ECON 490

Spring 2020 All Classes

All Classes

Topics in Economics

SHOW FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

Credit: 3 OR 4 hours.

Special topics in advanced economics within a variety of areas. See course schedule for topics.

3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated in the same or separate terms to a maximum of 9 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours if topics vary. Prerequisite: ECON 202; ECON 302 or ECON 303; MATH 220 or MATH 221 or other Calculus course. Some topics may require additional prerequisites, read the section text for each topic.

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ECON 490 class schedule data for spring 2020
CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
64018	Lecture-Discussion	B3	11:00AM -12:20PM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Rodrigues Junior, M	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: International Trade Section Info: This course introduces students to economic models of international trade and empirical applications. The idea is to understand why countries trade and the consequences of trade policy. PREREQUISITES: ECON 203 and ECON 302 Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
67075	Lecture-Discussion	B4	11:00AM -12:20PM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Rodrigues Junior, M	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Special Approval: Departmental Approval Required Credit: 4 hours Section Title: International Trade Section Info: This section will not open.This course introduces students to economic models of international trade and empirical applications. The idea is to understand why countries trade and the consequences of trade policy. PREREQUISITES: ECON 203 and ECON 302 ***************Graduate students enrolled in this section will have to submit an additional paper or complete an additional project beyond the other course requirements for this course. See instructor for further details.*************** Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
64022	Lecture-Discussion	D3	9:30AM -10:50AM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Howard, G	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: International Finance Section Info: This class covers topics in international finance, including exchange rates, current accounts, currency unions, and risk. There is a particular emphasis on understanding different types of financial crises. The course will cover theoretical models (including some basic calculus) and case studies. Students are expected to have taken ECON 202 and 303.***Advanced ECON courses restricted. Find more information: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
64023	Lecture-Discussion	D4	9:30AM -10:50AM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Howard, G	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Special Approval: Departmental Approval Required Credit: 4 hours Section Title: International Finance Section Info: This section will not open.This class covers topics in international finance, including exchange rates, current accounts, currency unions, and risk. There is a particular emphasis on understanding different types of financial crises. The course will cover theoretical models (including some basic calculus) and case studies. Students are expected to have taken ECON 202 and 303.***************Graduate students enrolled in this section will have to submit an additional policy paper.*************** Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
62266	Lecture-Discussion	F3	2:00PM -3:20PM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Toossi, A	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Economics of Coordination Section Info: In any institution based on the decentralized decision making of agents who follow their own goals, a fundamental question is how to structure interactions between them so that they are free to make their own decisions while avoiding outcomes that none would have chosen. The coordination failure occurs when the individuals find the aggregate effect of the decentralized decision making to be undesirable. In this course we discuss the types and causes of coordination problems, and using core concepts of economics and game theory will develop simple models to shed light on coordination problems in different markets and how institutions are developed to overcome them. ***Advanced ECON courses restricted. Find more information: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
57387	Lecture-Discussion	F4	2:00PM -3:20PM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Toossi, A	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Special Approval: Departmental Approval Required Credit: 4 hours Section Title: Economics of Coordination Section Info: This section will not open.Concepts of economics and game theory will develop simple models to shed light on coordination problems in different markets and how institutions are developed to overcome them. Graduate students enrolled in this section will have to submit an additional paper or complete an additional project beyond the other course requirements for this course. See instructor for further details.***************Graduate students enrolled in this section will have to submit an additional paper or complete an additional project beyond the other course requirements for this course. See instructor for further details.*************** Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
