Economics

In the first half of the course, students are introduced to key concepts and economic models that can be used to understand how different identities shape outcomes, including identity economics, social norms and stereotypes, models of discrimination and stratification economics. The second half of the course looks in more detail at current economic research on a range of topics, including hate crime, labor market discrimination, gender-based violence, diversity, and inclusion.

This course provides a series of lectures on current economic issues, which illustrate how basic economic principles may be applied to real problems. Upon completion of the course students are able to demonstrate knowledge of the core principles of economics; to use the power of abstraction to focus upon the essential features of an economic problem and to provide a framework for the evaluation of the effects of policy or other exogenous events; demonstrate an understanding of appropriate concepts in economics that may be of wider use in a decision-making context; and communicate economic ideas, concepts, and information using means of communication appropriate to the audience and the problem at issue.

This course introduces students to the political science concepts, theories, and methods used to understand how these disciplines explain international development in the emerging economies. Students are exposed to the foundations of classical political philosophy and democratization theory, while also learning the foundational knowledge of capitalism, modernity, and social change from classical and contemporary scholars. Students gain an understanding of the different trends of development, policy reform and outcomes throughout the emerging regions, and how approaching development issues from political analytical frameworks can strengthen their understanding of development issues and challenges in the emerging economies.

This course explores “Mechanism Design, ”is an active research field in economic theory. Mechanism design is an emerging economic theory focused on designing institutions to effectively influence people's behavior. It serves as the foundation for social implementation by addressing social issues through the design of social rules. This course focuses on the challenges and innovations in social implementation based on this theory. Moreover, by applying mechanism design theory, the class gains insights into generating collective Intelligence through the aggregation of people’s decentralized evaluations.

Some math (like calculus) is required, while the necessary math is explained during lectures.

This course covers theoretical and empirical basics of labor economics, following a globally standard textbook. It explores mechanisms and labor market impacts of various socioeconomic drivers including immigration, labor force participation, college enrollment, racial/gender discrimination, incentive pay system and labor unions. Grounded on theoretical frameworks, it also discusses controversial policy issues such as minimum wage, safety regulations, and various taxes/subsidies, while providing guidance on causal inference and its popular methods. Studying labor economics serves as a great gateway to micro fields (education, health, environment, development, urban economics, etc.)

Coure Prerequisites: Introductory microeconomics is necessary. Familiarity with causal inference or taking a course in econometrics is an advantage. Programming is not required.

This course offers an introduction to conceptual and philosophical issues raised in modern economics. By employing core theories and discussions from the philosophy of science, political philosophy, and ethics, students ask questions about the nature, scientific status, and implicit value assumptions in economics. For example: What is science and rigor, and how does it relate to economics? Can there be laws of economics? What is utility, and how does it relate to well-being? What is the role of models in economics? What are the normative assumptions implicit in economic research? How are ethical issues related to economics, and can economists incorporate value judgements? Can economics be associated with wider social justice?

This course equips students with the basic knowledge of contemporary economic thinking. It adheres closely to mainstream economics thinking, with particular attention to business applications. Students examine market equilibrium, competition, monopoly, price and non-price business strategies and the teaching methodology takes a fundamentally problem-solving approach. Models and analytical skills are introduced to solve business problems systematically and how information technology and the internet have made many changes in the way businesses are run.

This course evaluates the strategic decisions of economic agents and determines optimal action strategies. 

The course covers the following topics: 

• The importance of economic models
• Consumer decisions
• Firm decisions
• Individual choice under uncertainty
• Strategic decisions
• Static games with complete information
• Dynamic games with complete information

This course emphasizes both theoretical and empirical studies. Topics covered include: static and dynamic models of the demand for labor, allocation of time, the labor supply of men and women, labor unions, human capital theory, theories of personal income distribution, information and search theory, signaling and self-selection, implicit contracts and the principal-agent problem. Students should have knowledge of basic microeconomics and elementary calculus, and are advised to take ECON2011 and 2021 before taking this course.

This course provides a broad overview of Japanese economy, from postwar economic growth to current issues, and from domestic economic structure to international trade and finance.

Required course prerequisite: Basic understanding of Macroeconomics and mathematics.