Economics

This course covers a range of contemporary topics in economics from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Students learn the theoretical arguments behind each topic covered but also study a whole range of empirical methodologies employed by economists to test these theories. 

This course examines major figures of liberal political philosophy (Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill), and their defense of capitalism as a route to a more just and efficient society. It will look at whether it’s fair for the Australian government to force people to take jobs they don’t want while others inherit larger fortunes tax-free, whether employers have power over workers akin to authoritarian dictators, whether it should be illegal to sell human organs to save lives, and what role the assessment of capitalism should have in coming to terms with the history of colonialism in Australia and elsewhere. It'll also examine the role of markets in generating and distributing the coronavirus vaccine we desperately need, and what ought to be done to address the economic consequences of the pandemic.

This course begins with an introduction to Economic History as an interdisciplinary subject, and to the methods and sources economic historians use. It then explores key events of the past 500 years, including the Transatlantic slave-trade, colonialism, and the Industrial Revolution, examining their links to the phenomenon known as the 'Great Divergence', when levels of wealth in the Western world separated from everywhere else. It then considers the more recent phenomenon of 'Convergence', and investigate why certain countries, including Japan and China, managed to catch up with their European counterparts, whilst others fell further behind. In the final part of the course students reflect on the limits of 'Convergence', and assess whether inequality has become an immovable feature of global development. The course introduces frontline research and a variety of interdisciplinary approaches, with a particular focus on quantitative methods.

This course provides students with analytical frameworks to interpret and analyze food consumption behavior and characteristics from an economic perspective. The course is divided into two main parts. The first part covers fundamental economic theories related to consumer choice in the context of food and agricultural products. The second part focuses on analyzing key issues surrounding food consumption using both theoretical and empirical methodologies.  

The course focuses on the following topics and approaches: Demand theory; Characteristics of the global food market; Consumer choice theory from the perspective of utility maximization; Key issues in food consumption: information asymmetry, food safety, food labeling systems, and food assistance policies for low-income populations; Analytical methods in food consumption: household production functions and hedonic pricing models. 

Prerequisites: Students should have a basic understanding of microeconomic theories related to demand and market structure.

This course introduces advanced empirical industrial organization methods and quantitative research methods on unstructured data. It covers a broad spectrum of models, consisting of both conceptual seminars and programming practices.
 

This course provides a basic theoretical and empirical understanding the functioning of the global economy. More specifically, on the one hand, it seeks to give an overview of the main problems of the global economy. It places them in a historical perspective and highlights the role of institutions. On the other hand, it presents the fundamental concepts and reasonings of economic analysis and applies them to the mechanisms at work in the world economy. The lecture is based on four major issues: international trade flows, international capital flows, international money flows and international economics beyond money.

The course is developed to advance the knowledge of and ability to apply theories, policies, frameworks, and concepts related to promoting green transition and dealing with the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss through a deeper understanding of sustainability reporting regulations, transition finance and business transformation. The course promotes green transition by better integration of sustainability consideration into financial decision making through enhanced sustainability reporting regulations. The course is structured into modules integrating the following themes: the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The objective, structure, and content of the EU Green Deal, transition finance, and the myriads of public policies and private initiatives related to green transition and business transformation; transition versus incremental change enabling and constraining factors for transition the role of industry, the financial system, and policy makers in promoting societal and business transition; the objective, structure, and content of upcoming and launched sustainability reporting regulations and auditing standards including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and its European Sustainability. Reporting Standards (ESRS), the Omnibus proposal, Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), Green Claim Directive; and the tension between regulative compliance and business transformation. 

This course analyzes the impact of economic, political, social, technological, legal and environmental variables of identifying opportunities in international markets within a real enterprise. The class will formulate strategies and tactics for an organization, presented in a case or a simulator, improving its competitive position.