Erin T. Mansur
Revers Professor of Business Administration

Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research

Dartmouth Courses

Tuck: Energy Economics

This course explores a managerial perspective on the economics of energy markets, including crude oil, refined products, natural gas, and electricity. The class will study drivers of supply and demand, imperfect competition, economic regulation, environmental regulation, and various other public policy issues. Students will compete in competitive strategy games by making decisions for countries in OPEC and for firms in the California electricity market.

Econ 75: Environmental and Energy Economics

This course examines environmental and energy issues from an economics perspective. The course discusses key environment economics concepts including cost-benefit analysis, valuation, and policy design. The class studies issues of energy economics in oil, natural gas, and electricity markets. These issues include renewables policy, transportation policies, and climate change policies. Finally, the course examines environmental issues related to trade, development, public finance, and competitive strategy. This is an undergraduate course aimed at students majoring in economics, or those with an environmental policy background who are interested in a quantitative and theoretical approach to these issues. As such, introductory economics and calculus are prerequisites. Intermediate microeconomics is suggested, though not required. While the course discusses some policy issues, it will focus on theoretical developments in the area of environmental and energy economics.

Econ 45: Topics in Industrial Organization

This course examines selected topics in business strategy and public policies designed to facilitate competition. The class will read papers on regulation, static oligopoly competition, price discrimination, price dispersion, dynamic competition, entry deterrence, and vertical integration. In addition to discussing of these papers, students will write an empirical paper on industrial organization.

Past Yale Courses

MGT 528: Public and Private Management of the Environment (cross listed as FES 94110)

This course explores environmental management from the perspectives of government regulators, private corporations, and nonprofit organizations. The first part of the course centers on innovative market-based approaches to environmental policy, such as tradeable pollution permits. We also consider a variety of market-driven non-governmental initiatives, such as eco-labeling and certification. In the second part of the course, we focus on corporate environmental strategies and, through a series of case studies, we ask: Can firms shape regulation to secure competitive advantage? Can firms earn cost savings by reducing their environmental impacts? What is the potential for product differentiation along environmental lines? What is the role of "socially responsible investment" in the environmental realm? In short, does it "pay to be green"? Throughout the course, we will emphasize the interactions among the public, private, and nonprofit spheres of activity.

MGT 820: Energy Markets Strategy (cross listed as FES 80186)

In the past 30 years, energy markets have changed from quiet, often heavily regulated, areas of the business landscape to the some of most dynamic markets in the world economy. Regulation of oil, natural gas, motor fuel, and electricity markets has been reduced dramatically in the U.S. and in many other countries. Drawing on the tools of economics, we study the business and public policy issues that these changes have raised. Topics include the political economy of deregulation, competition in wholesale electricity markets, market power and antitrust, and the transportation of energy commodities. We examine the economic determinants of industry structure and evolution of competition among firms in these industries, investigate successful and unsuccessful strategies for entering new markets and competing in existing markets, and analyze the rationale for and effects of public policies in energy markets.

MGT-E 520: Economic Analysis (MBA for Executives)

This course concentrates on the role of markets in determining the opportunities facing individuals and business firms, and explores the use of economic principles in decisions made by organizations in the economy. Topics include analysis of competitive markets and noncompetitive markets, firm behavior and competitive strategy, and problems of microeconomic policy design affecting all sectors. The course is intended to be at a level accessible to students with little or no prior exposure to economics, but covers material that is more managerial in nature than traditional economics courses.

MGT 520: Economic Analysis

This course concentrates on the role of markets in determining the opportunities facing individuals and business firms, and explores the use of economic principles in decisions made by organizations in the economy. Topics include analysis of competitive markets and noncompetitive markets, firm behavior and competitive strategy, and problems of microeconomic policy design affecting all sectors. The course is intended to be at a level accessible to students with little or no prior exposure to economics, but covers material that is more managerial in nature than traditional economics courses.

MGT 416-06: International Experience: Chile

FES 80106, Energy Economics and the Environment (previously FES 852, cross listed as MGT 622)

This advanced economics course examines energy issues as they pertain to the environment. The course begins with an overview of energy markets and an introduction to the economics of extracting nonrenewable resources. In the second section, the class looks into the environmental implications associated with energy and methods regulators use to correct for these market failures. In particular, we examine the economics of air pollution and climate change. The next part of the course covers investment in renewables. We discuss what regulations have been used to encourage investment and examine their effectiveness. The final section includes lectures on the economics of transportation (e.g., CAFE standards), and of energy conservation (e.g., DSM programs). Each week, the lecture covers the economics behind a particular energy issue and then is followed by a class discussion about a related case study or article. This course places an emphasis on economics methodology and is intended for students with some economics background. Enrollment is capped at 25 students.

FES 84001, previously FES 733: Economics of Pollution

This course is designed to teach students how to think about managing pollution. It explains why market economies produce pollution and why regulations are needed. Social solutions to the problem are explored, and students learn how to analyze the effectiveness of control alternatives and policies. Specific examples are discussed, including air and water pollution, acid rain, global warming, hazardous waste, and human waste.

Erin T. Mansur Personal home page.
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Revised March 2022.