2005-2006 Undergraduate Calendar

Robert W. Dimand, Mohammed H. Dore, Diane P. Dupont, Zisimos Koustas, Joseph Kushner, Felice F. Martinello, Steven J. Renzetti, Roberta E. Robb (on leave), Lewis A. Soroka

Associate Professors

David R. F. Love, Tomson Ogwang, William Veloce, Anthony J. Ward

Assistant Professors

Hasan Imam, René Kirkegaard, Lester Kwong, Jean-François Lamarche, Xiaoting Wang

General Information

Administrative Assistant

Karen Phillips

905-688-5550, extension 4697

Taro Hall 410

http://www.brocku.ca/economics/

Economics studies the allocation of scarce resources to produce goods and services and the distribution of those goods and services across individuals. Economics is divided into two parts: microeconomics, where the focus is on the determination of prices and the allocation of scarce resources among competing uses; and macroeconomics, where the focus is on the levels of utilization of resources, especially the levels of employment, unemployment and inflation. The economic tools are applied to issues in the labour market, industrial organization, international trade, economic development, urban studies, taxation and government expenditure. Other fields, such as money and banking and international payments, apply economic tools to the study of financial markets. The analysis yields insights and predictions that are used to develop public policy on a wide range of issues.

The Honours program provides students with an opportunity for a more intensive examination of issues in the field and prepares students for graduate studies in economics.

The Economics Co-op program combines academic and work terms over a period of four and one-half academic years. Students spend two years in an academic setting studying the functional areas of economics prior to taking the first work placement. In addition to the current fees for courses in academic study terms, students are assessed an annual administrative fee (see the Schedule of Fees).

Eligibility to continue in the Economics Co-op program is based on the student's major and non-major averages. A student with a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum 60 percent non-major average may continue. A student with a major average lower than 70 percent will not be permitted to continue in the Economics Co-op program, but may continue in the non-co-op Economics stream. If a student subsequently raises his/her major average to 70 percent, the student may be readmitted only if approved by the Co-op Admissions Committee. For further information, see the Co-op Programs section of the Calendar, and contact the Department of Economics.

The Economics Co-op program designation will be awarded to those students who have honours standing and who have successfully completed a minimum of twelve months of Co-op work experience.

Mathematics is an important analytical tool for economists. All students, but especially those intending to pursue graduate studies, are encouraged to take additional MATH courses. Students should consult the department regarding appropriate choices. (MATH 1P01 satisfies the MATH 1P97 prerequisite that is specified for some ECON courses.)

Computer literacy is required for some Economics courses. Students who are not computer literate should consider taking courses such as COSC 1P93, 1P95 or 1P96 as elective credits.

Program Notes

1.	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 may be taken concurrently or in either order.
2.	In all 20 credit degree programs, at least 12 credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above, six of which must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above and of these, three must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above. In all 15 credit degree programs, at least seven credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above, three of which must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above.

Honours Program

Year 1

	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 (see program note 1)
	MATH 1P01 or 1P97
	MATH 1P98
	one Humanities context credit
	one Science context credit
	one elective credit

Year 2

	ECON 2P21, 2P22, 2P90 and 2P92
	one ECON credit
	two elective credits

Year 3

	ECON 3P21, 3P22, 3P90 and 3P91
	one-half ECON credit
	one-half ECON credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	two elective credits

Year 4

	ECON 4P13 and 4P14
	one and one-half ECON credits numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one ECON credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
	one and one-half elective credits

Economics Co-op (Honours only)

Students admitted to the Co-op program must follow an approved program pattern. The most common pattern is listed below. For other approved patterns, consult the Co-op Office.

Year 1

	ECON 1P91 and 1P92
	MATH 1P01 or 1P97
	MATH 1P98
	one Humanities context credit
	one Science context credit
	one elective credit

Year 2

	ECON 0N90, 2P21, 2P22, 2P90 and 2P92
	one ECON credit
	two elective credits

Year 3

Fall Term:

	ECON 3P21, 3P22, 3P90 and 3P91
	one-half elective credit

Winter Term:

ECON 0N01

Spring/Summer Terms:

	One-half ECON credit
	one-half ECON credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one and one-half elective credits

Year 4

Fall Term:

ECON 0N02

Winter Term:

	ECON 4P13 and 4P14
	one-half ECON credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one-half ECON credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
	one-half elective credit

Spring/Summer Terms:

ECON 0N03

Year 5

Fall Term:

	One ECON credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one-half ECON credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
	one elective credit

Business Economics (Honours only)

Consult Business Economics entry for a listing of program requirements.

