Spring 2009

 

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BPUB 201: Political Economy of Social Policy

Prerequisites: ECON 001 or equivalent

    This introductory course explores the economics and politics of public policy to examine why, how, and with what success/failure government intervenes in a variety of areas: the environment, income redistribution, social security, airline regulation. Finally, the course examines the growing importance of allowing competitive markets to provide publicly funded services, taking advantage of private management approaches to fostering innovation in public management: vouchers (for medical care, education and housing) and contracting with private firms for provision of “public” services.

 

Course Syllabus

Professor Betsey Stevenson                                                                          Section 401 MW 3-4:30PM

 

BPUB 203: Business in the Global Political Environment

Prerequisites: ECON 001 or equivalent

This course focuses on business issues that are mediated through the public sector. Specific governmental policies towards markets will be examined, including antitrust policy, economic regulation and deregulation, social regulation, and market infrastructure (intellectual property, fraud and securities regulation). The course includes discussion of corporate responsibility and ethical issues in international business. Lectures and case studies focus on currently pending actions worldwide, including Internet related issues. The course applies theoretical principles of strategic thinking, industrial organization, and political science to studying the interactions between multinational firms and political institutions.

 

 

Course Syllabus

 

Professor Betsy Bailey                                                                                      Section 001: TR 10:30-12 NOON

                                                                                                                               Section 002:  TR 1:30-3:00 PM
 

BPUB 204: Cost Benefit Analysis (Also listed as BPUB 777 / BPUB 960)

Prerequisites: ECON 001 or equivalent

Cost benefit analysis -- the principal tool for project and policy evaluation in the public sector. For government whose "products" are rarely sold, the valuation of costs and benefits by means alternative to market prices is necessary. It is the counterpart to cost accounting in private firms and provides guidance for avoiding wasteful projects and undertaking those that are worthwhile. Given government regulations, cost benefit evaluations are critical for many private sector activities. Real estate developers, manufacturing firms, employers of all types are required to provide evaluations of environmental impacts and of urban impacts for their proposed projects. They too must engage in cost benefit analysis, in the valuation social benefits and costs.

Government analysts, consultants, and private firms regularly carry out cost benefit analyses for major investments -- bridges, roads, transit systems, convention centers, sports stadia, dams -- as well as for regulatory activities -- -- OSHA workplace safety regulations and the Clean Air Act are two important examples.

Course Syllabus
Professor Richard Voith                                                                                Section 401: MW 1:30-3PM

 

BPUB 212: Economic Analysis of Law
(Also listed as LGST 212 / PPE 212)

Prerequisites: ECON 1
    The course is designed to teach students how to think as an economist about legal rules; to evaluate alternative legal rules against standards of economic efficiency and distributive justice; and to understand the nature of the legal process and several specific areas of the law. With the use of alternative texts, both deductive and inductive reasoning will be employed to study the formation and interpretation of legal rules.

 

Course Syllabus

Professor Martin Asher                                                                                  Section 401: TR 10:30-12NOON

 

 

BPUB 236: International Housing Comparisons
(Also listed as FNCE 236 / REAL 236)

Prerequisites: None
    This course focuses on international comparisons of housing finance systems and housing market outcomes. This includes comparative analyses of the financial and economic factors that underlay housing market differences and similarities. Changing housing market institutions and policies in developed and emerging economies are examined. The course also addresses the implications of the integration of global financial markets for national housing markets. International speakers present their views on institutional innovations and the policy setting process in their respective markets. Various approaches to understanding these issues will be used, including readings, written assignments, and group projects.

Professor Susan Wachter                                                                              Section 401: MW 1:30-3PM

 

BPUB 250: Managerial Economics

Prerequisites: ECON 001, AP Credit or the equivalent; MATH 103, AP credit or the equivalent

This course introduces students to "managerial economics," the application of microeconomic theory to management problems. Microeconomic theory is a remarkably useful body of ideas for understanding and analyzing human behavior in a variety of contexts. Our goal in this course is to get you to internalize this body of theory well enough so that you can analyze management problems. While this is a "tools course", we will be mindful of applied business problems throughout the course. After presenting the competitive model we will dwell on other market structures more like those encountered by typical firms (monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition). We will spend some time on microeconomic lessons on the development and use of market power, as well as strategic interaction among firms. Finally, we will spend some time on the theory of market failure.

 

 

Course Syllabus

 

Professor Katja Seim                                                                                   Section 001:    MW 9:00-10:30AM

Professor Albert Saiz                                                                                    Section 002:    MW 10:30-12 NOON

Professor Albert Saiz                                                                                    Section 003:    MW 1:30-3:00 PM

Professor Albert Saiz                                                                                    Section 004:    MW 3:00-4:30 PM

Professor Stephen Mullin                                                                            Section 005:    TR 9:00-10:30 AM

Professor Stephen Mullin                                                                            Section 006:    TR 10:30-12 NOON

Professor Katja Seim                                                                                   Section 007:    MW 10:30-12 NOON

Professor Joel Waldfogel                                                                            Section 008:    TR 1:30-3:00 PM

Professor Bruce Allen                                                                                   Section 009:    TR 3:00-4:30 PM


Recitation
 

Section 201: F  9-10                                      

Section 202: F  10-11                                    

Section 203: F  11-12                                    

Section 204: F  12-1                                       

Section 205: F  1-2                                         

Section 206: F  2-3                                        

Section 207: F  9-10                                       

Section 208: F  10-11                                     

Section 209: F  11-12                                     

Section 210: F  12-1

Section 211: F  1-2                                                                         

Section 212: F  2-3

Section 213: F 9-10

Section 214: F 10-11

Section 215: F 11-12

Section 216: F  12-1

Section 217: F  1-2

Section 218: F  2-3

 

                                                                                                 

 

BPUB 261: Risk Analysis and Environmental Management
(Also listed as BPUB 761 / BPUB 961 / OPIM 261 / OPIM 761)

Prerequisites: None, but microeconomics helpful
    This course is designed to introduce students to the complexities of making decisions about threats to human health and the environment when people's perceptions of risks and their decision-making processes differ from expert views. Recognizing the limitations of individuals in processing information, the course explores the role of techniques such as decision analysis, cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment and risk perception in structuring risk-management decisions. We will also examine policy tools such as risk communication, incentive systems, third party inspection, insurance and regulation in different problem contexts. The problem contexts for studying the interactions between analysis, perceptions, and communication will include risk-induced stigmatization of products (e.g. alar, British beef), places (e.g. Love Canal), and technologies (e.g. nuclear power); the siting of noxious facilities, radon, managing catastrophic risks including those from terrorism. A course project will enable students to apply the concepts discussed in the course to a concrete problem.
 


Course Syllabus

 

Professor Howard Kunreuther                                                                                 Section 401: MW  10:30-12 PM