Economics

This course examines the main factors that determine the overall levels of production and employment in the economy, including the influence of government policy and international trade, and addresses the level of employment and economic activity in the economy as a whole. It covers money, interest rates, financial markets, inflation, unemployment, and economic policy. Students taking this course should have a prior knowledge of mathematics.

This course introduces the theoretical and empirical research in behavioral economics and discusses how the use of methods and evidence in behavioral economics has changed both economics as a discipline and policymaking processes in the past few decades.

This course covers individual, team, and organizational perspectives on learning and, subsequently, how learning, training, and development can be managed. The emerging field of professional learning of individuals and teams in an organizational setting is introduced. The course is based on insights from cognitive and learning sciences as well as organizational studies and human resource development. It analyses learning needs within organizations and identifies key variables that play a role when employees learn in a training setting or informally. Critical factors are identified that stimulate or hinder learning in organizations. Theoretical insights are applied to the analysis of organizational cases about professional learning. Additionally, students take on the role of consultants where they interview and advise an existing organization on improving its learning and development policies. The final report contains a scientific reflection on this professional learning practice, which will also be communicated to the organization.

This course examines the modern analysis of economic growth, productivity increment and innovations. Topics include three categories: (1) theoretical part: neoclassical growth model, models of endogenous technological change, misallocation, basic network analysis; (2) dataset part: Chinese annual firm-level surveys, Chinese administrative registration records, patent registration data (EP, US, CN), patent citation data, patent transaction data; (3) software part: stata, matlab, gephi, latex.

This course provides insight into corporate financial management and capital markets. Emphasis is on the financial aspects of managerial decisions and topics covered include all areas of finance, including the valuation of real and financial assets, risk management and financial derivatives, the trade-off between risk and expected return, corporate financing and payout policy. Text: Richard A. Brealey, Stewart C. Myers and Alan J. Marcus, FUNDAMENTALS OF CORPORATE FINANCE; Case: Square, Inc., Financing a Unicorn. Assessment: case (10%), quiz (20%), final exam (35%), midterm (35%).

Econometrics provides a robust statistical framework for effectively evaluating economic theories. Our goal is to cover a broad range of econometric techniques applicable to real-world economic analysis, with a focus on empirical applications and utilizing R programming skills. Completing the prerequisite course 'Statistics for Business and Economics' is mandatory for enrollment; students without this prerequisite will not be permitted to enroll. While matrices are not the primary tool for explaining regression equation structures, a brief overview of matrix concepts related to regression may be provided. You can begin to learn R programming skills from this course. 

Learning Goals:

1. Simple and Multiple Regressions
2. Statistical Inferences for Regressions
3. Dummy Variable Regression
4. Heteroskedasticity and Serial correlation
3. Instrumental Variable Regression
4. Panel Regression
5. Logit and Probit Regression
6. Quantile Regression
7. etc.

Power of great empires was always based on their economy. Sustainable economic growth is therefore crucial for keeping the political influence as well as for ensuring the prosperity for its inhabitants. Economic power and prosperity of the past empires were often threatened by similar economic policy failures as we know today: fiscal crises, inflation, extensive regulation, or institutional mismanagement. Course lectures provide an overview of the economic policy and institutional failures that led to economic decay of the selected past European powers. Lessons from history are compared with the current situation in Central Europe. Students widen and apply acquired knowledge to current economic issues. This course combines application of basic Institutional Economics and International Political Economy.