70372	Lecture-Discussion	FG3	3:30PM -4:50PM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Gahvari, F	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Welfare, Income and Gov't Role Section Info: Social Welfare, Income Inequality, and the Role of Government. This course presents certain economic perspectives on concepts of distributive justice, inequality and social welfare; it also studies attempts at quantifying them. It goes on to examine, in light of the said objectives and the various resource and informational constraints the economy faces, the government’s role in designing redistributive tax and expenditure policies. In the process, it discusses economic consequences of these policies highlighting the trade-off between the society’s equity concerns and economic efficiency. Prerequisites: ECON 302; MATH 231 (Calculus II) or a more advanced course in calculus. *Course restricted to certain majors. Information on Spring Econ Course Restrictions: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions* Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
64026	Lecture-Discussion	H3	9:30AM -10:50AM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Poloni Sant Anna, V	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: International Trade Section Info: This course applies economic theory to analyze the trends and patterns of international trade and to understand the interaction between economic development, government policy, and trade. The course will also cover a number of topics of current interest, including the effects of trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas, migration, and off-shoring. ***Advanced ECON courses restricted. Find more information: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
57409	Lecture-Discussion	K3	2:00PM -3:20PM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Farhoodi, A Khazra, N	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Applied Machine Learning: Econ Section Info: Applied Machine Learning in Economics: This course gives an overview of different concepts, techniques, and algorithms in machine learning and their applications in economics. We begin with topics such as classification, linear and non-linear regressions and end with more recent topics such as boosting, support vector machines, and Neural networks as time allows. This course will give students the basic knowledge behind these machine learning methods and the ability to utilize them in an economic setting. Students will be led and mentored to develop and solve an economic problem with machine learning methods introduced during the course. PREREQUISITES: ECON 203 & 302, MATH 220/221 Required; ECON 471 or Econometrics knowledge Highly Recommended (we will expect you to be comfortable with econometrics). *Students should have a LAPTOP to bring to this class.* ***Advanced ECON courses restricted. Find more information: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
57365	Lecture-Discussion	L3	3:30PM -4:50PM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Farhoodi, A Khazra, N	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Applied Machine Learning: Econ Section Info: Applied Machine Learning in Economics: This course gives an overview of different concepts, techniques, and algorithms in machine learning and their applications in economics. We begin with topics such as classification, linear and non-linear regressions and end with more recent topics such as boosting, support vector machines, and Neural networks as time allows. This course will give students the basic knowledge behind these machine learning methods and the ability to utilize them in an economic setting. Students will be led and mentored to develop and solve an economic problem with machine learning methods introduced during the course. PREREQUISITES: ECON 203 & 302, MATH 220/221 Required; ECON 471 or Econometrics knowledge Highly Recommended (we will expect you to be comfortable with econometrics). *Students should have a LAPTOP to bring to this class.* ***Advanced ECON courses restricted. Find more information: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
70381	Lecture-Discussion	R3	9:30AM -10:50AM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Ghosh, P	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Economic Growth Section Info: Economic Growth. The course is designed to inspect some fundamental questions in the world economy- What are the primary factors driving the per capita GDP growth of any particular country? What explains the convergence or divergence patterns of growth rates across nations? Scholars have proposed different theories to address these concerns and we will explore some of them. Firstly, we examine long run growth determined by exogenous factors, secondly, we discuss endogenous growth by looking at technical factors and role of human capital, thirdly we delve deeper by considering population dynamics and its implications, fourthly we look at more recent theories emphasizing the role of institutions and finally we evaluate all the theories together. The objective of the course is to enable students to apply the knowledge of macroeconomic theory and mathematical tools to address issues in growth. REQUIRED PREREQUISITES: ECON 302 & 303. RECOMMENDED: Basic knowledge of any statistical software. R/Excel/ Stata may be used in a few classes. *Course restricted to certain majors. Information on Spring Econ Course Restrictions: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions* Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
70371	Lecture-Discussion	S3	2:00PM -3:20PM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Armendariz Buaun, R	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Predictive Analytics Section Info: This course develops analytical tools to employ economic modeling and data to make better strategic decisions. The objective of this course is to foster data-driven critical-thinking skills through econometric analyses and statistical interpretation. Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
70456	Lecture-Discussion	S4	2:00PM -3:20PM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Armendariz Buaun, R	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 4 hours Section Title: Predictive Analytics Section Info: This course develops analytical tools to employ economic modeling and data to make better strategic decisions. The objective of this course is to foster data-driven critical-thinking skills through econometric analyses and statistical interpretation.***************RESTRICTED TO MSPE STUDENTS***************Graduate students enrolled in this section will have to submit an additional paper or complete an additional project beyond the other course requirements for this course. Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign. Restricted to MS:Economics:Policy Econ -UIUC.
