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| Semester | fall semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Every fall sem. |
| Lecturers | Dragan Ilic (dragan.ilic@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course introduces the basic building blocks of modern economic analysis. Aimed for non-economists, it is a crash course in economic thinking. In the first, shorter part of the course we delve into basic economic concepts such as the modeling the market forces of supply and demand, thinking at the margin, efficiency, comparative advantage in trade, externalities, public goods, and measuring GDP. The second, more mathematical part of the course revolves around microeconomic theory. We will study how consumers and producers, interacting through markets, determine the prices and output of goods and the allocation of productive resources. Consumers and producers are formally modeled as agents with well-defined objectives who make optimal choices in an environment of economic constraints such as income and costs. The price mechanism signals information to consumers and producers alike, coordinating their behavior. This course will contain both lectures and exercise sessions. Course material will be provided through the ADAM webspace. |
| Learning objectives | The course aims to provide students with no economic background with the required foundation in economic analysis and theory for tackling more advanced economic courses. After completing the course, students should be able to think critically about methodological and economic issues. Students should be able to explain and interpret economic phenomena with the language and approach of economic reasoning. |
| Bibliography | Two textbooks provide the foundation for this class: Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok, "Modern Principles of Economics," Third Edition (Worth Publishers, 2016) Jeffrey M. Perloff, "Microeconomics with Calculus," Third (Global) Edition (Pearson Education, 2013) For laypersons, these two books provide an excellent and easy to read introduction into economic thinking and the value of economic modeling: Tim Harford, "The Undercover Economist," (Little, Brown and Company, 2005; various reprints) Dani Rodrik, "Economics Rules," (W.W. Norton & Company, 2016) |
| Comments | I place high value on intuition, but this course is necessarily technical in nature. I expect you to have a solid background in algebra and be familiar with basic calculus. |
| Weblink | Weblink |
| Course application | Registration: Please enrol in MOnA. EUCOR-Students and students of other Swiss Universities have to enrol at the students administration office (studseksupport1@unibas.ch) within the official enrolment period. Enrolment = Registration for the exam! |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Module: Complementary Knowledge in Economics (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) |
| Assessment format | end-of-semester examination |
| Assessment details | There will be a written exam in January, at the end of the semester. written exam: 08.01.21; 10:15-11:45. In case COVID-19 protective measures prevent examination on site, the faculty reserves the right to conduct the examination electronically during the same time slot. The exam rooms will be published up to 05.12.20. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Registration: course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Business and Economics , studiendekanat-wwz@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Faculty of Business and Economics |