International Political Economy (Honours only)

Consult International Political Economy entry for a listing of program requirements.

Pass Program

Year 1

	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 (see program note 1)
	MATH 1P01 or 1P97
	MATH 1P98
	one Humanities context credit
	one Science context credit
	one elective credit

Year 2

	ECON 2P21, 2P22, 2P90 and 2P92
	one ECON credit
	two elective credits

Year 3

	ECON 3P21 and 3P22
	one and one-half ECON credits numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one ECON credit
	one and one-half elective credits

Combined Major Program

Students may take a combined major in Economics and a second discipline. Students should consult the department about other possible programs. For requirements in other disciplines, the students should consult the relevant department/centre. It should be noted that not all departments/centres provide a combined major option.

Economics and Business (Honours only)

Year 1

	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 (see program note 1)
	ACTG 1P91 and 2P12
	MGMT 1P93 and 1P96
	MATH 1P01 or 1P97
	MATH 1P98
	one Humanities context credit or one Science context credit

Year 2

	ECON 2P21 or 2P23
	ECON 2P22, 2P90 and 2P91
	FNCE 2P91
	MKTG 2P91
	OBHR 2P91
	one-half ECON credit
	the Humanities context credit or Science context credit not taken in Year 1

Year 3

	ECON 3P21, 3P22, 3P90 and 3P91
	ACTG 2P40
	FNCE 3P93
	MKTG 3P24
	OPER 2P91
	one elective credit

Year 4

	ECON 4P13 and 4P14
	MGMT3P82 and 4P90
	one and one-half ECON credits numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one-half ACTG, ENTR, FNCE, MGMT, MKTG, OBHR or OPER credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
	one elective credit

Economics and Computer Science (Honours only)

Consult the Computer Science entry for a listing of program requirements.

Economics and Geography

Honours

Year 1

	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 (see program note 1)
	GEOG 1F90
	MATH 1P01 or 1P97
	MATH 1P98
	one Humanities context credit
	one Science context credit

Year 2

	ECON 2P21, 2P22 and 2P90
	GEOG 2P10
	one and one-half credits from GEOG 2P01, 2P02, 2P03, 2P06, 2P07, 2P13
	one-half ECON credit
	one elective credit

Year 3

	ECON 3P21, 3P22, 3P90 and 3P91
	GEOG 3P57
	one and one-half GEOG credits numbered 2(alpha)90 to 3(alpha)99 from group A or C (see Geography department calendar entry)
	one elective credit

Year 4

	ECON 4P13 and 4P14
	GEOG 4F99
	one GEOG credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above from group A or C (see Geography department calendar entry)
	one ECON credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one elective credit

Pass

Year 1

	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 (see program note 1)
	GEOG 1F90
	MATH 1P01 or 1P97
	MATH 1P98
	one Humanities context credit
	one Science context credit

Year 2

	ECON 2P21, 2P22 and 2P90
	GEOG 2P10
	one and one-half credits from GEOG 2P01, 2P02, 2P03, 2P06, 2P07, 2P13
	one-half ECON credit
	one elective credit

Year 3

	ECON 3P21 and 3P22
	GEOG 3P57
	one ECON credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one and one-half GEOG credits numbered 2(alpha)90 to 3(alpha)99 from group A or C (see Geography department calendar entry)
	one elective credit

Economics and Labour Studies

Honours

Year 1

	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 (see program note 1)
	LABR 1F90
	MATH 1P01 or 1P97
	MATH 1P98
	one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 or SOCI 1F90
	one Humanities context credit or one Science context credit

Year 2

	ECON 2P21, 2P22 and 2P90
	LABR 2P03, 2P06 and 2P15
	one-half ECON credit
	one-half LABR credit
	the Humanities context credit or Science context credit not taken in year 1

Year 3

	ECON 3P21, 3P22, 3P90 and 3P91
	LABR 3P03, 3P06, 3P24 and 3P25
	one elective credit

Year 4

	ECON 4P13 and 4P14
	LABR 4F90 or 4F91
	LABR 4F92
	one ECON credit 2(alpha)90 or above
	one elective credit (see program note 2)

