Economics

This course aims to provide basic mathematical concepts that have been widely used in economics. Topics include feasibility (Farkas Lemma), convex sets, linear programming, and non-linear programming. Economic applications are discussed throughout the course in order to illustrate how mathematics is used in economic theory.

Prerequisite: Mathematics for Economics I, Microeconomics

This course surveys important aspects of the contemporary Japanese economy. It provides an overview of Japan's postwar economic performance; a good understanding of the uniqueness and generality of the economic structure; an application skill of introductory economics; and the ability to investigate public policies. In the historical part of the course, topics include postwar reform, rapid growth, the bubble, and the post-bubble recession. The structural portion of the course takes up the Japanese corporation, clarifies its characteristics in international comparison, and studies related issues of the employment system, keiretsu or corporate grouping, household behavior and the aging of the population, such semi-macro issues as industrial structure and innovation, the financial system, macroeconomic policies, and international economic issues. Reference texts: Okabe, CROSS SHAREHOLDING IN JAPAN: A NEW UNIFIED PERSPECTIVE OF THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM. Assessment: midterm exam (50%), short paper (50%) Units: The regular version of this course is worth 3.0 UC quarter units. The AQ version of this course is worth up to 4.5 UC quarter units. Students must submit a special study project form which outlines the requirements for the additional units. This is typically an additional paper graded by the instructor of the course.

For students to understand the job market and industry development, as well as establish career planning in advance, this course invites industry leaders to share their career experience. Students are expected to connect campus and industry resources and gain skills at various levels simultaneously. At the individual level, they must learn to train themselves to enter the workplace and strengthen various abilities to become leaders in the workplace. At the group level, they must learn how to cooperate with peers of different backgrounds and abilities in a team to become an important partner. Last, at the leadership level, they must learn how to pay attention to corporate culture and establish a friendly working environment.

 

This development economics course focuses on these central questions: Why do some countries develop earlier than others? Why do some countries fail to develop while others are successful? This course provides an overview of the main topics in development economics. The course aims to a) trace the history of ideas in economic development, contrasting developmentalist theories and state-led industrialization strategies in the post-war era with market-led economic development; b) analyze the economic challenges in their quest for development; and c) cover a range of selected topics in development micro- and macroeconomics. The course consists of lecture classes and training units to discuss and deepen the lectured topics.

This course examines the most important challenges facing our globalized society including inflation, unemployment, growth and sustainable development, environmental conservation, and international economic relations. It focuses on the economic principles that can be used to design, guide, and interpret economic and social policy. This course explores various instruments in economic policy including monetary policy, foreign policy, fiscal policy, and labor policy. It discusses current experiences in economic policy such as implementation of policies in the EU, transition countries, and underdeveloped countries.

This course introduces basic economic principles and applies them to the management of the global economy-environment system. It provides a basis for further specialized study of agricultural, resource, or environmental economics within the agricultural science, environmental science, environmental management, resource management, economics, and other degree programs.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the contemporary Japanese economy, focusing on the economy's performance, changing characteristics and the challenges for the future. The class discussions often include comparison between the Japanese economy and the Chinese economy. The course covers basic concepts and analytical tools of economics which are applied to the Japanese economy, and how useful economics is in understanding the real world affairs. Text: THE JAPANESE ECONOMY-THEN, NOW, AND BEYOND by Mitsusru Taniuchi.

This course introduces managerial economics including the organizational aspects of business. Managerial economics extracts from microeconomic theory those concepts and techniques that enable managers to select strategic direction, to allocate efficiently the resources available to the organization, and to respond effectively to tactical issues. The course analyzes how the economist is able to provide valuable insights to managers on topics such as costs, prices, markets, mergers, divestitures, globalization, and personnel policies. The important role of the entrepreneur in the economy is examined and insight into the real world- functioning of business management is also provided.

This course introduces econometric techniques and their applications in economic analysis. It covers basic statistical tools, linear regression with one regressor, linear regression with multiple regressors, and methods for analyzing experimental data. Course emphasis is on practical issues in econometric analysis of cross-sectional data. Microsoft Excel is used for computer-based calculation.

This course explores an advanced perspective on the microeconomic principles underlying financial markets and financial decision-making. Students learn key concepts including risk and return, asset pricing, asset allocation, portfolio optimization, financial market equilibrium, and efficient market hypothesis. Students looks at arbitrage pricing and pricing of options and futures, and how these can be used to understand investment decisions, and trends in financial markets.