An economic analysis of legal rules and cases. Topics include property law, contract law, accident law, criminal law, the Coase theorem and the economics of litigation. Prerequisite: ECO 250.

Climate change has been recognized as "the major, overriding environmental issue of our time, and the single greatest challenge facing environmental regulators” by the United Nations Secretary General. In this class we use the tools of economics to analyze and understand the many challenges of climate change. Topics covered include climate damages, market failure and externalities, emissions standards and taxes, cap and trade, discounting, risk and uncertainty, mitigation and integrated assessment models, adaptation, development, and gender. Prerequisites: ECO 220 and ECO 250.

This course surveys the field of Public Economics (also know as Public Finanace), which explores the reasons for government intervention in the economy, the extent of that intervention, and the response of private agents to the government’s actions.  The central goal of the course is to use microeconomic theoretical tools to explore and understand government intervention in the market and to analyze government expenditure programs and tax policy. Relevant topics include but are not limited to welfare reform, income inequality, education, health care, social security and tax reform.

Why would countries give up their own currencies to adopt a common new one? Why can citizens of Belgium simply move to France without any special formalities? This course investigates such questions by analyzing the ongoing integration of European countries from an economic perspective. While the major focus is on the economics of integration, account is taken of the historical, political and cultural context in which this process occurred.

This course offers an analysis of the recent development of the Chinese economy, its rapid transformation in the post-Mao period, and the implications of this transformation for the welfare of Chinese households. Topics to be discussed include economic reform, trade liberalization, demography, inequality, health and environmental challenges. Fundamental topics in principles of economics will be covered in an intuitive way through topics pertaining to China. Course performance will be assessed through participation, in-class quizzes, literature critiques, and a final paper plus presentation.

This seminar will explore economic principles behind the operation of the sports industry in the United States and internationally. Specific topics to be covered include: antitrust; athlete compensation; labor market behavior; competitive balance; team value and profitability; economic impact and financing of stadiums; economics of the Olympics and World Cup; and, economic issues in college sports.

An examination of international monetary theory and institutions and their relevance to national and international economic policy. Topics include mechanisms of adjustment in the balance of payments; macroeconomic and exchange-rate policy for internal and external balance; international movements of capital; and the history of the international monetary system: its past crises and current prospects; issues of currency union and optimal currency area; and emerging markets. Prerequisite: ECO 253.

Builds a cohesive theoretical framework within which to analyze the workings of the macroeconomy. Current issues relating to key macroeconomic variables such as output, inflation and unemployment are examined within this framework. The role of government policy, both in the short run and the long run, is also assessed. Prerequisites: ECO 153 and MTH 111 or its equivalent. Enrollment limited to 55 students.

Builds a cohesive theoretical framework within which to analyze the workings of the macroeconomy. Current issues relating to key macroeconomic variables such as output, inflation and unemployment are examined within this framework. The role of government policy, both in the short run and the long run, is also assessed. Prerequisites: ECO 153 and MTH 111 or its equivalent. Enrollment limited to 55 students.

Builds a cohesive theoretical framework within which to analyze the workings of the macroeconomy. Current issues relating to key macroeconomic variables such as output, inflation and unemployment are examined within this framework. The role of government policy, both in the short run and the long run, is also assessed. Prerequisites: ECO 153 and MTH 111 or its equivalent. Enrollment limited to 55 students.