Course 2012-2013 a.y.

30172 - FINANCIAL MACROECONOMICS


CLEAM - CLEF - CLEACC - BESS-CLES - BIEMF

Department of Economics

Course taught in English

Go to class group/s: 31
CLEAM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - CLEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - CLEACC (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - BIEMF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01)
Course Director:
TOMMASO MONACELLI

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: TOMMASO MONACELLI


Course Objectives

The key lesson economists have learnt from the recent crisis is that macroeconomists and financial economists were living on different planets, speaking different languages, and ignoring the reciprocal interactions. This course is hence motivated by the essential need to integrate macroeconomics and finance. The course emphasizes the importance of credit market imperfections for aggregate economic activity and the conduct of monetary policy. Particular relevance is given to the causes and the implications of the recent financial crisis. We expect financial macroeconomics to become a rapidly growing field in the near future.


Course Content Summary

  • The global financial crisis: causes and implications.
  • Shadow banking, leverage, and the financial crisis of 2008-09.
  • Credit channel, bank lending channel, and economic activity.
  • Credit rationing and the macroeconomy: (i) moral hazard, (ii) adverse selection, (iii) monitoring costs.
  • Do financial imperfections matter for the business cycle? The financial accelerator hypothesis: principal-agent, costly state verification and real activity.
  • Moral hazard in the banking sector and credit crunches: the model of Holmstrom and Tirole.
  • Financial panic and bank runs: the model of Diamond and Dybvig.
  • Financial crisis vs. currency crisis vs. sovereign debt crisis: an international perspective.
  • Monetary policy and asset prices. Conventional and unconventional monetary policy.

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

Written Exam


Textbooks

  • C. Walsh, Monetary Theory and Policy, MIT Press, 3rd edition, (Chapter 7)
  • X. Freixas, J.C. Rochet, Microeconomics of Banking, MIT Press, 2nd edition, (Chapter 4-5-6)
  • Handouts and slides are made available
Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)
Last change 19/04/2012 14:54