joss.bracker

Personal Information

Surname

Joss Braker

Institution

University of Bayreuth

Town

Bayreuth, Bavaria

Some words about myself

The field of Sustainable development caught my particular interest as it demonstrates the need to broaden economic concepts by questioning commenly accepted assumption and including moral considerations.

My personal commitment to environmental issues commenced when I joined the student organization oikos Bayreuth. As a member of the executive board and through the participation in various projects I gained valuable practical experiences. During my studies at the Universtiy of Cape Town and an internship in the sector of development cooperation in Uganda I learned about sustainability approaches in developing countries as well as challenges in international policy-making processes. Due to the often perceived conflict between economic and environmental objectives I decided to elaborate on that subject and used my bachelor thesis to analyse the link between economic growth and different concepts of sustainability.

My strong interest in environmental economics and the international political dimension thereof motivated me join the international Masters Program in „Environmental Governance“ at the University of Freiburg in October 2009. During the two-year program I expect to gain a better understanding of the underlying causes of today’s political developments and be able to develop policy-strategies for a more environmentally and socially accountable society. I hope to put my knowledge into practice through a professional career in the public sector or in civil society organizations.

I see the World Resource Forum as an excellent opportunity to deepen my knowledge of current and future trends in resource-use within the global economy. Through the interaction with researchers as well as practitioners I hope to enhence my understanding of the necessary steps, besides technological efficiency, to overcome our current severe dependency on finite resources. Furthermore, I would like to get a more accurate picture of the the indispensable changes in economic institutions and political decision-making processes that are needed for succesful environmental policies.