ECON 490

Spring 2024 Part of Term 1

Part of Term 1
Jan 16-May 1

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 2024
CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
57365	Lecture-Discussion	A03	11:00AM -12:20PM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Sun, Y	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: INTERNATIONAL LABOR MARKETS Section Info: FIELD: Macro. DESCRIPTION for Int'l Labor Mkts: This course provides an overview of labor markets in a number of countries that represent different stages of economic development, with an emphasis on labor market regulations. We will focus on the impact of various labor market regulations, including minimum wages, employment protections, collective bargaining rights, and social security laws, on various labor market outcomes (earnings, employment, productivity, and a country’s overall economic growth). Students are expected to gain an in-depth understanding of the huge variations in labor market regulations around the world, and critically analyze its important impact on various labor market outcomes and a country’s overall economic growth. PREREQUISITES: Econ 302 & Math 220 or equivalent. RESTRICTION INFO: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Economics or Econometrics & Quant Econ or Computer Science & Economics major(s) or minor(s).
57366	Lecture-Discussion	A04	11:00AM -12:20PM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Sun, Y	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Special Approval: Departmental Approval Required Credit: 4 hours Section Title: INTERNATIONAL LABOR MARKETS Section Info: Please see the 3-credit section of this title for the course description. Students registered for graduate credit must complete additional work beyond the undergraduate requirements. Contact instructor for details when instruction begins. Restriction(s): Restricted to students in the Economics department. Restricted to Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
70387	Lecture-Discussion	A3	3:30PM -4:50PM	TR	Gregory Hall	Stocker, A	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT Section Info: FIELD: Micro. DESCRIPTION for Gender & Development Economics: This course focuses on the role of gender economics in developing countries. A variety of topics in the intersection of gender economics and development economics will be covered, including gender inequality, women’s empowerment, household dynamics, the role of government, poverty cycles, violence, and the interaction of race and gender dynamics. The course will primarily focus on the roles and circumstances of women in developing countries and how inequalities between men and women originated and continue to impact outcomes today. In addition to learning the relevant theory, assigned readings will cover recent research in each of the main topic areas. Students will read papers related to each of these topics and will write their own research paper on a topic and country of their choice. RESTRICTION INFO: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Economics or Econometrics & Quant Econ or Computer Science & Economics major(s) or minor(s).
64175	Online	B3	9:30AM -10:50AM	MW	n.a.	Cenerini, F	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: VALUATION OF NONMARKET GOODS Section Info: FIELD: Micro. DESCRIPTION for Economic Valuation of Non-Market Goods: How much should a pianist pay for their hand insurance? Or a mining company for damages to an ecosystem? The course explores this type of questions through the most common methods for valuation of non-market goods and services. These are used often by government agencies, attorneys and judges calculating damages to the environment or health, insurance companies, and all branches of economics which need to assign values to goods and services that are not traded in markets. Topics include stated preferences, travel cost method, and the hedonic method, among others. By the end of the course, the student will be familiar with the most common evaluation methods and will be able to apply and modify them for new contexts. RESTRICTION INFO: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Economics or Econometrics & Quant Econ or Computer Science & Economics major(s) or minor(s).
57211	Lecture-Discussion	C3	12:30PM -1:50PM	TR	Animal Sciences Laboratory	Durandard, T	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: MECHANISM DESIGN & INFORMATION Section Info: FIELD: Microeconomics \| DESCRIPTION for Mechanism Design & Information: A homework assignment has four questions. Two students want to split the homework but do not know which questions the other prefers. Can they reach a fair division? In this course, we will learn how economists think about this question (and many others). Traditionally, economics has focused on the study of existing markets, but recently, economic theorists have been involved in designing markets for new products and redesigning poorly performing existing markets. Mechanism design is used to determine pricing policies, write labor contracts, design auctions, tax schemes, matching mechanisms, etc... We will approach these issues from a theoretical perspective and examine real-world applications. Examples will include how Google sells advertising space, how medical students are matched to residencies, and how governments auction natural resources. PREREQUISITES: ECON 302, ECON 437, MATH 220/221 RESTRICTION INFO: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Economics or Econometrics & Quant Econ or Computer Science & Economics major(s) or minor(s).
64025	Lecture-Discussion	C4	12:30PM -1:50PM	TR	Animal Sciences Laboratory	Durandard, T	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Special Approval: Advisor Approval Required Credit: 4 hours Section Title: MECHANISM DESIGN & INFORMATION Section Info: Please see the 3-credit section of this title for the description. Restriction(s): Restricted to MS:Economics:Policy Econ -UIUC.
70388	Lecture-Discussion	D3	12:30PM -1:50PM	MW	David Kinley Hall	Wang, C	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: INTERNATIONAL TRADE Section Info: FIELD: Macro. DESCRIPTION for International Trade: This course is about the causes and consequences of the international trade of final goods, services, and production inputs. Throughout the course, we will cover the main topics related to international trade that are at the center of the public debate using rigorous economic models. We will discuss issues including the benefits and costs of trade, the effects of trade policies, such as tariffs and quotas, the role of international institutions such as the World Trade Organization; also questions such as what products are traded, who trades them. and at what quantities and prices are they sold. RESTRICTION INFO: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Economics or Econometrics & Quant Econ or Computer Science & Economics major(s) or minor(s).
70384	Lecture-Discussion	F3	11:00AM -12:20PM	MW	Lincoln Hall	Vazquez, J	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: ECONOMIC GROWTH Section Info: FIELD: Macro. DESCRIPTION for 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. RESTRICTION INFO: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Economics or Econometrics & Quant Econ or Computer Science & Economics major(s) or minor(s).
70385	Lecture-Discussion	F4	11:00AM -12:20PM	MW	Lincoln Hall	Vazquez, J	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Special Approval: Departmental Approval Required Credit: 4 hours Section Title: ECONOMIC GROWTH Section Info: DESCRIPTION for Economic Growth: Students registered for graduate credit must complete additional work beyond the undergraduate requirements. Contact instructor as soon as instruction begins for details. Please see 3-credit section of this title for course description. RESTRICTION INFO: https://go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Not intended for Graduate - Urbana-Champaign.
70381	Lecture-Discussion	G3	2:00PM -3:20PM	TR	David Kinley Hall	Yi, M	Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 01/16/24-05/01/24 Credit: 3 hours Section Title: REAL ESTATE & HOUSING Section Info: FIELD: Micro. DESCRIPTION for Real Estate & Housing Economics: Coming Soon! RESTRICTION INFO: https:// go.economics.illinois.edu/SpringRestrictions Restriction(s): Restricted to Economics or Econometrics & Quant Econ or Computer Science & Economics major(s) or minor(s).