30508 - PUBLIC ECONOMICS
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 23
Course Director:
SIMONE GHISLANDI
SIMONE GHISLANDI
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
Pensions, healthcare, public debt, taxes, inequality and redistribution are all topics at the centre of the economic debate in virtually all contemporary democratic countries, representing crucial concerns for many of their citizens and often driving the political agenda. Should we encourage Government intervention in the economy? On what grounds? What are the different instruments the Government can use in order to achieve its goals? And what should these goals even be? The aim of the course is to equip students with the intellectual framework needed to attempt reasonable answers to these difficult questions. The course builds on robust theoretical and empirical arguments, together with sound institutional analyses, in order to achieve an in-depth understanding of Government reasons to intervene and ways of intervention.
CONTENT SUMMARY
Part 1: Introduction to Public Economics:
- General theoretical and empirical tools.
- Theory of justice
Part 2: Government revenues:
- Taxation.
Part 3: Government expenditure:
- Healthcare.
- Pensions.
- Education
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Identify the main pros and cons of Government intervention in the economy.
- Understanding the reasons and the role of Government expenditure.
- Discuss the impact of major public interventions.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Explain the aims and limitations of Government intervention in the economy.
- Assess critically many important topics commonly debated by the public opinion and related to the role and the action of Governments in Europe and around the world.
Teaching methods
- Face-to-face lectures
- Exercises (exercises, database, software etc.)
DETAILS
We present a series of exercises sections in order to help students to familiarize with the concepts presented in class.
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
x | x |
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Two midterm exams will be set, the first one is valid 56% of the final grade, the second 44% .
Students will be assessed accoring to their ability to recognize basic concepts regarding the general issues in Public Economics. The exam will be in written form with closed-ended questions (with a limited room for comments).
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
The slides of the course represent the main studying material. Exact chapters are indicated for each session.
- J. GRUBER, Public Finance and Public Policy, Freeman and Worth, 2019
During the course we will also touch upon some theory of justice issues, using the following easy-to-read book:
- M. SANDEL, Justice: What is the right thing to do? Penguin.
Further readings are indicated before class.
Last change 05/03/2024 11:02