Pass

Year 1

	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 (see program note 1)
	LABR 1F90
	MATH 1P01 or 1P97
	MATH 1P98
	one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 or SOCI 1F90
	one Humanities context credit or one Science context credit

Year 2

	ECON 2P21, 2P22 and 2P90
	LABR 2F00 and 2P15
	one-half ECON credit
	one-half LABR credit
	the Humanities context credit or Science context credit not taken in year 1

Year 3

	ECON 3P21 and 3P22
	LABR 3F00, 3P24 and 3P25
	one ECON credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one elective credit

Economics and Mathematics (Honours only)

Year 1

	ECON 1P91 and 1P92 (see program note 1)
	MATH 1P01, 1P02, 1P12 and 1P40
	one Humanities context credit
	one Science context credit

Year 2

	ECON 2P21 and 2P22
	one ECON credit
	MATH 2P03, 2P72, 2P81 and 2P82
	one-half MATH credit
	one-half elective credit

Year 3

	ECON 3P21, 3P22 and 3P90
	MATH 2F40, 3P81 and 3P82
	one-half ECON credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one elective credit

Year 4

	ECON 4P13 and 4P14
	MATH 3P72, 3P73, 4P81 and 4P82
	one-half ECON credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one-half ECON credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
	one elective credit

Minor in Economics

Students in other disciplines can obtain a Minor in Economics within their degree program by completing the following courses with a minimum 60 percent overall average.

	ECON 1P91, 1P92 and 2P22
	ECON 2P21 or 2P23
	ECON 2P90 or 2P91
	one and one-half ECON credits
	MATH 1P97 and 1P98

Course Descriptions

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

# Indicates a cross listed course

* Indicates a primary offering of a cross listed course

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.

ECON 1P91

Principles of Microeconomics

Introduction to microeconomics. Topics include nature of economics, price system, demand, production and cost, markets and pricing, factor pricing and distribution of income.

Lectures, tutorial, 4 hours per week.

Note: may be taken concurrently with, before or after ECON 1P92.

ECON 1P92

Principles of Macroeconomics

Introduction to macroeconomics. Topics include nature of economics, determination and control of national income, money, banking and monetary policy, macroeconomic policy and balance of payments.

Lectures, tutorial, 4 hours per week.

Note: may be taken concurrently with, before or after ECON 1P91.

ECON 2P09

Canadian Economic History

Growth and change in Canadian economy, from earliest European contact to the 20th century. Theories of growth, and of technical, institutional and demographic change. Topics include early fish, fur and timber trades, agriculture, the development of the West and the National Policy.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91 and 1P92.

ECON 2P10

United States Economic History

United States economic development from the colonial era to the late 20th century. Topics include the effect of British mercantilist policy on the colonial economy, westward expansion, financial development under central and free banking, comparison of Northern and Southern agriculture, slavery and emancipation, industrialization and industrial organization, transportation, impact of wars, the changing role of women and the interaction of government and market.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91 and 1P92.

ECON 2P11

European Economic History

The pre-industrial economy of the Middle Ages, the commercial expansion of Europe in the 16th century, the 17th century depression and the Industrial and Agricultural revolutions of the late 18th and 19th centuries. Technical progress, capital accumulation, growth of demand and new forms of economic organization as sources of economic change. The spread of industrialization between countries, the role of Europe in the world economy and the changing economic role of the state.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91 and 1P92.

*ECON 2P15

The Economics of Unions

(also offered as LABR 2P15)

Labour unions in the marketplace. How unions affect, and are affected by, the labour and product markets. Topics include the effects of unions on wages, fringe benefits, turnover, inequality, productivity and the profitability of firms; union behaviour; who belongs to unions and why; collective bargaining; strikes; interest arbitration; public-sector unionism.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91 and 1P92.

ECON 2P17

Economic Development

The economic factors affecting the growth of developing countries. Topics include growth models, inequality and poverty, education, urbanization, agriculture, international trade and the historical emergence of today's underdeveloped nations.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91 and 1P92.

ECON 2P21

Intermediate Microeconomics I

Topics include the theory of the consumer and producer, willingness to pay, index numbers, the structure of a perfectly competitive industry and an introduction to imperfectly competitive markets. Applications are emphasized.

Lectures, tutorial, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 1P91.

