Courses tagged with "Information Theory" (219)

This half-semester course provides an introduction to microeconomic theory designed to meet the needs of students in an economics Ph.D. program. Some parts of the course are designed to teach material that all graduate students should know. Others are used to introduce methodologies. Students should be comfortable with multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and basic real analysis.

In analyzing fiscal issues, conventional public finance approaches focus mainly on taxation and public spending. Policymakers and practitioners rarely explore solutions by examining the fundamental problem: the failure of interested parties to act collectively to internalize the positive externalities generated by public goods. Public finance is merely one of many possible institutional arrangements for assigning the rights and responsibilities to public goods consumption. This system is currently under stress because of the financial crisis. The first part of the class will focus on collective action and its connection with local public finance. The second part will explore alternative institutional arrangements for mediating collective action problems associated with the provision of local public goods.

The objective of the seminar is to broaden the discussion of local public finance by incorporating collective action problems into the discourse. This inclusion aims at exploring alternative institutional arrangements for financing local public services in the face of severe economic downturn. Applications of emerging ideas to the provision of public health, education, and natural resource conservation will be discussed.

This course covers issues in the theory of consumption, investment and asset prices. We lay out the basic models first, and then examine the empirical facts that motivate extensions to these models.

This course focuses on the following topics: basic theory of consumer behavior; production and costs; partial equilibrium analysis of pricing in competitive and monopolistic markets; general equilibrium; welfare; and externalities. It is recommended for students planning to apply to graduate school in economics, accounting, or finance.

Professor Blanchard will discuss shocks, labor markets and unemployment, and dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models (DSGE models). Professor Lorenzoni will cover demand shocks, macroeconomic effects of news (with or without nominal rigidities), investment with credit constraints, and liquidity with its aggregate effects.

The course is aimed at helping students look at the entire marketing mix in light of the strategy of the firm. It is most helpful to students pursuing careers in which they need to look at the firm as a whole. Examples include consultants, investment analysts, entrepreneurs, and product managers.

Objectives

1. Identify, evaluate, and develop marketing strategies.
2. Evaluate a firm’s opportunities.
3. Anticipate competitive dynamics.
4. Evaluate the sustainability of competitive advantages.