Undergraduate Course: Public Economics (ECNM10004)
Course Outline
| School |
School of Economics |
College |
College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
20 |
| Home subject area |
Economics |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None
|
Taught in Gaelic? |
No |
| Course description |
Gordon Hughes is a leading 'practitioner', who runs an economics consultancy and travels the world advising on natural resource, environmental and other issues. As he is in Edinburgh at weekends between travel commitments, the course will be taught mostly on Mondays 9.00am-10.50am or Fridays 4.00pm-6.00pm Class members are notified by email when classes will be held. Note that the possible irregularity of classes places a premium on good time-management skills and flexibility/adaptability, in comparison to more standard weekly classes. This course will provide a systematic overview of the micro-economics of the public sector. It will focus on issues and institutions that are important in the UK but it will adopt a comparative approach in order to highlight similarities and differences with other OECD countries in the ways they address common problems. The first half of the course will cover the theory and practice of tax design, while the second half of the course will examine the role of the public sector as a provider and/or regulator of important services. |
Entry Requirements
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites |
|
| Prohibited Combinations |
|
Other requirements |
Pre-requisite: Honours entry.
|
| Additional Costs |
None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites |
Visiting students should usually have at least 3 Economics courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. This MUST INCLUDE courses in both Macroeconomics and Microeconomics. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | | 16:10 - 18:00 | | Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | 09:00 - 10:50 | | | | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Friday, 09:00 - 10:50, Zone: Central. G.02, William Robertson Building |
| Additional information |
1 x 2 hour lecture per week, students are notified by email in advance whether to attend the Friday/Monday session each week. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
Stationery Requirements |
Comments |
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | 16 sides | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| After successful completion of this course students should have acquired an understanding of the analytical and practical foundations of the economics of taxation, public expenditure and the funding of public services with particular emphasis on policy analysis and the relationship between public and private provision of different classes of goods and services. They should be familiar with the techniques of tax analysis in partial and general equilibrium frameworks, the design and application of alternative tax instruments, the relationship between national and sub-national governments in taxation and public expenditure, issues of moral hazard, insurability and capital markets in the economics of pensions, health and education, and the design of economic policies to address poverty and inequality. In the course assessment, students are required to demonstrate skills in understanding and using standard economic analysis together with the application of analytical concepts to practical economic problems. |
Assessment Information
Essay (40%)
2 hour degree examination (60%)
|
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords |
Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Prof Gordon Hughes
Tel: (0131 6)50 8358
Email: Gordon.Hughes@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Ms Dawn Mcmanus
Tel: (0131 6)50 8361
Email: Dawn.McManus@ed.ac.uk |
|
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31 January 2011 7:33 am
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