Note: MATH 1P97 is strongly recommended.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in ECON 2P23.

ECON 2P22

Intermediate Macroeconomics I

Main determinants of aggregate output and national income in an open economy. Topics include money and interest, effects of fiscal and monetary policies, and trade and capital flows under different exchange rate regimes. Extension of the macroeconomic model to include the price level. Study of aggregate demand and aggregate supply.

Lectures, tutorial, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 1P92.

ECON 2P23

Managerial Economics

Application of microeconomic concepts to business decision making. Topics include sales taxes and subsidies, consumer theory, production theory and various market structures such as discriminating monopoly, oligopoly and dominant firms.

Lectures, tutorial, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: not open to ECON (single or combined) majors.

Prerequisite: ECON 1P91.

Note: this course is primarily designed for students in the Business Administration program. MATH 1P97 is strongly recommended.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in ECON 2P21.

*ECON 2P28

Economics of the Environment

(also offered as ENVI 2P28)

Environmental problems and natural resource management. Real world applications and case studies including sustainable development, pollution, taxes, the crisis in Canada's commercial fisheries and valuing improvements to environmental quality.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to students with a minimum of 4.0 overall credits.

*ECON 2P41

Economics of Tourism and Leisure Activities

(also offered as RECL 2P41 and TOUR 2P41)

Introduction to the economic analysis of the tourism industry. Determinants of the demand and supply for tourism and recreation; impact of tourism, recreation and leisure on regional and national economies. Topics may include ecotourism and the impact of government policies on tourism and recreation.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to students with a minimum of 4.0 credits. Not open to ECON (single or combined) majors, BBE or ENEC students.

ECON 2P42

Economics of Professional Sport

Economics of professional sport industries. Topics include the cost and market structures of professional sport, the economics of stadiums and arenas, and the economic impact of professional sport teams on a local economy.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 1P91.

*ECON 2P65

Health Economics

(also offered as CHSC 2P65)

Topics may include economic factors affecting the delivery of health care; principles of cost-benefit analysis of health-care services; economic analysis of the supply of health care in Canada; government versus private health insurance; public versus private provision of health care; the economics of medical technology; the supply of physician services, pharmaceutical pricing and access.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to students with a minimum of 4.0 overall credits.

#ECON 2P86

Women in the Economy

(also offered as CANA 2P86, LABR 2P86, SOCI 2P86 and WISE 2P86)

Women in the Canadian labour market. Topics include allocation of time between the household and the labour market, gender segregation in the work place, how earnings are determined, causes of occupational and earnings difference by gender, role of investment in education and discrimination, recent developments in the labour market and their impact on women and men, and selected policy issues.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: students must have a minimum of 4.0 overall credits.

ECON 2P90

Introduction to Econometrics

Probability, random variables and density functions; correlation analysis; estimation and hypothesis testing in the classical linear regression model. Practical applications to different areas of economics and business.

Lectures, lab, 4.5 hours per week.

Restriction: not open to MATH (single or combined) majors.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91 and 1P92; MATH 1F92 or 1P98.

ECON 2P91

Decision Analysis

Linear programming, decision trees using Bayes theoreom, expected value under uncertainty. Multiple regression analysis with applications to forecasting and business decisions. Dynamic programming simulation.

Lectures, lab, 4.5 hours per week.

Restriction: not open to ECON (single or combined), BBE, ENEC and INPE majors.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91, 1P92, ITIS 1P97, MATH 1P97 and 1P98.

Note: combined Economics and Business majors may register. Contact the Economics Department.

ECON 2P92

Research Methods in Economics

Locating economic data and published research, planning the project and defining a hypothesis, reasoning and argument in economics, uses and abuses of theory and quantitative methods, selection of appropriate methods, presentation of the findings.

Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: open to ECON (single or combined), BBE and ENEC majors.

Prerequisites: ECON 2P21, 2P22 and 2P90.

*ECON 2P94

Canadian Economic Issues

(also offered as LABR 2P94)

Canadian economic and business problems and policies. Topics may include stabilization, competition, taxation, foreign trade and exchange rate policies.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P91 and 1P92.

ECON 2V60-2V69

Topics in Canadian Economic Policy

Study of a particular area or theme in Canadian economic policy.

