Special Studies in International Economics 2013

The course introduces the principle of international economics to learn how to evaluate and conduct economic analysis of issues relating to international movements of scarce resources. The first half of the course deals with the microeconomic issues of international trade; The second half focuses on issues of international finance and macroeconomics. The aim of this course is to provide basic tools and viewpoints with you to do a thesis, and therefore I will emphasize the applications of them to Okinawan economy.

syllabus (pdf)

The textbook for this course is:

  • P.R. Krugman, M. Obstfeld and M.J. Melitz (2012) International Economics: Theory & Policy (9th ed.), Pearson Education.

lecture slides:

(It'll require passwords to open pdf files, so you should attend the first lecture.)

  1. Introduction
  2. Ricardian CA
  3. H-O CA
  4. Income distribution
  5. IRS, Space, and Gravity
  6. Political economy of trade policy and Okinawan economy
  7. NNTT
  8. SC

I'll draw on material from the followings, which aren't cited in the syllabus and the lecture notes:

  • K. Bagwell and R.W. Staiger (2002) The Economics of the World Trading System, The MIT Press.
  • A. Dixit and V. Norman (1980) Theory of International Trade: A Dual, General Equilibrium Approach, Cambridge University Press.
  • M.D.D. Evans (2011) Exchange-Rate Dynamics, Princeton University Press.
  • R.C. Feenstra (2004) Advanced International Trade: Theory and Evidence, Princeton University Press.
  • M. Fujita, P. Krugman and A. Venables (1999) The Spatial Economy: Cities, Regions, and International Trade, The MIT Press.
  • E.E. Leamer (2012) The Craft of Economics: Lessons from the Heckscher-Ohlin Framework, The MIT Press.
  • M. Obstfeld and K.S. Rogoff (1996) Foundations of International Macroeconomics, The MIT Press.
  • M. Obstfeld and A.M. Taylor (2004) Global Capital Markets: Integration, Crisis, and Growth, Cambridge University Press.