Posted: 27 June 2008
UCD Professor appointed Special Adviser to An Taoiseach
Professor Peter Clinch, Jean Monnet Professor of European Environmental Policy at University College Dublin, has been appointed as Special Policy Advisor to An Taoiseach, Mr Brian Cowen T.D.
An international authority on economics and the environment, Professor Clinch has held visiting positions at the University of California and has acted as a consultant to the ODA and the OECD. His areas of expertise include the relationship between economic growth, sustainability and quality of life; European Union environmental policy; and cost-benefit analysis.
In addition to providing policy advice across a range of economic and other areas, Professor Clinch will advise An Taoiseach on the process of integrating policies across government departments in anticipation of the challenges posed by the international environmental policy agenda.
Professor Peter Clinch has BA and MA degrees in economics and a PhD in environmental economics and a Diploma in environmental impact assessment. Since 2003, he has been, concurrently, Jean Monnet Professor of European Environmental Policy and Professor of Planning at University College Dublin. Prior to these posts, he was Head of the Planning and Environmental Policy at UCD. In addition, he has worked for or acted as a consultant to the OECD, the World Bank and the Overseas Development Administration and has served on a number of government advisory panels, including serving on the National Economic and Social Council in 2007-2008. He has also held visiting positions at the University of California, Berkeley and San Diego.
Professor Clinch's research interests are varied and include: economic and environmental policy; economic growth, sustainability and quality of life; European Union environmental policy; market-based instruments in environmental policy; cost-benefit analysis and environmental valuation; energy economics and policy. Professor Clinch has a wide range of publications including books, book chapters and international journal articles. He was appointed by the European Union to the Jean Monnet Chair of European Environmental Policy in 2003 in recognition of his research and scholarship in this field and, in 2006, was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute for distinguished contributions to planning.
