ECON 395 - Special Topics in Economics

Credits: 3

Winter 2019, ECON 395A-01: Macro Forecasting (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203 or instructor consent. Time-series analysis and forecasting methodologies that are applied to issues in business, finance, and economics. We cover various analytical techniques used by economists to model and forecast macroeconomic levels of economic activity. Topics include smoothing techniques, time-series decomposition methods, regression-based forecasting, unit root tests, and ARMA and SVAR modeling. Students learn to perform time-series regressions, undertake forecasting exercises, and test a variety of hypotheses involving time-series data. Stata and Excel software are used throughout. Collins.

Winter 2019, ECON 395A-02: Macro Forecasting (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203 or instructor consent. Time-series analysis and forecasting methodologies that are applied to issues in business, finance, and economics. We cover various analytical techniques used by economists to model and forecast macroeconomic levels of economic activity. Topics include smoothing techniques, time-series decomposition methods, regression-based forecasting, unit root tests, and ARMA and SVAR modeling. Students learn to perform time-series regressions, undertake forecasting exercises, and test a variety of hypotheses involving time-series data. Stata and Excel software are used throughout. Collins.

Winter 2019, ECON 395B-01: Advanced Topics in the Economics of Food Insecurity (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203 or instructor consent. An exploration of the economic determinants of food insecurity and why it persists today. We use readings from economics, sociology, psychology and nutrition to understand various perspectives of food insecurity. Using this multidisciplinary approach, we will conduct a detailed investigation of the four main contributors to food insecurity; inadequate income, inadequate time, inadequate food environment, and inadequate nutrition education. Within each unit, we discuss the societal occurrence, characterize formal econometric models, and use publicly available data with Stata to address a simple research question on the current topic. In addition to gaining a greater appreciation for how economics is applied, students gain a better understanding of econometric and data management tools, while working with food insecurity topics. The course utilizes a service learning component in order to connect in class topics with real world situations. Scharadin.

Winter 2019, ECON 395C-01: International Public Health (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203 or instructor consent. A survey of the major issues of public health, with case studies from across the world. These include water and sanitation, vaccinations, contraceptive use, obesity, child work and health outcomes, quality of medical care and provider choice, and HIV-AIDS. Students continue explorations of regression models, building on the material from ECON 203, using a hands-on approach. The course emphasizes understanding of the use and analysis of data and student-directed research using policy-relevant applications related to public health. Blunch.

Fall 2018, ECON 395A-01: Culture and Development (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203 or instructor consent. An examination of empirical evidence on key features of development across a wide range of countries.  Economists have long been interested in understanding the sources of (under) development. Topics include labor coercion, corruption, health, education, and many more. As reliable micro-level data has become increasingly available from developing countries, our understanding of the process of development has evolved accordingly. Students gain familiarity with those datasets and the recent empirical papers utilizing them. While our approach is grounded in economic theory and empirical findings, one of our goals is to contextualize economic development. That is, development or under-development does not happen in vacuum. The roots of economic well-being of a country can be traced to its history, culture, and geography. The course, therefore, combines topics from economics of culture as it relates to development economics. Silwal.

Fall 2018, ECON 395A-02: Culture and Development (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203 or instructor consent. An examination of empirical evidence on key features of development across a wide range of countries.  Economists have long been interested in understanding the sources of (under) development. Topics include labor coercion, corruption, health, education, and many more. As reliable micro-level data has become increasingly available from developing countries, our understanding of the process of development has evolved accordingly. Students gain familiarity with those datasets and the recent empirical papers utilizing them. While our approach is grounded in economic theory and empirical findings, one of our goals is to contextualize economic development. That is, development or under-development does not happen in vacuum. The roots of economic well-being of a country can be traced to its history, culture, and geography. The course, therefore, combines topics from economics of culture as it relates to development economics. Silwal.

Fall 2018, ECON 395B-01: Macro Forecasting (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203 or instructor consent. Time series analysis and forecasting methodologies that are applied to issues in business, finance, and economics. The seminar covers various analytical techniques used by economists to model and forecast macroeconomic levels of economic activity. Topics include smoothing techniques, time-series decomposition methods, regression-based forecasting, unit root tests, and ARMA and SVAR modeling. Students learn to perform time-series regressions, undertake forecasting exercises, and test a variety of hypotheses involving time series data. Stata and Excel software are used throughout. Collins.

Fall 2018, ECON 395C-01: Environmental Valuation (3). Prerequisite: ECON 203 or instructor consent. This course is designed to give students an advanced knowledge of environmental valuation techniques. Both theoretical models and empirical work are discussed. Valuation methodologies covered include travel cost models, hedonic wage and price models, contingent valuation, choice modeling, and benefits transfer. Students have empirical assignments. Kahn.