COURSE SYLLABUS
Summer 2014
Alisher Akhmedjonov (alishakh@lycos.com)
Course Number:
EC 591
Course Prerequisite: Approval of Program Director
Course Title:
Economic Analysis and Public Policy
Course Description: Presents and develops the tools of microeconomic analysis and illustrates
their use via applications to current issues. Students also explore the
methods of microeconomic analysis of government growth and
stabilization policies.
Course Credit:
4 Quarter Units
Course Length:
10 weeks
Contact Hours:
Lecture: 40
Lab: 0 Practicum/Internship: 0
Total: 40
Learning Objectives: By the successful completion of this course, the student shall be able to:
1. Describe public sector issues in applied microeconomics.
2. Identify the market failures that justify government intervention in the
economy.
3. Apply microeconomic methods to analyze the effects of government
policies on individual behavior.
4. Analyze the conceptual and theoretical aspects of a number of policy
issues.
Required Textbook: Purchase of a textbook is not required. The course will focus on the
assigned reading materials and lecture notes. Recommended general
references are listed below.
Reference:
Ehrenberg, Ronald G. and Robert S. Smith, Modern Labor Economics:
Theory and Public Policy, 11/e, Prentice Hall, 2012.
Steinemann, Anne, William C. Apgar and H. James Brown,
Microeconomics for Public Decisions, Thomson/South-Western, 2005.
Miller, Roger L., Daniel K. Benjamin and Douglass North, The
Economics of Public Issues, 14/e, Pearson/Addison Wesley, 2005.
Teaching Strategies: Lectures, workshops, examinations.
Evaluation Methods: Quizzes
20%
Attendance/Class participation
Mid-term exam
Final exam
Weekly Outline:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
20%
30%
30%
Role of Government in a Market Economy
Basic Tools of Microeconomic Analysis
Consumer Behavior
Production and Cost Analysis
Government Intervention in Resource Allocation
Externalities and Public Goods
Imperfect Information, Inequality and Poverty
Tools for Economic Policy Evaluation
Economic Analysis of Public Policy Issues
Final Exam