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ECON41115: ADVANCED TOPICS IN PUBLIC ECONOMICS

It is possible that changes to modules or programmes might need to be made during the academic year, in response to the impact of Covid-19 and/or any further changes in public health advice.

Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 15
Availability Not available in 2024/2025
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Economics

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To provide students with advanced knowledge and critical analytical skills at the forefront of research and practice of public economics.

Content

  • Topics are likely to include:
  • Optimal commodity taxation and production efficiency with heterogeneous individuals and convex production sets
  • Optimal non-linear labour income taxation with continuous skill distribution (through optimal control)
  • Continuous time optimal capital income taxation and generalisations
  • Introduction to political economy: existence and characterisation of Condorcet winners
  • Optimal provision of public goods: first and second best.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Have an advanced knowledge and critical understanding of research led questions in optimal taxation and public goods provision
  • Have an advanced understanding of second-best analysis and problem formulation;
  • Have explored, understood and appreciated the complexity and diversity of the current research literature, and be able to identify open questions for their own research.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Be able to apply their knowledge of public economics to the resolution of complex research and public policy problems.

Key Skills:

  • Written Communication;
  • Planning, Organising and Time Management;
  • Problem Solving and analysis;
  • Using Initiative;
  • Numeracy;
  • Computer Literacy.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • A combination of lectures, seminars and guided reading will contribute to achieving the aims and learning outcomes of this module. The summative written examination will test students' knowledge and critical understanding of the material covered in the module, their analytical and problem-solving skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures101 per week2 hours20 
Seminars4fortnightly1 hour4Yes
Preparation & Reading124 
Revision Session21 hour2 
Total150 

Summative Assessment

Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
One in-person written examination2 hours100Same

Formative Assessment

At least one formative assessment to prepare students for the summative exam.

More information

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