Economics

The course analyzes the evolution of the Spanish economy studying the most important debates concerning its progress and underdevelopment from 1850-2000. Topics include: the legacy of preindustrial Spain; economic growth in modern Spain; well-being in modern Spain; Spain in the international economy; Spain's economic progress in historical perspective-- lessons and challenges.

The course discusses economic concepts from a philosophical perspective. Is economics a science; do economic models need realistic assumptions; what makes an economic institution “good”? These and other questions are raised.The course puts a strong emphasis on discussion and debate. Students are required to give two short presentations of research papers and defend the authors' claims in the following discussion. Students are also required to be discussants of other students' presentations. To train writing interesting and coherent arguments, students write a short paragraph about the debate after class. In the final paper, students examine a recently published research paper from the perspective of one of the topics discussed in class.

The European Union (EU) as we know it has been formed by three creative processes: deepening of the integration, enlargement of the EU, and economic transformation in former socialist countries. In this course, after introducing those processes and some theoretical background, different EU economic policies are thoroughly analyzed. Considering that the participants are American undergraduates, this course systematically compares and contrasts the EU and its role in the world with the United States. Preliminary knowledge of principles of microeconomics is strongly recommended, but all necessary theoretical concepts are briefly summarized as part of this course.

This course examines the laws of industrial development, the process of industrial formation, the industrial structure and its changes, the evolution of industrial organizations, and the optimal design of industrial policies.

This course in public economics discusses the basic ideas and magnitudes of state intervention in the economy and budget tools. It offers an introduction to the theory of taxation, analyzing the incidences of taxes and their effects on behavior. This course explores some fundamental ideas about equity, well-being, and redistribution. Additional topics include: optimal taxation, aspects of the central tax figures, fiscal decentralization, and the economic policy of taxation. Students are expected to have completed coursework in mathematic analysis, including an introduction to constrained optimization, and intermediate microeconomics, including an introduction to general equilibrium.

The course presents the main characteristics of the French economy: production and income, consumption, employment and unemployment, public finances, redistribution, social inequalities, and external balances. It underlines its assets and weaknesses in the context of both European integration and globalization. The course refers to the main analysis models currently used in economics and tests their “modernity” for a renewed understanding of the French economy’s strengths and weaknesses within the European and global framework. This course introduces students to the language of economics and offers the possibility of using statistical information to understand a national economic reality.