Economics

This course provides the opportunity to learn how to apply knowledge and skills to address complex social and environmental problems. This course is structured around experiential problem-based learning, providing the opportunity to synthesize theory and practice. Topics include critically reviewing concepts; user-centered design of social and environmental enterprises; frameworks for understanding and strategizing; understanding and reporting social and environmental impact; and cross-sector collaboration. Prerequisites: two introductory business courses.

This course provides students with a thorough understanding of core techniques of quantitative economics and econometrics and their application to test economic theories and measure magnitudes relevant for economic policy and other decisions, as a foundation for subsequent study of quantitative topics, and as one of the key elements in the professional training of an economist.

This course provides an overview of the main areas of behavioral economics. It presents a wide range of behavioral findings which have advanced our understanding of how economic agents form beliefs, act and interact in various contexts. The course discusses how to incorporate to the traditional micro-economic framework some features of human nature such as altruism, emotions, biased perceptions of risk and time, biased interpretations of information and bounded rationality. It studies simple economic models, reviews empirical research, and devotes particular attention to the presentation of experimental methods in economics. The course also discuss how behavioral economics can improve the design of effective public policies.

This course introduces the structure and organization of firms in an industry. The welfare implications of output and price determination under major market structures (monopoly and perfect competition) are briefly discussed. Special emphasis is given to the determinants and measurement of industrial market structures.

This course develops a fundamental understanding of the inherent dynamics of international management. It provides a comprehensive overview of the management decisions in the global environment and challenges students to analyze complex situations and develop recommendations for strategic decisions independently. Through the analysis of case studies, interactions with guest speakers, and an in-depth group project, the course offers a theoretical understanding of international management, but also a more practical application, analyzing best practices in management and frameworks as well as failures and lessons to be learned moving forward.

This course must be taken simultaneously with LABOR ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY A. This course explores how labor markets work and analyzes a wide range of labor issues within Japanese and US economies. Each class begins with the theoretical background of labor economics, then students analyze a related research article to understand how and whether the standard, neo-classical model is applied to real economic life.

This course examines current international economic topics including: purchasing power parity, inflation, economic inequality, the economic impact of environmental pollution, ESG investing, CSR (corporate social responsibility), speculative attacks, and international financial crises. 

This course covers sources of and obstacles to economic growth and development in Asian economies, focusing on the role of innovation, internationalization of firms, industrial clusters, institutions (including political institutions), and social capital. Each topic entails a review of basic theory and empirical evidence from growth theory, international economics, development economics, economic geography, economics of institutions, or network science; then an examination of Asian experiences. Classes consist of class discussions and presentations.  

This course teaches entrepreneurship both from the theoretical and practical perspectives. Alongside learning about and discussing an academic approach to entrepreneurship, students also go through experiential learning by working on an entrepreneurial project by working in small teams in search of a repeatable and scalable business model on which they report both orally and in written form. The course introduces business model generation tools such as the lean business model canvas, design thinking, and customer validation methods. The results of these methods culminate in a start-up pitch-deck, a Demo Day pitch event, and a concise report.

This course focuses on the principles of micro-economic analysis, particularly, the concept of economic rationality as it applies to individuals and firms, and the analysis of how price and quantity are set under different market structures. Moreover, students are introduced to topics addressed in more detail including the form of utility and production functions, and rational decision making and intertemporal choice in the face of uncertainty. Implications for the behavior and organization of firms is highlighted throughout. The course covers 5 topics: introduction to the concepts of market and economic rationality, consumer theory, market equilibrium, producer theory, and the concepts of externalities and public goods.