EC301     
Advanced Economic Analysis

This information is for the 2017/18 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr L. Rachel Ngai  32L 1.15

Dr Shengxing Zhang 32L 1.16

Availability

This course is available on the BSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, BSc in Economics, BSc in Economics and Economic History, BSc in Economics with Economic History, BSc in Government and Economics, BSc in Mathematics and Economics, BSc in Philosophy and Economics, BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics and BSc in Social Policy and Economics. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

Pre-requisites

Students must have completed Macroeconomic Principles (EC210) and Microeconomic Principles I (EC201).

Mathematics to at least the level of Mathematical Methods (MA100).  Microeconomic Principles II (EC202) is also accepted (in place of EC201).

Course content

This course is divided into two sections introducing recent developments in economic theory. The first section focuses on the relationship between the financial sector and the macroeconomy, considering such questions as why there exist financial crises and asset bubbles. To answer these questions, this section aims to equip students with frameworks to understand the role of the financial market, connect theories with real life observations about imperfections of the market. Topics covered in this section include financial frictions and capital misallocation, banking and financial stability, asset pricing and market liquidity.  In the second section of the course we focus on economic growth, considering questions like these: Why was GDP per capita in the UK 15 times higher than China in 1960? Why did the factor of 15 decrease to 5 in 2000?  To gain an understanding of the “whys” we have to ask deeper questions: what drives economic growth? Why do some economies grow faster and other slower? Thus this part of the course studies the determinants of economic growth through capital accumulation, reallocation of resources from agriculture into manufacturing and services and, technology innovation.

Teaching

15 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the MT. 15 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the LT.

Formative coursework

Students will submit, and receive feedback on, two problem sets per term.

Indicative reading

The course is mainly based on lecture notes and journal articles. As an example of the level and content of the reading in economics articles, students may wish to look at the following:

Lucas, R. 2000. “Some Macroeconomics for the 21st Century.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14: 159-168.

Ngai, L. R. 2004. “Barriers and the Transition to Modern Growth “. Journal of Monetary Economics 51:1353-1383.

A good textbook reference for economic growth is:

Jones, C. and D. Vollrath (2013), Introduction to Economic Growth. W. W. Norton & Co.

Assessment

Exam (100%, duration: 3 hours, reading time: 15 minutes) in the main exam period.

Teachers' comment

Please note that Dr Ngai and Dr Zhang started teaching on EC301 from the 2015/16 academic year.  Before this the course was taught by different lecturers, and it was suspended in 2014/15.

Dr Ngai’s overall satisfaction rating for lectures in 2015/16 was 1.1.

Key facts

Department: Economics

Total students 2016/17: 19

Average class size 2016/17: 11

Capped 2016/17: No

Value: One Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

PDAM skills

  • Self-management
  • Problem solving
  • Application of numeracy skills