ECON102 CM: Intermediate Macroeconomics - Overview
Professor Manfred Keil
Robert Day School of Economics and Finance
Claremont McKenna College
Overview | Course Description | Course Outline
ECON 102: Intermediate Macroeconomics deals primarily with two highly relevant policy topics in the current economic discussion.
- Business cycles: what are the reasons and consequences of the Great Recession of 2007-2009? What was the role that the Federal Reserve played in the financial meltdown of 2008? A good starting point is the related PBS/Frontline video: "Inside the Meltdown". Should policy makers take much of the blame, or Wall Street? What tools work best for recovering from a recession? What are the predictors of a recovery ("green shoots")? There is much talk current about the best policies for supporting an economic recovery (the "Great Stabilization"). The difference in approaches has even resulted in an interesting rap between Keynes and Hayek.
- Wealth of Nations: why are there "winners" and "losers" in terms of income per person when looking at the countries of the world? As a first approximation, it is best to think of people being equal at birth (there are, of course, differences in pre-natal care, and so on); if that is so, then why do some end up in severe poverty while others are relatively well off, on average? What institutions work best to guarantee progress? How can you explain that South Korea and Zambia had the same per capita GDP in 1950, but are so different now? While money can't buy you happiness, GDP is certainly related to many indicators of economic well being. Check the dynamic graph of "Wealth & Health of Nations".
The course will give you answers to most of these economic policy questions. Claremont McKenna College prides itself of combining theory with applications. There will therefore be a healthy mix of real life data analysis and economic modeling.
| Course Information | Final Information | |
| Course #: Econ 102 Lecture Time: MWF 1:15 - 3:45pm Class Location: Roberts North 012 |
Friday, July 2 1:15 - 3:45pm |
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| Office Hours | ||
| Tuesday and Thursday: 1:30 - 2:30pm Friday: 11:00am - 12:00noon Or By Appointment |
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Textbook
The textbook that will be used for this course is:
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Macroeconomics, 7th edition N. Gregory Mankiw New York: Worth Publishers, 2010 |
Additional Information
