Economics 333 - Income Ineq & Policy Altern

In this course, we will investigate how incomes are distributed in our society, why income inequality has risen so dramatically in recent years, and what public policy tools exist to counter inequality increases. The course will consider various normative approaches to answering the following question: should we care about inequality? This course will also introduce students to theoretical tools used by economists to understand the sources of inequality and will also show empirical evidence to better understand the changes in the wage distribution and, more generally, in the income distribution. We shall pay special attention to concrete policy tools such as income and wealth taxation, safety net programs, and minimum wage standards.

ECON 203 or RESEC 202