Course Schedule | Ripped from the Headlines | Exams

Course Schedule

Lecture Class Materials Assignments and Deadlines
1
8/29
Intro, Supply and Demand 		Read
  • GLS, Chapters 1 and 2, skimming 2.5
  • multiple equilibria in the vanilla market, courtesy of NPR
  • Supplemental
    • More detail on vanilla
    • Returning to equilibrium: Hall, Jonathan, John J. Horton and Daniel T. Knoepfle, “Ride Sharing Markets Re-Equilibrate”, NBER Working Paper No. 30883, February 2023. [link]
Lecture Notes [LN1] 		Handouts
2
9/5
Elasticity 		Read
  • GLS, Section 2.5
  • Alvarez et al, “Price and income elasticities of demand for cigarette consumption...” Public Health, 2020. [link].
    • read only introduction, discussion at end
    • look at Figure 1 and Table 1
    • skim the rest as useful
Lecture Notes [LN 2] 		Handouts Due
  • Problem set 1
3
9/12
Supply and Demand and Policy 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 3, but not 3.4 or 3.5
  • Consumer surplus from Wikipedia: “Net Benefits: How to quantify the gains that the internet has brought to consumers”, The Economist, 2013 [link], and GW [subscriber version] that requires vpn
  • Supplemental
Lecture Notes [LN 3] 		Handouts Due
  • Problem set 2
  • Use Numbers 1 of 3
4
9/19
Consumer Behavior 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 4
Lecture Notes [LN 4] 		Handouts Due
  • Problem set 3
5
9/26
Individual and Market Demand 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 5. Omit income Engel curves from 5.1, and skip Section 5.3.
Lecture Notes [LN 5] 		Handouts Due
  • Problem set 4
  • Use Numbers 2 of 3
6
10/3
Tax Incidence 		Read
  • Gruber, Chapter 19, pages 557-586
  • limited coverage of 19.4
  • Read introductions
    • Chetty, Looney and Croft, “Salience and Taxation” NBER Working Paper 13330, 2007. [link]
    • Bradley and Feldman, “Hidden Baggage: Behavioral Responses to Changes in Airline Ticket Tax Disclosure” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2020. [link]
  • Supplemental
Lecture Notes [LN 6] 		Handouts Due
  • Problem set 5
7
10/10
Firms and Profit 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 6, but not 6.5 or 6.6
  • Supplemental
Lecture Notes [LN 7] 		Handouts Due
  • Problem set 6
8
10/17 		Midterm: in person Due
  • Problem set 7
9
10/24
Costs 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 7, but not 7.5; we return to 6.5
  • Supplemental
    • On variable costs in The Office
    • On opportunity costs: Demsas, Jerusalem, “Buses Shouldn't Be Free”, The Atlantic, December 9, 2022. [link]
    • Economies of scope vs. economies of scale: Hufford, Austen, “A Soap Maker Cracks the Code to 'Made in America'”, The Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2023. [link]
    • The Economy, 7.8 to 7.13
Lecture Notes [LN 9] 		Handouts Due
10
10/31
Competition 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 8, but not 8.5.
Lecture Notes [LN 10] 		Handouts Due
  • Problem set 8
11
11/7
Market Power 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 9; omit Lerner Index
  • Helpful examples
Lecture Notes [LN 11] 		Handouts Due
  • Problem set 9
  • Use Numbers, 3 of 3
12
11/14
Pricing 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 10
  • Dean, Sam, “The truth about LA's most notoriously expensive gas stations,” Los Angeles Times, March 9, 2022. [link]
Lecture Notes [LN 12] 		Handouts Due
  • Problem set 10
Thanksgiving Break
11/21
13
CANCELED 11/28
Externalities and public goods 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 17, sections 17.1, 17.2, and 17.3
  • Gruber, Chapter 7, pages 184-189; Rosen and Gayer, Chapter 4, pages 54-70.
  • Two podcasts on public goods
    • Lighthouses, Autopsies, and the Federal Budget, [link]
    • How to Stop an Asteroid, [link]
  • Supplemental
 Handouts
  • Problem set 12
Due
  • Problem set 11
13
12/5
Externalities and public goods 		Read
  • GLS, Chapter 17, sections 17.1, 17.2, and 17.3
  • Gruber, Chapter 7, pages 184-189; Rosen and Gayer, Chapter 4, pages 54-70.
  • Two podcasts on public goods
    • Lighthouses, Autopsies, and the Federal Budget, [link]
    • How to Stop an Asteroid, [link]
  • Supplemental
Lecture Notes [LN 13] 		Handouts Due 11/28
  • Problem set 11
14
CANCELED 12/5
Public Goods and Economic History of Nails 		Read
  • Sichel, Dan. “The Price of Nails Since 1695: A Window Into Economic Change,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2022. [link]
  • Supplementary
 Due
  • Problem set 12
Final
In person
  • Wednesday December 13, MPA 601Z
  • Thursday December 14, MPA 601Y
  • Both 3:30 to 5:30
Done! Enjoy your break.

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