Topics in Economic Policy

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 7
• Convenor: Professor S. Kapur
• Tutors: Professor S. Kapur, Professor Gylfi Zoega
• Assessment: three essays up to 1000 words each, a 3000-word essay and short in-class presentations (100%)

This module offers advanced rigorous analysis of current debates in economic policy. It will teach you how to identify key economic issues, e.g. the economic challenges associated with climate change; the future of work in an era of artificial intelligence; inflation, cost of living and its implications for intergenerational welfare; the rise of cryptocurrencies; and the implications of de-globalisation for trade and migration. The emphasis will be on the use of standard economic insights, without relying on mathematical overhead, to analyse the problems and suggest policy solutions.

Indicative module syllabus

• The economic challenges associated with climate change
• The future of work in an era of artificial intelligence
• Inflation, cost of living and its implications for intergenerational welfare
• The rise of cryptocurrencies
• The implications of de-globalisation for trade and migration
• The future of the welfare state
• The economics of future pandemics

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• identify and characterise issues of economic relevance in current policy debates, from a diverse set of media, including articles in academic journals
• demonstrate how simple yet powerful economic insights and theory can be used to analyse the relevant issues, the diverse perspectives and the circumstances that lead people to disagree
• locate primary or secondary data that sheds light on the economic issue, and use standard techniques in data visualisation and data analysis to examine the empirics and causal analysis
• formulate policy solutions consistent with economic theory and empirical analysis, and to anticipate the practical challenges associated with policy implementation
• present the findings in written and oral presentations in a manner that is consistent with master’s-level training in economics but yet accessible to a wider audience.