, including being a Co-Investigator on the ReLIB project as part of the Faraday Institute and an affiliate of the Lloyds Bank Centre for Responsible Business. His research has been supported by significant grants, including approximately £1 million from the ESRC for a project on China-UK energy issues.
Research interests
Professor Robert Elliott''s research focuses on applied economics, particularly at the intersection of international economics, development economics, environmental and energy economics, and international business. His specific areas of interest include the Chinese economy, firm behaviour, natural disasters, and the impact of globalisation on the environment. He is involved in various research initiatives, including the Birmingham Plastics Network, which addresses the global plastics problem through interdisciplinary collaboration. Professor Elliott''s main research covers empirical environmental, international trade, development, energy, and labour economics, with specific topics including the economics of China and East Asia, empirical environmental and international economics, environmental economic history, globalisation and the environment, and the economics of natural disasters. He is also engaged in research related to trade, the environment, foreign direct investment (FDI), industrial restructuring, economic geography, and global value chains. Currently, he is working on the Brexit Uncertainty Index project and is involved in Leverhulme Trust research projects concerning globalisation and the environment.
International Economics
Development Economics
Environmental Economics
Energy Economics
Chinese Economy
Firm Behaviour
Natural Disasters
Globalisation
Empirical Environmental Economics
Empirical International Economics
Empirical Development Economics
Economic Geography
Global Value Chains
Trade and Environment
Biodiversity
Deforestation
Industrial Restructuring
Spatial Econometrics
Interdisciplinary Research
Econometric Techniques
Large Data Sets
Find a scholarship to fund your dream Masters
Sign in to view and filter all scholarship opportunities
or
Continue with Facebook