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Week
number
|
Date |
Day |
Topic
|
Assignment
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Week
1
Back
to top of schedule
|
9/12
|
Tu
|
Introduction
to Economics 155A |
|
| |
9/14
|
Th
|
Introduction
to formal economic reasoning
|
Chapter
1 of Colander
"To Reduce the Cost of Teenage Temptation, Why Not Just Raise the Price of Sin?" David Leonhardt, The New York Times (July 25, 2005). (Lexis-Nexis)
"US Can't Protect All Targets, Chertoff Says." Eric Lipton, The New York Times (September 13, 2006). |
Week 2
Back to top of schedule |
9/19 |
Tu |
Production possibilities and tradeoffs
(Selected slides)
Review of mathematical and spreadsheet skills for economists
(Selected slides) |
Chapter
2 of Colander, including Appendix A
Worksheet on making trails in national forests. |
| |
9/21
|
Th |
Thinking
like an economist (part 1) |
Chapters
1 - 8 of Roberts
|
Week 3
Back to top of schedule |
9/25 |
M |
PROBLEM SET |
Problem set 1: using economic reasoning (due by 5:00 PM in 'class slot' in Munroe Hall - outside of Munroe 316)
Answers to problem set 1 |
|
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9/26
|
Tu |
Economic
reasoning, society, and well-being. |
Chapter
1 from Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History
of the Twentieth Century World, J.R. McNeill, W.W. Norton
and Co. (E-Res)
"A New Measure of Well-Being from a Happy Little Kingdom." Andrew Revkin, The New York Times (October 4, 2005) |
| |
9/28
|
Th |
Introduction
to supply and demand
A market for spring-break vacations |
Chapter
4 of Colander
Welcome to Bermuda!
|
|
Week 4
Back to top of schedule |
10/3
|
Tu |
Applications
of supply and demand analysis |
Chapter
5 (including Appendix A) of Colander
"Ways and Means: Harvard's Wage Debate." Harvard Magazine (November - December 2001)
"Let Them Sweat," Nicholas D. Kristof, The New York Times (June 25, 2002). (Lexis-Nexis)
"Pennies an Hour, and No Way Up," Tom Hayden and Charles Kernaghan The New York Times (July 6, 2002). (Lexis-Nexis) |
| |
10/5
|
Th |
Thinking
like an economist (part 2) |
Chapters
9 - 14 of Roberts
"Teacher
Shortages Vanish When the Price is Right.' Richard Rothstein,
The New York Times (September 25, 2002) (Lexis-Nexis)
Donors
Choose, a new kind of nonprofit
"Matching
Givers with Those in Need." Stephanie Strom, The
New York Times (July 2, 2002) (Lexis-Nexis)
|
|
Week 5
Back to top of schedule |
10/10 |
Tu |
The sensitivity of supply and demand |
Chapter 6 of Colander
"As Prices Rise, Car-pooling Begins to Replace Privacy," Patrick McGeehan, The New York Times (September 8, 2005). (Lexis-Nexis) |
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10/11 |
W |
PROBLEM SET |
Problem set 2: using demand and supply: (due by 5:00 PM in 'class slot' in Munroe Hall - outside of Munroe 316)
Answers to problem set 2 |
|
|
10/12
|
Th |
Thinking like an economist (part 3)
(selected slides) |
Chapters 15 - 21 of Roberts |
Week 6
Back to top of schedule |
10/17 |
Tu |
MID-TERM RECESS |
-- |
| |
10/19 |
Thursday EVENING,
7:30 PM - 10:00 PM |
Exam -
BiHall 219 and 220
Answers to 2006 |
Exam from 2001
Solutions to exam from 2001
Exam from 2002
Answers to Exam from 2002 |
Week 7
Back to top of schedule |
10/24 |
Tu |
The logic
of individual choice
(selected
slides)
|
Chapter
8 (including Appendix A) of Colander
"A
price not paid in money," James Schembari, The New York
Times (February 28, 1999). (Lexis-Nexis).
