This course is not available as an outside option to students on other programmes. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

New course for the 2027/28 academic session.

How to apply: This course is intended for MSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics students. Any external student must have successfully completed EC451 in September and have approval of the Department of Economics.

Deadline for application: Please apply as soon as possible after the opening of course selection for all courses.

For queries contact: Econ.msc@lse.ac.uk

Students on other programmes must get permission from the course conveners to take this course. 

Pre-requisites:

Students must have completed EC451 before taking this course.

Additional requisites:

EC451 takes place prior to the start of Autumn Term, please contact econ.msc@lse.ac.uk for more information.

The aim of this course is to provide students with an understanding of modern Microeconomic Theory. Topics are likely to include: mechanism design, contracting, information design; and social choice theory.

20 hours of lectures and 9 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.
1 hour of seminars in the Spring Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

Problem sets will be discussed in class and two assignments will be marked and feedback provided.

The main texts are:

• Osborne and Rubinstein, A Course in Game Theory, The MIT Press,
• Mas-Colell, Whinston & Green, Microeconomic Theory, OUP, and,
• A Rubinstein, Lecture Notes in Economic Theory, Princeton University Press (with the most up-to-date version available for free download from the author's website).

Other sources include: 

• Fudenberg and Tirole, Game Theory, MIT Press.

Exam (85%), duration: 120 minutes, reading time: 15 minutes in the Spring exam period.

Continuous assessment (15%).

This course is IRDAP-enabled, meaning that resit and deferred assessments will take place in August at the end of the academic year.