printer friendly pageECON 150: Economic Policy Analysis (PUBLPOL 104, PUBLPOL 204)
The relationship between microeconomic analysis and public policy making. How economic policy analysis is done and why political leaders regard it as useful but not definitive in making policy decisions. Economic rationales for policy interventions, methods of policy evaluation and the role of benefit-cost analysis, economic models of politics and their application to policy making, and the relationship of income distribution to policy choice. Theoretical foundations of policy making and analysis, and applications to program adoption and implementation. Prerequisites:
PUBLPOL 50 or
ECON 50. Students are also strongly encouraged to either complete
ECON 102B prior to taking this course or take
ECON 102B concurrently with this course. Undergraduate Public Policy students are required to take this class for a letter grade and enroll in this class for five units.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-AQR
Instructors:
Rosston, G. (PI)
;
Varela Seoane, S. (TA)
ECON 154: Law and Economics (PUBLPOL 106, PUBLPOL 206)
In this course, we explore the role of law in promoting social well-being (happiness). Law, among its other benefits, can serve as a mechanism to harmonize private incentives with cooperative gains, to maintain an equitable division of those gains, and to deter social defection and dystopia. Law is thus an implementation of the social contract and essential to civilization. Economic analysis of law focuses on the welfare-enhancing incentive effects of law (and of law enforcement). More generally, we study the law's role in reducing the risks of cooperation, achieved by fixing expectations of what courts or the state will do in possible futures. Prerequisite:
ECON 50 or
PUBLPOL 50. Final paper instead of an exam. Instructor consent required for enrollment. Please email the instructor a short statement of interest (300 words max) explaining why you would like to enroll in the course.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Vasquez Duque, O. (PI)
ECON 155: Environmental Economics and Policy
Economic sources of environmental problems and alternative policies for dealing with them (technology standards, emissions taxes, and marketable pollution permits). Evaluation of policies addressing local air pollution, global climate change, and the use of renewable resources. Connections between population growth, economic output, environmental quality, sustainable development, and human welfare. Prerequisite for Undergraduates:
ECON 50. May be taken concurrently with consent of the instructor.
Terms: Win
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: GER: DB-NatSci, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Goulder, L. (PI)
;
Yan, J. (TA)
ECON 156: Energy Markets and Policy (ECON 256, INTLPOL 276)
This is a course on how energy and environmental markets work, and the regulatory mechanisms that have been and can be used to achieve desired policy goals. Throughout the course students play the roles of electricity generators, electricity retailers, energy traders, and electricity consumers in order to gain an understanding of how energy and environmental policies (including environmental regulations and renewable energy mandates) affect the business strategy of market participants - and in turn economic and environmental outcomes. The goal of the course is to provide students with both theoretical and hands-on understanding of important energy and environmental market concepts that are critical to market functioning but not always widely appreciated. The course is useful background for private sector roles in energy production, research, management, trading, investment, and government and regulatory affairs; government positions in policymaking and regulation; research and policy functions in academia, think tanks, or consultancies; and non-profit advocacy roles related to energy and the environment.
Econ 1 recommended.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3-5
ECON 157: Imperfect Competition
The interaction between firms and consumers in markets that fall outside the benchmark competitive model. How firms acquire and exploit market power. Game theory and information economics to analyze how firms interact strategically. Topics include monopoly, price discrimination, advertising, oligopoly pricing, product differentiation, collusion and cartel behavior, and anti-competitive behavior. Sources include theoretical models, real-world examples, and empirical papers. Prerequisite:
ECON 51 or
PUBLPOL 301A or
INTLPOL 204A, and
ECON 102A.
