- Module Supervisor: Lukas Altermatt
- Module Supervisor: Xiaoyu Xia
This module aims to give students an understanding of the main types of economic data; how those data are collected, constructed and used. Upon successful completion of this module, students will be able to approach macroeconomic data critically, and to evaluate the strength of empirical evidence for macroeconomic theories and macroeconomic policy positions. In completing the coursework test, students will demonstrate their problem-solving, analytical and deductive skills. By solving class exercises in groups at home, students will furthermore have practised their ability to work in a team and their adaptability.
- Module Supervisor: Eric Smith
- Module Supervisor: Miguel Gavilan Rubio
Students who successfully complete this course will have achieved an insight into basic features of CPEs and their shortcomings contributing to collapse. In addition, they will have gained empirical knowledge of the issues which transitional economies have encountered. This course is also expected to provide an understanding of how economic theories can be applied to analyse economic issues in transitional economies
- Module Supervisor: Alastair McAuley
The module starts with a review of elementary non-cooperative game theory. It then moves on to the analysis of firm behaviour in oligopolistic industries.
Throughout the module the emphasis will be on understanding how the theoretical tools can be used to analyse real world issues. The theory will be confronted against empirical evidence, and its implications for competition policy and business strategy will be discussed.
Upon completion of this module, students will have a good understanding of the main economic forces behind strategic behaviour in oligopolistic markets. Students will also have an appreciation of the role of game theory in understanding price and non-price competition among firms. Finally, students will learn to adapt economic models to particular challenges such as business strategy and competition and industrial policy.
- Module Supervisor: Mikhail Freer
At the completion of this course, students should be able to grasp the main tools of economic analysis as applied to the environment and to appreciate the main theoretical issues in this area. Further, students should be able to design suitable policies to achieve desirable environmental outcomes. In completing the assignment for this course, students will demonstrate their problem-solving analytical and deductive skills.
- Module Supervisor: Nadia Campaniello
This module is concerned with topics in modern microeconometrics. Its
coverage begins with an examination of the nature of causal and noncausal models, a discussion of the nature of microeconomic data structures, and a review of core econometric methods.
It then proceeds to cover the analysis of limited dependent variable models, including discrete choice models and selection models, and then to examine program evaluation methods, including difference-in-differences estimators, regression discontinuity approach, and instrumental variables
methods.
Feedback for this module will occur through class meetings where we will go over the answers to problem sets and where you will be able to ask questions about your own method of solution; answers that will be posted on the website for the module that will give you written guidance on the appropriate method to approach the problems, assignments, and tests; and office hours where any additional questions can be addressed. You should be sure that you use these methods to understand how to improve your own performance.
- Module Supervisor: Shin Kanaya
- Module Supervisor: Patrick Nolen
In the first half of the course we will analyse the implications of search frictions for the labour market. In particular, we will analyse the existence of unemployment and of wage dispersion across similar workers. We will develop the main tools of the search and matching approach, and we discuss both theoretical and empirical literature. We will look at some or all of the following topics (depending on progress through the term):
- Job Search Theory
- On-the-job Search and Wage Posting
- Sequential Auctions and Individual Bargaining
- Sorting in the Labour Market
- Firm-worker Contracting
In the second half of the course we will study normative and positive aspects of dynamic fiscal policy with a particular focus on government debt. After a short introduction to quantitative macroeconomics using the software Matlab, we look at fiscal policy chosen by governments that (i) face political economy distortions, i.e., cannot commit beyond the current tax, expenditure, and debt policies; (ii) are subject to limited commitment, i.e., may strategically choose not to honour the outstanding debt obligations. Specifically, we will look at some or all of the following topics (depending on the progress through the term):
- Standard solution methods for dynamic economic problems: value function iteration, time iteration, function approximation.
- The political economy of government debt accumulation.
- Sovereign debt and default.
- Module Supervisor: Jayant Ganguli
The third part of the course focuses on Fiscal policy. We will look at the effects of government spending and taxation. We also examine optimal policy under complete and incomplete markets and the problem of time inconsistency.
- Module Supervisor: Christian Ghiglino
- Module Supervisor: Lukas Mayr