ECON 3P01

History of Economic Thought I

Development of economic analysis to 1870, including mercantilism, the classical school of political economy and Marx.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P02

History of Economic Thought II

The development of economic analysis since 1870, including marginalism, Keynes and the founders of modern economies.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 1P92; ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

Note: ECON 3P01 is recommended.

ECON 3P03

Money and Banking I

Financial markets, understanding interest rates, portfolio choice, the capital asset pricing model, the behaviour of interest rates, the risk and term structure of interest rates, the foreign exchange market. Economic analysis of banking structure, the banking firm and the management of financial institutions.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 2P21 or 2P23; ECON 2P22.

ECON 3P04

Money and Banking II

Financial derivatives and risk management. Central banking and the conduct of monetary policy, the demand for money, the transmission mechanisms of monetary policy, money and inflation, theory of rational expectations and efficient capital markets.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 2P21 or 2P23; ECON 2P22.

Note: ECON 3P03 is recommended.

ECON 3P06

Industrial Organization I

Markets and the economic environment affecting strategic pricing and non-pricing behaviour of firms. Topics include the determinants of market structure, oligopoly pricing including game theory, predatory pricing, resale price maintenance, limit pricing, price fixing, advertising and research and development.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P07

Comparative Economic Systems I

Alternative economic systems, including centrally directed economies. Emphasis on planning as a substitute for markets.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P08

Comparative Economic Systems II

Changing economic systems: globalization and economic integration (NAFTA, the European Union); the transition from plan to market in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and China; the Japanese economy.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

Note: ECON 3P07 is recommended.

ECON 3P13

Economics of the Multinational Enterprise

Economic theory of and public policy towards the multinational enterprise. Topics include theories of foreign direct investment, macroeconomic and microeconomic effects of direct investment in host countries, home country issues, industry studies, public policy towards multinationals.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P14

Public Sector Economics: Expenditure

The role and nature of the government sector; economics of public expenditure with reference to equity and efficiency considerations; techniques of public expenditure analysis; intergovernmental fiscal relations and economics of public debt.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P15

Public Sector Economics: Taxation

An introduction to the theory of taxation; economic consequences of federal and provincial taxes; theory of optimum taxation; analysis of Canadian tax system.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P16

Industrial Organization II

The evolution of competition policy in Canada and the application of the present Competition Act to effect market structure, market conduct and market performance. Other policy approaches such as public regulation and public ownership.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 3P06.

ECON 3P18

Urban Economics

Theories of location, city formation and urban spatial structure. Topics include housing, transportation, poverty, financing of municipal governments and the economics of city size. Social welfare implications of problems and policies.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P19

Regional Economics

Theories of regional income determination; classical and other theories of regional growth; regional business cycles. Canadian regional disparities and nature of "Canadian Economic Union". Regional development policies in Canada, the UK and France.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P22.

ECON 3P21

Intermediate Microeconomics II

Topics may include models of market structure such as monopoly, duopoly, oligopoly and monopolistic competition; demand and supply of factors of production under perfect and imperfect markets. Introduction to the general equilibrium model and welfare theory emphasizing applications.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in ECON 2P31.

ECON 3P22

Intermediate Macroeconomics II

Topics include economic growth theory, money demand and supply, inflation, unemployment, and the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy in an open economy.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P22.

Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in ECON 2P32.

*ECON 3P24

Labour Economics

(also offered as LABR 3P24)

Economics of the labour market. Topics include the demand for labour, the supply of labour and investment in human capital. Policy applications.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

*ECON 3P25

Topics in Labour Economics

(also offered as LABR 3P25)

Topics vary from year to year and may include unemployment and the impact of unemployment insurance in the labour market, discrimination in the labour market, labour migration and the economic impact of immigration, economics of the family, the distribution of income and wealth in Canada, the economic impact of unions on wages and non-wage outcomes, issues in retirement and pensions.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P27

Economics of Natural Resources

Economic analysis of the extraction of non-renewable resources (such as oil or minerals) and the harvest of renewable resources (such as water, fish or forests). Development of socially optimal extraction or harvesting rules. Examination of recent government resource policies.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P28

Environmental Economics

Economic analysis of environmental degradation. The theory of externalities applied to environmental policy design for air, water, soil and toxic pollutants. International and distributional impacts.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P21 or 2P23.

ECON 3P60

Directed Studies in Economics

Topics not covered in the Department's regular course offerings.

Restriction: permission of the Department

Note: topics must be chosen in consultation with a faculty member willing to supervise the directed studies.