ECON 102B is recommended.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Cuesta, J. (PI)
;
Varela Seoane, S. (TA)
ECON 163: Solving Social Problems with Data (COMM 140X, DATASCI 154, EARTHSYS 153, MS&E 134, POLISCI 154, PUBLPOL 155, SOC 127)
Introduces students to the interdisciplinary intersection of data science and the social sciences through an in-depth examination of contemporary social problems. Provides a foundational skill set for solving social problems with data including quantitative analysis, modeling approaches from the social sciences and engineering, and coding skills for working directly with big data. Students will also consider the ethical dimensions of working with data and learn strategies for translating quantitative results into actionable policies and recommendations. Lectures will introduce students to the methods of data science and social science and apply these frameworks to critical 21st century challenges, including education & inequality, political polarization, and health equity & algorithmic design in the fall quarter, and social media, climate change, and school choice & segregation in the spring quarter. In-class exercises and problem sets will provide students with the opportunity to use
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Introduces students to the interdisciplinary intersection of data science and the social sciences through an in-depth examination of contemporary social problems. Provides a foundational skill set for solving social problems with data including quantitative analysis, modeling approaches from the social sciences and engineering, and coding skills for working directly with big data. Students will also consider the ethical dimensions of working with data and learn strategies for translating quantitative results into actionable policies and recommendations. Lectures will introduce students to the methods of data science and social science and apply these frameworks to critical 21st century challenges, including education & inequality, political polarization, and health equity & algorithmic design in the fall quarter, and social media, climate change, and school choice & segregation in the spring quarter. In-class exercises and problem sets will provide students with the opportunity to use real-world datasets to discover meaningful insights for policymakers and communities. This course is the required gateway course for the new major in Data Science & Social Systems. Preference given to Data Science & Social Systems B.A. majors and prospective majors. Course material and presentation will be at an introductory level. Enrollment and participation in one discussion section is required. Sign up for the discussion section will occur on Canvas at the start of the quarter. Prerequisites:
CS106A (required),
DATASCI 112 (recommended as pre or corequisite). Limited enrollment. Please complete the interest form here:
https://forms.gle/8ui9RPgzxjGxJ9k29. A permission code will be given to admitted students to register for the class.
Terms: Aut, Spr
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI, WAY-AQR
Instructors:
Nobles, M. (PI)
;
Weinstein, J. (PI)
;
Castro Pena, D. (TA)
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Instructors:
Nobles, M. (PI)
;
Weinstein, J. (PI)
;
Castro Pena, D. (TA)
;
Charmot, S. (TA)
;
Dann, C. (TA)
;
Ma, S. (TA)
;
Ross, D. (TA)
;
Upadhyay, R. (TA)
;
Vasilenok, N. (TA)
ECON 165: International Finance
This is a first course in open economy macroeconomics. The course's objective is to build the analytical foundation for understanding key macro issues in the world economy such as global capital flows, the behavior of exchange rates, currency and sovereign debt crises. While a significant portion of the course will be theoretical, there will be several occasions for linking the theory to real-world events. Prerequisite:
ECON 52. Summer session students wishing to enroll who feel they have the appropriate prerequisites from another institution may submit that information, transcript or syllabus that is similar to
Econ 52, to econ-undergrad@stanford.edu.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
ECON 166: International Trade
Explaining patterns of trade among nations; characterizing the sources of comparative advantage in production and the prospect of gains from economies of scale. Enumerating and accounting for the net aggregate gains from trade, and identifying winners and losers from globalization. Analyzing the effects of international labor migration, foreign direct investment, outsourcing, and multinational companies. Strategic trade policy; international trade agreements; labor and environmental implications. We will review relevant theoretical frameworks, examine empirical evidence, and discuss historical and contemporary policy debates as covered in the popular press; active class participation is an important part of the course. Prerequisite:
ECON 51 (Public Policy majors may take
PUBLPOL 51 as a substitute for
ECON 51).