64041	Lecture-Discussion	T3	11:00AM -12:20PM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Hong, S	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Econ of the Digital Economy Section Info: Economics of the Digital Economy. This course analyzes firm strategies and public policy issues surrounding digital economy and related industries. The analysis applies economic tools and principles, including game theory, industrial organization, and information economics. Topics include: economics of information; economics of information goods and platforms; strategic pricing; search and the long tail; network effects and system competition; industry structure of digital markets. *Course restricted to certain majors. Information on Spring Econ Course Restrictions: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions* Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
70457	Lecture-Discussion	T4	11:00AM -12:20PM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Hong, S	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 4 hours Section Title: Econ of the Digital Economy Section Info: Economics of the Digital Economy. This course analyzes firm strategies and public policy issues surrounding digital economy and related industries. The analysis applies economic tools and principles, including game theory, industrial organization, and information economics. Topics include: economics of information; economics of information goods and platforms; strategic pricing; search and the long tail; network effects and system competition; industry structure of digital markets.***************RESTRICTED TO MSPE STUDENTS***************Graduate students enrolled in this section will have to submit an additional paper or complete an additional project beyond the other course requirements for this course. Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign. Restricted to MS:Economics:Policy Econ -UIUC.
59202	Lecture-Discussion	Y3	8:00AM -9:20AM	MW	Wohlers Hall	Weinstein, R	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Nonlinear Econometric Models Section Info: Duration analysis is used to address a wide range of questions relevant for policy organizations, central banks, the financial sector, and industry generally. Examples of these questions include: what is the probability that an individual will exit unemployment this week, given he has been unemployed for the past eight weeks; what is the probability that an individual defaults on their mortgage this month given they have not defaulted for the past 12 months; what is the probability that a firm adopts a new technology this year conditional on not having adopted for the past 3 years, and how does this depend on the firm’s market share. The goal of this course is to develop the tools to understand, estimate, and interpret duration analysis models—statistical models used to analyze duration data. Students will gain practical experience organizing data and writing code for statistical software to estimate these models and better understand economic phenomena. Prerequisites include ECON 302 or 303, and ECON 471. Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.
62505	Lecture-Discussion	Y4	8:00AM -9:20AM	MW	Wohlers Hall	Weinstein, R	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 4 hours Section Title: Nonlinear Econometric Models Section Info: Duration analysis is used to address a wide range of questions relevant for policy organizations, central banks, the financial sector, and industry generally. Examples of these questions include: what is the probability that an individual will exit unemployment this week, given he has been unemployed for the past eight weeks; what is the probability that an individual defaults on their mortgage this month given they have not defaulted for the past 12 months; what is the probability that a firm adopts a new technology this year conditional on not having adopted for the past 3 years, and how does this depend on the firm’s market share. The goal of this course is to develop the tools to understand, estimate, and interpret duration analysis models—statistical models used to analyze duration data. Students will gain practical experience organizing data and writing code for statistical software to estimate these models and better understand economic phenomena. Prerequisites include ECON 302 or 303, and ECON 471. ***************RESTRICTED TO MSPE STUDENTS***************Graduate students enrolled in this section will have to submit an additional paper or complete an additional project beyond the other course requirements for this course. Restriction(s): Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign. Restricted to MS:Economics:Policy Econ -UIUC.
70384	Lecture-Discussion	Z3	9:30AM -10:50AM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Vazquez, J	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/21/20-05/06/20 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: Int'l Environmental Policy Section Info: This course explores the economic basis of environmental problems and examines alternative policies aimed at reducing environmental degradation, with a special focus on global environmental problems. International environmental issues need special attention due to the fact most pollution can not be contained easily within political boundaries. Among the topics are the deficiencies in the market system and existing property-rights system that contribute to environmental problems, cases where public intervention offers the potential for improvement, cases amenable to market-based approaches, and the public-policy tools available to promote environmental goals. Restriction(s): Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.