ECONOMICS 625
ECONOMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY
Dr. Lee Huskey
Fall 2000

R 5:30-8:15 PM                                          Office Hours: T  2:30-4:00
AHS 111                                                      Office: BEB 319C  Phone: 786-1905                     

E-mail: flh@uaa.alaska.edu

Textbook:        Mansfield and Yohe, Microeconomics
                         Anderson and Leal, Free Market Environmentalism
                         Kuttner, Everything for Sale

Lecture                     Topic                                            Readings

August  31                    Markets, property rights, and government                   1

September 7                      Supply, demand, and public policy                             2,5

  Economics and Public Management

14                   Consumer behavior and response                                                                                                 to policy

             21                  Production decisions: private
                                      firms, public organizations                                        7,8

28                                       Hiring decisions                                                            14 October

5                     Investment decisions                                                 6,15

2                    Efficiency: Evaluating market performance      9,10,17*

                        and government actions

TEST NO. 1 (100 points) Due           

Market Problems and the Role of Government

  19                    Monopoly                                                                    11

   26     Public Goods, the Commons, and Property Rights            19*

November
2                      Externalities                                                                  19*  

9                      Information problems            and Game Theory             13*, 18

16                    Government Response to Market Failure              -                                 

 23                Thanksgiving- No Class

30        Market versus Government Failure                              K1-4    AL1-7

December

 7  Government’s Role                                                                K7-9      L8-11

Final Exam (100 points)            Thursday, December 14, 5:30-8:15 pm

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1.      To increase your understanding of general economic principles.

2.      To introduce economics as a decision making tool for the public sector.

3.      To present the important types of public policy issues facing local, state, and the national government.

4.      To improve your ability to use economics to think critically about the role of government in a market economy.

 COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1.  Two exams (100 points each).

2.    Homework (30 points). Assignments are short application oriented, case-like problems. Due Sept. 28 and Nov. 9

3.     Problem presentation (10 points). Present problems from readings to the class.

4.      Current Events (10 points) due Nov. 30 and Dec. 7.

5.     Two reading responses (35points each). These will be due in class on Nov. 30 and Dec. 7.

No late work will be accepted!

GRADES:     A 320-288

                        B 287-256

                        C 255-224

                        D 223-192