Economics

The observed correlation between economic growth on one hand, and a worsening environmental situation on the other, calls for greater consideration of ecological issues in economic thinking. In this respect, and in parallel with the reflections on a hypothetical "decoupling" that would reconcile continued growth and decarbonization of the economy, it may be useful to look at the competing hypothesis: an exit from growth. It is this second hypothesis that this course studies, by taking stock of various works in economics and political science that help us to think about a post-growth society. After briefly recalling the main foundations of the critique of growth, the course sketches out the contours of an economic and social organization that breaks with the imperative of growth. The course addresses the various difficulties that would be posed by an end to growth: unemployment, how to organize production, and how to define what should and shouldn't be produced. The course provides a better understanding of current and future debates around the concepts of green growth and degrowth, questions current growth models, and engages in critical reflection on post-growth perspectives.

This course focuses on the development of the Irish economy since independence, and how various external pressures and policy choices have shaped that development over time. It then shows how various policies, on both demand and supply sides, have been used, and which have not been used, to shape outcomes.

International economic law is a branch of international law governing a number of economic phenomena, such as international trade and investment. The course focuses on the study of intergovernmental institutional frameworks covering the circulation of goods, services, capital, and labor. It discusses institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, and the Bretton Woods institutions. Furthermore, it introduces normative instruments such as the WTO Multilateral Trade Agreements (GATT, GATS, and TRIPS) and the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement negotiations. The course also explores the international regulation of capital and labor, as well as introduces the private governance of international economic relations.

This course examines the allocation of scarce resources among competing end uses. Although the focus is on perfectly competitive markets, attention is also given to other types of markets. Analysis also includes concepts of expected utility and uncertainty, and welfare economics.

Over the course of the last four years societies have witnessed one of the most dramatic returns of state interventionism since the Second World War. Governments have sought to mitigate the consequences of multiple crises – be that the 2008 financial crash, the COVID-19 pandemic, or the inflationary shock post the Ukrainian war – through a raft of new policy measures be that financial regulation, price controls, lockdowns, furlough programs, basic income packages, and infrastructure initiatives. However, it is often very hard to say with confidence what the consequences of these polices were. Using this crisis context as an overarching frame, this course introduces quantitative methods employed in evaluating the efficacy of public policy. The course begins with a focus on the basics of working with data, emphasizing the importance of how data is designed (longitudinal or cross-section) as well as the level of data collection (ecological or individual). Then, the focus turns to empirical methodology: how researchers design natural experiments to estimate the average treatment effect of a policy. Beginning with simple OLS regression, the course advances to studying three basic approaches: difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity design, and instrumental-variables regression. Finally, the course concentrates on examples of applied research and examines how researchers connect these methods with important debates in public policy and social theory. Throughout the course there is a strong emphasis on adopting a hands on approach, using the R programming language. This course develops the basic tools to be able to: manipulate and clean data, perform simple analyses both descriptive and analytical, as well as visualize their results in an aesthetically pleasing way. But more than that, this course builds the confidence to explore R on one's own, understanding that programming is a skill which scholars develop over many years through persistent practice. This class expects students to have a certain mathematical confidence but does not expect students to know anything about econometrics.

From international monetary system issues to climate challenges, crypto-assets, the fight against financial crime, international sanctions, sovereign debt restructuring, and the role of the shareholder state, this course examines the major monetary and financial issues of the 21st century. It explores strategies for adapting central banks and the financial system to these new challenges, whether they relate to monetary policy, financial stability, or the financing of the economy. This course has three key objectives: to equip students with an in-depth mastery of the fundamentals of monetary and financial economics for a better understanding of current economic events, to shed light on the changing role of central banks and international financial institutions, and to offer the opportunity to meet experts to guide students in their career choices.

This course examines markets for shares, fixed income securities, options and futures; methods of valuing shares, fixed income securities, options, and futures; simple techniques of hedging risk; portfolio diversification; and portfolio evaluation.

Sport is no longer simply a physical activity or a game; it has become an economic sector in its own right, now accounting for 2% of global GDP. With its evolution and the development of its business have come new challenges and new players competing to ensure their growth and assert their rights. Formerly organized around rules and largely through associations, sport has become economically emancipated. It is governed by a set of rights (commercial, property, image, etc.) and businesses defended by players as diverse as companies, the media, athletes, clubs, events, etc. The economics of sport enables us to take a different look at what is above all for the general public a subject of passion and for others a stake in growth or power. A few months after the success of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this course offers an overview of the players and issues involved in the sports economy. It focuses particularly on understanding the strategies of the various players and deciphering business mechanisms.

The issue of market provision and/or state provision provides a central and recurring theme in this course. Within each policy area covered, the course investigates market failure and government failure, via for example consideration of externalities, informational problems, and an examination of the public choice perspective with respect to possible government failure. Specific topics to be covered include but are not limited to a subset of the following: resource allocation (regulated markets and/or state); taxation; distribution, inequality, and poverty; economic growth, employment, and unemployment; regulation; care (formal/paid and informal/unpaid); competition; education; health; housing; aging; agriculture; and energy.