Utrecht University

In most developed countries, the public sector has become an enormous economic force, with a size that amounts to 40-60 percent of GDP. This course practices knowledge of macro- and microeconomics by applying it to public sector related issues by debating: which should be carried out by the public sector (e.g. the government) and which ones should be left to the private sector? When should the government intervene and what are the welfare consequences for different groups in society? Which commodities and services should the government provide and how much? Should this be provided in a market-efficient manner or not? How high should taxes and public debt be? What kind of taxes should the government levy (e.g. income, consumption or corporate income taxation) and who bears eventually the burden of these taxes? The course analyzes actual public policies and develops guidelines for government activities.
 

This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the concept of sustainable development and global sustainability challenges from economic, environmental, and social perspectives. Current sustainability challenges are explored through international case studies. The contributions of relevant disciplines such as demography, social and political science, ecology, energy and innovation, environmental science, agricultural science, and economy are explained. The core topics include energy and society, consumption and consumerism, risks and resilience, waste, water, and land. Concepts such as food security, environmental health, planetary boundaries, Climate change, world views, and ethics are also addressed.

The course reviews agglomeration and clustering of economic activities from both geographical and urban economics disciplinary perspectives, in relation to cluster and urban economic policy. The course explains the current innovative and knowledge economy of firms and policymaking in relation to urban competitiveness. The geographical discipline focuses on clusters, network formation and industry evolution using institutional theories in which the actor-approach of firms and governments is central. Urban economics traditionally focuses on the role of externalities and urban contexts as attractions for firm and population location decisions and the growth and innovation potentials of firms in a more quantitative sense. Both disciplines heavily lean on empirical research, using complementary research methods like case-study research, surveys, spatial econometrics and general equilibrium modelling. Those methods are explained in the course in relation to current issues and empirical research on urban development. Much attention is given to regional and urban economic policy issues. Participants apply the theoretical and empirical insights from the lectures in an actual case study of urban policy in Utrecht, the Netherlands.