ECONOMICS

This course explores the theoretical foundations and empirical realities of international trade flows, commercial policies (tariffs, quotas, etc.) and international finance. The course emphasizes the welfare implications of international trade and commercial policies and links these to discussion of disputes over international trade agreements. The international finance portion of the course covers the foreign exchange market, balance of payments analysis and an introduction to open economy macroeconomics. Recommended for students majoring in international studies. This course counts as a Group E elective.

This class introduces both theoretical and empirical approaches to analyzing economic growth and development.  Accordingly, the role of labor, capital, and technological progress are investigated.  Additionally, cultural/social institutions, income demographics, social/class conflicts, political/economic factors, macro/trade policies, financial sector development, etc., may be covered.  In this class, basic growth models will be introduced.

This course presents a broad overview of world economic history. It uses concepts and models developed in Principles of Economics to explore how the interplay between geography, institutions, and technology has influenced material living standards from the Stone Age to the present. In particular, we will study the causes and consequences of long-term structural forces such as the agriculture, industrial and informational revolutions, the Malthusian trap and demographic transition, slavery, globalization, and the rise of government.