"Why
Americans should rest," Juliet Schor, The New York
Times (September 2, 2002). (Lexis-Nexis).
|
| |
10/26 |
Th |
The relationship between productivity and costs (part 1). |
Chapter 9 of Colander |
|
Week 8
Back to top of schedule |
10/31 |
Tu |
The relationship between productivity and costs (part 2) |
"Smaller: the disposable diaper and the meaning of progress," Malcom Gladwell, The New Yorker (November 26, 2001)
|
|
|
11/2
|
Th |
What makes a good firm? |
"Brilliant Careers: Warren Buffet," Salon Magazine (August 31, 1999)
"The Spirit of St. Louis," The Economist (March 9, 2002) |
|
Week 9
Back to top of schedule |
11/7
|
Tu |
Economies
of scale |
Chapter
10 of Colander
"The
Fuel-Cell Sell," James Surowiecki, The New Yorker
(November 6, 2000) (E-Res).
"The
Goldilocks Effect," James Surowiecki, The New Yorker
(May 27, 2002)
Simulation
from "The Emergence of Firms in a Population of Agents:
Local Increasing Returns, Unstable Nash Equilibria, and Power
Law Size Distribution," by Robert Axtell. The Brookings
Institute.
|
| |
11/8/05 |
We |
PROBLEM SET |
Problem set 3 (due by 5:00 PM in 'class slot' in Munroe Hall - outside of Munroe 316)
Answers to problem set 3 |
| |
11/9 |
Th |
Firm behavior in a perfectly competitive market |
Chapter 11 of Colander
"Pierre Omidyar's Perfect Store Turns 10," Adam Cohen, The New York Times (September 7, 2005) (Lexis-Nexis) |
|
Week 10
Back to top of schedule
|
11/14
|
Tu |
Firm behavior in a perfectly competitive market (continued) |
"Net start-up flourishes in Ghana," Michael M. Phillips, The Wall Street Journal (May 22, 2002) (Lexis-Nexis)
"Closing Leaves a Hole in a Town's Retail Heart"
Lisa W. Foderaro. The New York Times (November 4, 2002). (Lexis-Nexis) |
| |
11/16 |
Th |
The monopolistic market |
Chapter 12 of Colander
"New theaters stir competition," Brent Hallenbeck, The Burlington Free Press (January 14, 2002) (Lexis-Nexis)
|
Week 11
Back to top of schedule |
11/20 |
Tu |
What makes a good firm? (continued) |
"Capitalism with a Heart ", John Tierney. The New York Times (September 16, 2006).
"Shopping for a Nobel ", John Tierney. The New York Times (October 17, 2006).
"Toilets Underused to Fight Disease, U.N. Study Finds", Celia W. Dugger. The New York Times (November 10, 2006). |
| |
11/21 |
Tu |
-- |
Problem set 4: (due by 5:00 PM in 'class slot' in Munroe Hall - outside of Munroe 316).
Answers to problem set 4 |
|
Week 12
Back to top of schedule |
11/28/05
|
Tu |
The
monopolistically competitive market and oligopoly |
Chapter
13 of Colander.
|
|
|
11/30/05
|
Th |
Firm
behavior in the real world |
Chapter 14 of Colander.
|
|
Week 13
Back to top of schedule |
12/5
|
Tu |
The
tragedy of the commons |
"The
Tragedy of the Commons" Garret Hardin, Science 162 (1968)
"A Tale of Two Fisheries,." John Tierney, The New Tork Times (August 27, 2000) (Lexis-Nexis) |
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12/7
|
Th |
Strategies
for improving well-being among the world's poor |
"Listen to the voices," from the website for Voices of the Poor, Deepa Narayan et al., Oxford University Press.
'Globalization
and its critics' The Economist (September 27, 2001)
"What's Wrong with Profit?" Stephanie Strom, The New Tork Times (November 13, 2006) (Lexis-Nexis)
"Millions for Millions" Connie Bruck The New Yorker (November 23, 2006)
"For $150, Third-World Laptop Stirs Big Debate." John Markoff, The New Tork Times (November 30, 2006) (Lexis-Nexis)
|
|
Exam
period
12/11 - 12/18
Back
to top of schedule
|
|
|
Final
exam
Self-scheduled exam slots |
Sample exam questions (from the second midterm of 2001)
Answers to sample exam questions
Selected slides from second half of course
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