Students for Mazovia – applied implementation project 2400-ZEWW1026

The aim of the course is to develop students’ socio-entrepreneurial and ecological competencies through diagnosing and solving real environmental, social, and economic problems of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. Students will work on authentic challenges submitted by the Marshal’s Office, and the best solutions will be implemented by the Office.
The project addresses key challenges of the Mazowieckie region:
Air quality: Each year, approximately 4,600 residents of Mazowsze die prematurely due to air pollution, with economic costs amounting to 18–36 billion PLN annually. The voivodeship is implementing the project “Mazowsze Without Smog” involving 98 municipalities and employing 118 eco-advisors.
Waste management: The diversity of municipal waste management and billing systems across municipalities generates varying costs and levels of efficiency, requiring comparative analysis and recommendations for optimal solutions.
Transport noise: Excessive noise affects a significant share of residents, generating health costs that require valuation and optimization of mitigation measures.
Climate change adaptation: The region needs adaptation strategies in urban areas, including the development of green infrastructure and water retention.
The project will be carried out as a “public problems laboratory,” in which WNE UW students diagnose real challenges of the region’s environmental economy, analyze data, develop solutions based on economic analysis, and implement recommendations in cooperation with the Marshal’s Office.

Proposed project topics (to be chosen by student teams, provided by the Marshal’s Office):

Mazowsze Without Smog – analysis of the effectiveness of eco-advisors and their impact on air quality; recommendations for municipalities on improving the efficiency of anti-smog measures.

Municipal waste management – comparison of waste management cost-settlement systems across Mazowsze municipalities; recommendations for optimal financial models.

Valuation of ecosystem services of trees – analysis of how location affects ecosystem value and implementation recommendations for spatial planning.

Climate change adaptation – assessment of the benefits of adaptation measures in Mazowsze cities and of local community expectations.

Transport noise – evaluation of the effectiveness of noise-reduction measures in the voivodeship and estimation of related health costs.

Public health and prevention – analysis of treatment and prevention costs of a selected health issue (e.g., obesity, depression, cardiovascular diseases).

Public transport analysis in Mazowsze.

Expected outcomes
Working in small groups (or individually), students will carry out a comprehensive implementation project selected from the list of topics submitted by various departments of the Marshal’s Office, including:
• problem diagnosis – data analysis, identification of key challenges, literature review and best practices
• economic analysis – cost valuation, efficiency analysis, scenario modelling
• development of solutions – implementation recommendations based on data analysis and economic reasoning
• final report – a professional analytical document ready for use by the Marshal’s Office
• presentation of results – before a committee composed of representatives of the Marshal’s Office and academic staff

The best projects will be implemented by the Marshal’s Office of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship and may be further developed as research projects (when appropriate) within theses or implementation-focused doctoral work. The Marshal’s Office also plans to engage the best students as interns, trainees, or employees.

Type of course

optional courses

Mode

Field classes
Remote learning
Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

Students enrolled in second-cycle (Master’s) Economics programs who are interested in developing socio-entrepreneurial competencies, environmental economics, public policy analysis and public sector management, the practical application of economic knowledge to solving social problems, or collaboration with public institutions.

Course coordinators

Agnieszka Różycka

Learning outcomes

Knowledge:
• understands the sustainable development challenges of the region and environmental policy,
• knows methods of empirical research and environmental, social, and economic analysis,
• knows the basics of managing implementation projects in public administration,
• knows the legal and institutional framework of environmental protection and EU programs.

Skills:
• can analyze environmental, economic, and social data,
• can prepare reports and recommendations for public institutions,
• can collaborate with experts, conduct interviews, and analyze strategic documents,
• can use digital tools (e.g., Excel, QGIS, Power BI, Tableau) for data visualization,
• can design solutions with implementation potential.

Socio-entrepreneurial competencies (key):
• can identify socio-environmental problems of the region and develop practical solutions,
• collaborates in interdisciplinary teams with representatives of administration and experts,
• can critically assess the effectiveness of public actions and propose improvements,
• understands the importance of participation and cooperation between academia and local government institutions.

Digital competencies:
• can use databases (e.g., GUS, CEEB, POP, WIOŚ, KOBiZE, GIS data),
• can create visual reports and interactive dashboards,
• critically evaluates data and presents results in digital form.

Assessment criteria

To pass the course, students must obtain at least 60% of the total number of points. The final grade consists of:
– active participation in classes,
– participation in tutoring and consultations,
– the final report,
– the final project presentation before UW and Marshal’s Office staff.

Additionally, as part of the ZIP 2.0 Program, completing a pre-test and a post-test is mandatory for every student.

Bibliography

Boardman, A. E., Greenberg, D. H., Vining, A. R., & Weimer, D. L. (2018). Cost-Benefit Analysis: Concepts and Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hanley, N., Shogren, J., and White, B. (2013). Introduction to Environmental Economics., Oxford University Press, USA.
GUS, WIOŚ, and GIOŚ reports; Marshal’s Office documents
Lecturers’ and experts’ own materials

Notes

Term 2025L:

Part of the course is held in a classroom (in person), part online, and part in the field (at the Marshal’s Office).
The project is carried out in close cooperation with an external partner – the Marshal’s Office of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, in particular with:
• Department of Waste Management, Emissions and Integrated Permits
• Department of Environmental Policy, Geology and Hunting
• Department of Health and Social Policy
• Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
• Department of Culture, Promotion and Tourism
• Department of Real Estate and Infrastructure

The best projects will be implemented by the Marshal’s Office of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship and may be further developed as research (if appropriate) within theses or implementation-focused doctoral studies. The Marshal’s Office also plans to engage top students as interns, trainees, or employees.

The project is implemented in a “public problems laboratory” model, in which students diagnose real challenges of the Mazowieckie region and develop implementation-oriented solutions. The program includes a total of 150 hours of student workload. Mandatory in-person classes will take place once a week (30 hours).

1. Teaching classes (60 hours):
a) 30 hours with WNE UW lecturers – theoretical and methodological foundations:
• environmental economics and public policy analysis,
• environmental valuation methods and cost–benefit analysis,
• research methods, statistics and econometrics in environmental analyses,
• basics of GIS and spatial data visualization,
• project management in the public sector.

b) 30 hours with experts from the Marshal’s Office – thematic workshops conducted by department specialists:
• Air protection and the “Mazowsze Without Smog” project
• Municipal waste management
• Noise economics and public health
• Climate change adaptation and valuation of ecosystem services
• Working with public data and the process of implementing recommendations

2. Tutoring and project work (45 hours):
a) 15 hours of individual or small-group consultations:
• 11 hours with WNE UW tutors (methodological and analytical support, report preparation)
• 4 hours with experts from the Marshal’s Office (substantive consultations, data verification, feasibility assessment of recommendations)

b) 30 hours of team project work (teams of 2–3 students):
• Diagnostic phase – topic selection from UM proposals, literature review, problem identification
• Analytical phase – data collection and analysis, cost–benefit valuation, scenario modelling
• Project phase – formulation of implementation recommendations
• Finalization phase – analytical report and presentation of results

3. Student independent work (45 hours):
Preparation for classes, deepening specialist knowledge, working with data and analyses, preparing the final report, visualizing results, preparing the presentation, project documentation and developmental reflection.

4. Summary workshops:
Final presentation before a committee composed of representatives of the Marshal’s Office departments and WNE lecturers – evaluation of projects in terms of analytical quality and implementation potential. The best projects will receive a recommendation for implementation by the Marshal’s Office. Exchange of experiences between teams and discussion of implementation prospects.

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 2400-ZEWW1026 in USOSweb