Teaching
The economics of public policy, University of California at Merced
Bold items refer to required reading or listening, normal text refers to optional but interesting material.
The economics of public policy, University of California at Merced
Bold items refer to required reading or listening, normal text refers to optional but interesting material.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Day 1 (Jan 18): Introduction to Public Economics
Podcast: Who can make a pencil?
Reading: Chapter 1 pg. 6-13
Optional Reading: Love is a Fallacy, by Max Shulman
Day 2 (Jan 23): Theoretical Toolkit of Public Economics
Podcast: Why we need to talk to people with whom we disagree
Reading: Chapter 2 p 18-31
Day 3 (Jan 25): Empirical Tools in Public Economics
Podcast: Econometrics of causation
Reading: Chapter 3 p 34-49
Day 4 (Jan 30): Budget Analysis and Deficits
Podcast: Budget reform in a time of chaos
Reading: Chapter 20 p 452-467
Day 5 (Feb 1): Externalities: Problems and Solutions
Podcast: Conspicuous conservation
Reading: Chapter 4 p 54-68
Day 6 (Feb 6): Environmental and Health Externalities
Podcast: Bad environmentalism
Reading: Chapter 5 p 73-104
Reading: Estimates of Private and Social Costs of Various Energy Sources
Day 7 (Feb 8): Public Goods
Podcast: The titan's curse
Reading: Review Chapters 1, 2, 3, 20, 4, and 5.
Day 8 (Feb 13): EXAM 1
Podcast: How to succeed in anything
Day 9 (Feb 15): Cost-Benefit Analysis
Podcast: Using cost-benefit analysis to set global priorities
Reading: Chapter 8 p 147-170
Day 10 (Feb 22): Political Economy
Podcast: Is your media biased?
Reading: Chapter 6 p 108-129
Day 11 (Feb 27): State and Local Expenditure
Day 12 (Mar 1): Education in the U.S.
Podcast: The power of cities
Reading: Chapter 7 p 133-145
Day 13 (Mar 6): Teacher Compensation and Teacher Quality
Podcast: American education reform
Day 14 (Mar 8): Social Insurance
Reading: Chapter 11 p 222-248
Day 15 (Mar 13): Unemployment, Disability, Worker's Compensation
Podcast: Disability insurance
Day 16 (Mar 15): Health Insurance
Reading: Chapter 9 p176-198, Chapter 10 pg. 201-219
Day 17 (Mar 20): Gender Pay Gap
Podcast: Data on the gender-pay gap
Day 18 (Mar 22): EXAM 2
Day 19 (Apr 3): Income Distribution and Welfare Programs
Podcast: Would cash solve the problem?
Reading: Chapter 12-13, 251-292
Day 20 (Apr 5): Taxation
Podcast: Implicit taxes and employment
Reading: Chapter 14 p 296-321
Day 21 (Apr 10): Tax Incidence
Podcast: Stimulus and taxation
Reading: Chapter 15 p 324-336
Day 22 (Apr 12): Tax Inefficiencies
Reading: Chapter 16 p 347-370
Day 23 (Apr 17): Taxes on Labor Supply and Employment
Podcast: Is trade hurting (some of) us?
Reading: Chapter 17 p 374-404
Day 24 (Apr 19): Taxes on Savings, Taxes on Risk Taking and Wealth
Podcast: How to get people to save more
Reading: Chapter 18 p 407-428
Day 25 (Apr 24): Taxes on Business
Reading: Chapter 19 p 430-449
Day 26 (Apr 26): Fundamental Tax Reform and Consumption Taxation
Reading: Chapter 21 p 470-494
Day 27 (May 1): Regulation, Sharing Economy
Podcast: Regulation and the sharing economy
Day 28 (May 3): FINAL EXAM
