BSU: The Economic Rationale: Climate Change to Sustainability Dr. Madhavi Venkatesan

Description: Economics evaluates human behavior relative to wants, needs and resource allocation within a natural environment. To the extent that a human culture incorporates non-human elements in decision-making, the economic system includes an understanding of the holistic inter-dependence of all living and non-living elements of the planet. However, to the extent that economic agents do not understand the holistic impact of their consumption decisions, make decisions based on short-term optimization, seek to maximize investment returns and compress prices, remain non-participatory in government and yet rely on regulatory intervention to minimize risk, they promote an environment that is not sustainable. In this one hour seminar, Dr. Venkatesan will share how economic assumptions of human behavior have prompted anthropomorphic climate change and discuss how conscious consumption can transform economic outcomes to enable sustainability.

Biography: Madhavi Venkatesan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Bridgewater State University. Her present academic interests are specific to the integration of sustainability into the economics curriculum and she is currently pursuing scholarly interests in sustainable development. Prior to re-entering academics, Madhavi held senior level positions in investor relations for three Fortune 250 companies. In this capacity she was a principal point of contact for investors and stakeholders and was instrumental in the development of socially responsible investing strategies and corporate social responsibility reporting. Madhavi started her financial services career after completing her post-doctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. She earned a PhD, MA, and BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University, a Masters in Environmental Management from Harvard University, and a Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. She is the author of Economic Principles: A Primer, A Framework for Sustainable Practices and forthcoming Foundations in Microeconomics, A Framework for Sustainable Practices and Foundations in Macroeconomics, A Framework for Sustainable Practices. Madhavi was recently granted the Fulbright-SyCip Distinguished Lecturing Award to the Philippines where she will give lectures in the host country on sustainable economic development in the fall of 2017.

BSU Cape Cod
MacArthur Building
1175 Route 28
South Yarmouth, MA 02664