Research

Our research community in Agricultural, Environmental and Resource Economics includes over thirty members from professors to master's level students working together on different topics that all highlight the policy-relevance of economic research at the University of Helsinki.

The staff members are active researchers in their fields and teach courses close to their research topics. This means that we are able to discuss the state-of-the-art research results with you and can recruit you to our research community, projects and networks even before your graduation.

If the Environmental and Resource Economics study track, you have to possibility to deepen your understanding of environmental and resource economics by following our research track. The aim of this subtrack is to strengthen your substance and methodological skills to allow the possibility to advance faster during the post-graduate studies and to become a part of the Environmental and Resource Economics research community at the University of Helsinki.
Ag­ri­cul­tural Eco­nom­ics

Are you in­ter­ested in man­age­ment of farms or eco­nom­ics of ag­ri­cul­ture or food mar­kets?

If you want to know how to manage a farm successfully or how to design effective agricultural and food policies, agricultural economics is the right choice for you. We teach and study business management and economics applied to agriculture and primary food production. Our work is closely based on biological and technical possibilities. Our research aims at solving concrete problems. The topics of production economics and farm management as well as rural entrepreneurship provide knowledge and skills for management and leadership in agricultural farms and firms. The topics of agricultural policy show how effect of agricultural, rural and food policies can be analyzed. Functioning agricultural and food markets as well as international trade have become increasingly important topics. In addition ,we study how to improve agricultural production and food security in developing countries, especially in Africa.

Learn more: Research field of agricultural economics

Examples of theses topics:

  • Horizontal price transmission in dairy markets: Finland and major trading partners within the EU
  • Virtual reality value elicitation in land use sector - A feasible tool towards sustainable agriculture and forest land use in Finland?
  • Challenges in Implementing Climate Smart Agricultural practices in Zambia to enhance food security
  • Economic and environmental feasibility of catch crops in agriculture production
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis and Farmer’s Incentives Using Biochar on the Boreal Agricultural Soils.
  • Credit constraints in adopting rhizobial inoculation technology among smallholder soybean farmers in northern Ghana.
  • The potential of the insect frass as a biofertilizer in Finland.
  • Drivers and Barriers of Gypsum Treatment of Fields

All the theses can be found in Helda
En­vir­on­mental and Re­source Eco­nom­ics

Baltic Sea pro­tec­tion

We study economics, policies and governance related to the management and protection of marine resources in the Baltic Sea. Our approach is problem-oriented: we aim at elaborating cost-effective and doable solutions to marine pollution and consumption to safeguard sustained provision of marine ecosystem services also for the future generations. The topics include combatting eutrophication, management of fish stocks, and prevention of environmental hazards. Ongoing projects include:

  • Wellbeing from the Baltic Sea – applications combining natural science and economics (BONUS BalticAPP)
  • Coherent policies and governance of the Baltic Sea ecosystems
  • Fisheries management: MARine MAnagement and Ecosystem Dynamics under Climate Change (MARmaED)

Main researcher: Professor Kari Hyytiäinen

Eco­nom­ics of natural re­sources

In this field we develop the economics of natural resources. The emphasis is in empirical and theoretical dynamic models for renewable resources, especially for forests, fisheries and reindeer populations. For further information, see

Economic-Ecological Optimization Group
Main researcher: Professor Olli Tahvonen

In­ter­na­tional fish­er­ies agree­ments

In this study field we examine how international fisheries agreements can be made stable in the long-run. We mainly apply coalition games (e.g. partition function games) to compute equilibrium cooperation structures. We take into account strategic interaction of different levels of decision making, international (country level) and national (fisher level). Stability of cooperation is an important field of study since it will improve both the economic benefits received from fishery and fish stock levels. Ongoing projects include:

  • Fisheries management: MARine MAnagement and Ecosystem Dynamics under Climate Change (MARmaED)

Main researcher: Dr. Marko Lindroos

Cli­mate and en­ergy

Environmental Economics Group
Main researcher: Professor Markku Ollikainen

Biod­iversity off­sets

Environmental Economics Group
Main researcher: Professor Markku Ollikainen

Agri-en­vir­on­mental policy

Environmental Economics Group
Main researcher: Professor Markku Ollikainen

Learn more: Research field of environmental and resource economics

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Examples of theses topics:

  • Dynamic best-before labels as a selection criterium and consumers attitudes towards consuming expiring products
  • Climate maturity and corporate governance in Nordic companies
  • Social Marginal Abatement Cost of Negative Emissions : Incorporating Externalities into the Private Costs of Carbon Dioxide Removal.
  • Consumer Willingness to Pay for Circular Fashion Products: Exploring the Role of Sustainable Attributes and Behavioural Factors
  • An Empirical Evaluation of the Land Use Change Fee in Finland: Analysing its Impact on Construction-Borne Deforestation
  • Barriers and drivers of circular business models : Comparative case study of five different circular business models in five Finnish companies
  • Biodiversity pricing in business decision-making : Use case for biodiversity offsets
  • On the development of corporate renewable energy procurement and economic modeling of hourly green certificate market
    Material footprint of Flow Festival 2022
  • Biodiversity as decision criteria when investing in listed equity – Insights of Nordic pension investors and ESG specialists
    Effects of establishing a national emission trading system for transport in Finland
  • Cost-effective biofouling management strategies in the shipping sector: A Bayesian network approach.
  • The interaction between the extractor and the recycler of rare earth elements: A two-period game theoretic model

All the theses can be found in Helda