Recently taught courses
Public Economics Click to Download Syllabus
Public economics studies the impact of government policies on economic behavior and the distribution of resources in the economy. The course will focus on questions such as: What is the logic behind government intervention? What are the intended and unintended effects of government interventions? Applications will focus on social insurance, government subsidies, and healthcare. Other topics include government debt, taxation, and fiscal federalism. The economics of the public sector, including: taxation, expenditure, public goods, externalities, and program evaluation. The course will be taught from both a traditional perspective and through the lens of political economics.
Intermediate Microeconomics Click to Download Syllabus
Intermediate microeconomics provides a thorough understanding of the core concepts, theories, and methods of microeconomics. The course serves as a foundation for other advanced electives in economics that have micro-foundations. We develop standard economic models using mathematical and game-theoretic tools. Core topics include consumption theory, production theory, competitive markets, non-competitive markets (monopoly, monopsony, monopolistic competition). If time permits, we will also explore externalities and public goods, and behavioral economics.
Research Methods Click to Download Syllabus
This course will walk students through the process of conducting economic research. We cover what it means to think like an economist, and more importantly, how to write like one. By the end of this course, students should be able to develop their own ideas, conduct literature review, identify problems and gaps in understanding, formulate empirically testable hypotheses, gather, manage and analyze data, and effectively communicate their findings.
New Institutional Economics Click to Download Syllabus
This course introduces theoretical and applied studies examining the role of formal and informal institutions that make economic interaction possible. Topics include property rights, contracts, transaction costs, informal norms, culture, and conventions.