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Tendall, M. (PI)
;
Laski, R. (TA)
ECON 167G: Game Theory and Social Behavior
Game theory is the formal toolkit for analyzing situations in which payoffs depend not only on your actions (say, which TV series you watch), but also others' (whether your friends are watching the same show). You've probably already heard of some famous games, like the prisoners' dilemma and the costly signaling game. We'll teach you to solve games like these, and more, using tools like Nash equilibrium, subgame perfection, Bayesian Nash equilibrium, and the one-off deviation principle. Game theory has traditionally been applied to understand the behavior of highly deliberate agents, like heads of state, firms in an oligopoly, or participants in an auction. However, we'll apply game theory to social behavior typically considered the realm of psychologists and philosophers, such as why we speak indirectly, in what sense beauty is socially constructed, and where our moral intuitions come from. Nearly each week, students are expected to complete a problem set, to read 2-3 academic papers
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Game theory is the formal toolkit for analyzing situations in which payoffs depend not only on your actions (say, which TV series you watch), but also others' (whether your friends are watching the same show). You've probably already heard of some famous games, like the prisoners' dilemma and the costly signaling game. We'll teach you to solve games like these, and more, using tools like Nash equilibrium, subgame perfection, Bayesian Nash equilibrium, and the one-off deviation principle. Game theory has traditionally been applied to understand the behavior of highly deliberate agents, like heads of state, firms in an oligopoly, or participants in an auction. However, we'll apply game theory to social behavior typically considered the realm of psychologists and philosophers, such as why we speak indirectly, in what sense beauty is socially constructed, and where our moral intuitions come from. Nearly each week, students are expected to complete a problem set, to read 2-3 academic papers, and to complete a 1-2 page response to short essay questions (`prompts') on these readings. All assignments can be completed in groups of two. There will also be a final exam. Prerequisites: Although there are no formal prerequisites for this course, we will make frequent use of probability theory (Bayes¿ Rule; conditional probabilities), set theory notation, and proofs. Students without a background in these tools have historically found some of the later problem sets to be challenging. TA sessions are not required, but are recommended for students without the necessary math background. Not sure if this class is for you? Take our self assessment, then see how your answers compare with ours. (Assessments and solutions can be found here:
https://economics.stanford.edu/undergraduate/forms)
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Yoeli, E. (PI)
;
Saitto, R. (TA)
ECON 177: Empirical Environmental Economics (SUSTAIN 130, SUSTAIN 230)
Are you interested in environmental and energy policy? Do you want to improve your data science skills? If so, Empirical Environmental Economics is for you. In the first few weeks of class, you'll use data and microeconomic modeling to quantify the harms from pollution, including estimating the social cost of carbon emissions. For the rest of the quarter, you'll use more data and microeconomic modeling to evaluate major environmental policies such as pollution taxes, cap-and-trade programs, and subsidies for clean technologies. You will consider overall benefits and costs as well as the distributional equity, which can inform discussions of environmental justice. You will learn and practice useful data science skills, including applied econometrics/causal inference methods (e.g., difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, and regression discontinuity) and equilibrium modeling. The class has weekly problem sets involving data analysis in R, plus a final paper. Class sessions fea
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Are you interested in environmental and energy policy? Do you want to improve your data science skills? If so, Empirical Environmental Economics is for you. In the first few weeks of class, you'll use data and microeconomic modeling to quantify the harms from pollution, including estimating the social cost of carbon emissions. For the rest of the quarter, you'll use more data and microeconomic modeling to evaluate major environmental policies such as pollution taxes, cap-and-trade programs, and subsidies for clean technologies. You will consider overall benefits and costs as well as the distributional equity, which can inform discussions of environmental justice. You will learn and practice useful data science skills, including applied econometrics/causal inference methods (e.g., difference-in-differences, instrumental variables, and regression discontinuity) and equilibrium modeling. The class has weekly problem sets involving data analysis in R, plus a final paper. Class sessions feature active learning, discussions, and small-group case studies. You should only enroll if you expect to attend regularly and complete the problem sets on time. Prerequisites: You must have experience with regression analysis (e.g.,
ECON 102 or 108,
CS 129,
EARTHSYS 140,
HUMBIO 88,
POLISCI 150C, or
STATS 60 or 101). If you plan to take microeconomics (e.g.,
ECON 1, 50, or 51), we recommend you take those either beforehand or concurrently. If you have no economics background, you may still be comfortable in class if you are strong in math, statistics, and/or computer science. If you have not used R before, that is OK: we will guide you from the beginning. If you have used R before, you can still learn a lot in this class through the applications.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
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