#ECON 3P73

Game Theory

(also offered as MATH 3P73)

Applications of modelling; review of elementary decision theory and subjective probability theory; game theory (Nash equilibrium; two player NZS games; Nash cooperative solution); Shapley value; voting power, selected cases from economics and other applications.

Lectures, 3 hours per week; lab/tutorial, 1 hour per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 3P91 or MATH 2P72 (2P60) or permission of the instructor.

ECON 3P90

Econometrics

The regression model in applied economics. The classical model and its extensions such as auto correlation and heteroscedasticity. Model specification and introduction to dynamic models. Theory and application of the regression model including a variety of practical examples.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 2P21 or 2P23; ECON 2P22; ECON 2P90 or MATH 2P81 and 2P82; MATH 1P01 or 1P97 or permission of the instructor.

ECON 3P91

Mathematical Economics

Application of quantitative techniques to economic theory and business problems. Quantitative techniques include matrix algebra, differential calculus, multivariate optimization without constraints and constrained optimization. Applications include the Leontief input-output model, the matrix representation of the classical least squares model in econometrics, profit and utility maximization, cost minimization, derivation of fiscal and monetary multipliers of nonlinear macroeconomic models, comparative statistics and efficiency wages.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: not open to MATH (single or combined) majors or general studies students.

Prerequisites: ECON 2P21 or 2P23; ECON 2P22; MATH 1P01 or 1P97.

ECON 3P92

Forecasting in Economics

Forecasting methods in business and economics such as time series extrapolative methods, Box-Jenkins and econometric model-based approaches. Combined forecasting methods and evaluation of forecasts. Practical applications in business and economics.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 2P90 or MATH 2P81.

ECON 3P93

International Trade

The pure theory of international trade and commercial policy. Topics include the gains from trade, specialization, determinants of trade flows and impacts of tariffs and quotas.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 3P21 (2P31).

ECON 3P94

International Payments

Adjustment in the balance of payments and the role of international monetary institutions. International capital flows, interest rate arbitrage and exchange rates. International asset portfolio diversification.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 2P21 or 2P23; ECON 3P22 (2P32).

ECON 3P95

Topics in Applied Econometrics

Topics may include time series econometrics, simultaneous equation model, unit root problem, trend modelling in economic time series, co-integration, Granger causality testing, vector auto regressions and dummy dependent variable models.

Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 3P90 and 3P91.

ECON 3P96

Economic Growth and Business Cycles

Characteristics of business cycles. Theories attempting to explain the cyclical fluctuation of total output, employment and inflation. Criteria for judging the validity of business cycle theories in explaining actual fluctuations.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 2P22 and 2P90.

ECON 3P97

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Analysis of welfare economics and its application to project evaluation. Emphasis on measurement of non-market activities such as benefits from environmental improvements and valuation of unemployed resources.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisite: ECON 3P21 (2P31).

ECON 3P98

Economics of Information

Analysis of economic behaviour under different information structures. Topics may include principle-agent models, non-linear pricing, auctions, herd behaviour and cheap talk.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 3P21 and 3P91.

ECON 3Q90

Computational Economics

Introduction to modern computer-based numerical methods for the analysis of economic models. Discussion of problems not readily solved using standard analytics. Computational techniques, with actual applications providing experience as alternatives. Topics include numerical equation solving, function evaluation, root finding, optimization or simulation of games, dynamic general equilibrium, models with uncertainty.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 3P21 and 3P91.

ECON 3V60-3V69

Field Courses in Economics

Application of economic analysis to special topics.

ECON 4F90

Honours Essay

Program of reading and research under the supervision of a Faculty member.

Restriction: open to ECON (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours).

Note: for more information students should consult the ECON 4F90 co-ordinator.

ECON 4P13

Advanced Macroeconomics

Advanced macro theory supplemented with readings and discussions of recent literature.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 3P22 (2P32) and 3P91 or permission of the instructor.

ECON 4P14

Advanced Microeconomics

Advanced micro theory. Topics may include theory of consumer behaviour, theory of the firm, imperfect competition, general equilibrium and welfare economics, behaviour under uncertainty, risk and asymmetric information.

Lectures, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: ECON 3P21 (2P31) and 3P91 or permission of the instructor.

CO-OP COURSES

ECON 0N01

Work Placement I

First co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.