Economics

This course introduces the main concepts of modern labor economics. It covers the relation between labor market and other markets. The course combines microeconomic and macroeconomic analytical tools to analyze how society develops, allocates, and rewards human resources. It then studies a wide range of labor-related issues with special emphasis on empirical evidence in the literature and the evidence reported by government agencies and policy makers. The basic data analytic tools are introduced and discussed at length. Topics of focus include the theory of human capital, labor supply, labor demand, the life-cycle model, immigration and migration, and the role of unions.

This course provides an introduction to the study of International Political Economy (IPE). IPE is a field of research that combines the study of politics and economics, exploring both domestic and international factors that impact preferences, behaviours, and policies relating to economic globalisation. The course will cover major topics of inquiry within IPE such as the politics and policies relating to international trade, international investment, and international finance. Students will be introduced to theoretical and empirical research analysing each topic covered. By the end of the term, you should have a firm understanding of IPE as a discipline, including ways in which the field’s insights can inform policy-making.

This course introduces the Anglo-Saxon economic model as it exists in the United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and to a lesser extent in countries such as India, Singapore, and Hong Kong tied historically to the United Kingdom. It adopts a social sciences inquiry-led approach based on varying theoretical approaches to assessing how and why Anglo-Saxon countries have developed their economies in the way they have done. Case studies are primarily from the United Kingdom and United States, and the reading and sources will largely be based on these two countries. In the case of the United Kingdom, extensive reference shall be made to the United Kingdom's relationship with the European Union (EU) and the role of both in nurturing and promoting ideas associated with the Anglo-Saxon economic model; such as, in the case of the EU, the United Kingdom-led promotion of the Single Market (1986+). The course explores how the Single Market may have laid some of the foundations for the eventual electoral fall-out of Brexit in 2016. The first part of the course explores what the Anglo-Saxon economic model is and the second part assesses why this economic model has emerged and is branded and stereotyped in this way. The final part examines the effects of the Anglo-Saxon model on macroeconomic stability, equality and equality of opportunity, infrastructure, public sector investment, and the environment.

Utilizing behavioral economics, this course aims to deepen the understanding of economic policies and international comparisons of economies. It focuses on social preferences such as altruistic and inequality aversion preferences; international differences in norms, culture, religion, and worldview, and their effects on economic behavior and outcome. 

Course enrollees are also encouraged to register for the course, International Economy and Behavioral Economics A, at the same time.