Graduate Course List

Some of the courses most frequently offered are described below. All courses are half courses.

700 Topics in Economics

703 Experimental economics (not currently offered)

An introduction to the design of laboratory environments in economics, to the conduct of laboratory sessions, and to the analysis of laboratory generated data. Applications to public economics, industrial organization, and the evaluation of economic theory are studied.

710 Population economics I

A survey of topics in population economics, including the economic consequences of population aging, the economic theory of fertility, and the interrelations between economic and demographic phenomena generally.

711 Population economics II

An advanced course in population economics, only available for PhD students choosing population economics as a field.
Prerequisite: *710

716 History of Economic Thought

The development of economic analysis from its beginning through mercantilism through the classical school of political economy, Marx, marginalism, institutional economics, and Keynes to modern macroeconomics and microeconomics.

721 Microeconomic theory I

This course covers basic graduate-level microeconomic theory, including constrained optimization, theory of the household and the firm and decisions under uncertainty. Other topics in applied and theoretical microeconomics may be covered as well.

722 Microeconomic theory II

Topics include the theory of public goods and externalities, non-cooperative game theory and the economics of information such as adverse selection, moral hazard, and mechanism design. Applications can include bargaining, monopoly and oligopoly pricing, insurance and employment contracts, and auctions.

723 Macroeconomic theory I

This course is an introduction to advanced macroeconomic theory. It covers both New-Keynesian and Neo-Classical macroeconomic models. The focus is mainly on dynamic general equilibrium models. The topics covered include economic fluctuations, economic growth, asset pricing, as well as monetary and fiscal policies.

724 Macroeconomic theory II

The course focuses on theories that help explain business cycle fluctuations and economic growth. Some additional topics will also be covered that change from year to year.

726 Topics in Advanced Microeconomic Theory

727 Microeconomic Theory for Public Policy

This course covers graduate-level microeconomic theory, but with an emphasis on how the tools of microeconomics can be used to inform public policy. Topics include theory of the household and the firm, decisions under uncertainty and over time, and basic welfare economics.

728 Macroeconomic Theory for Public Policy

This course introduces students to the research methods of modern macroeconomics, with an emphasis on developing an understanding of the major controversies in the field, and on how these tools can be used to address central policy issues (such as recessions, exchange-rate stability and debt reduction). The three modules focus on short-run stabilization problems, structural unemployment and long-run growth in living standards. Analysis based on the theory of the second best is stressed in an attempt to identify policy options that can simultaneously improve both economic efficiency and equity.

731 Public finance

Topics may include positive and normative theories of taxation, the provision of public goods, collective decision-making, the theory of local public goods, and issues in fiscal federalism including tax and expenditure competition and inter-governmental transfers.
Prerequisite:  *733

733 Topics in public economics

Topics may include: capital taxation; economic theory of redistribution; empirical assessment of the effects of taxation and government expenditure; and the measurement of welfare, poverty and inequality.

735 Economics of public sector policies

This course will study a current topic or theme in Public Economics. State of the art research will be surveyed with an emphasis on the policy relevance of research. Possible themes include: politicians v. bureaucrats in the provision of public goods, the effects of government policy on the provision of education, the alleviation of racial segregation through government policy, the relationship between federal and local governments.

736 Environmental and resource economics (not currently offered)

The course covers selected issues in the management of natural resources and the environment. Possible topics include the theory of externalities and policy instruments for remedying the associated market failure, management of renewable and nonrenewable common property resources, contingent valuation, ecological indicators and the measurement of natural resource and environmental variables in the national accounts.

741 Monetary economics

This course is devoted to the discussion of some key issues in monetary theory and policy. It
does not assume prior knowledge of dynamic optimization techniques. Topics that use modern
macroeconomic methods will be discussed at the end of the semester.

742 Topics in Money and Macroeconomics

The course covers stochastic dynamic general equilibrium models in different fields of
macroeconomics. Topics may include business cycle theory, numerical methods, open‐economy
models (real and monetary), heterogenous‐agent models, asset pricing and growth theory.
Prerequisite: *724

745 Advanced macroeconomics

The course covers stochastic dynamic general equilibrium models in different fields of macroeconomics. Topics may include business cycle theory, numerical methods, open-economy models (real and monetary), heterogenous-agent models, asset pricing and growth theory.

751 International trade, development and investment

The neoclassical or real theory of international trade is presented in a general equilibrium format using geometrical and mathematical methods. A central application of these methods is to the trade problems of developing countries. Topics therefore may include North-South trade, export-led growth, commercial policy, elective protection, foreign investment, integration, savings, financial development and income distribution.

752 International finance

The emphasis is on exchange rates and balance of payments theories. Topics include Mundell-Fleming open economy models, the asset approach to the balance of payments, theories of devaluation, and monetary and fiscal policies and international policy co-ordination.

753 Topics in international economics

761 Econometrics I

Topics include linear regression and generalized least squares.

762 Econometrics II

Topics include time series and simultaneous equations.

766 Quantitative methods

Topics include methods of seasonal adjustment, alternative forecasting techniques, price indexes, demographic modeling and projection, and input-output analysis.

768 Advanced econometrics

This course builds on the material in 761. Topics include: asymptotic theory applied to M-estimation; other estimation methods such as GMM, minimum chi-square, and nonparametric; applications of these methods.
Prerequisite:  *762

769 Applied microeconometrics

The main topic of the course is the application of econometric techniques to the study of household behaviour. Topics may include expenditure systems, the relationship of consumption patterns, labour supply, and savings behaviour, aggregation, price indices and household production. There are extensive illustrations employing household microdata.

770 Advanced Analysis of Survey Data

This course uses survey data collected by Statistics Canada and maintained in the Research Data Centre to refine student skills in conducting secondary analysis and and writing for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Students will develop a two-page research proposal on a topic of their choice. The proposal will identify a research question to be addressed using one or more Statistics Canada surveys. The educational methods will be varied, depending on group composition and include lectures, small group tutorials, student presentations and faculty mentorship. The objective is to produce a research report for a peer-reviewed journal

773 Economic policy analysis I

This course is the first semester of the two-semester sequence that will provide a grounding in policy processes, policy issues, and important institutional structures, in relevant policy sectors in Canada, and provide an introduction to the basic research designs appropriate for establishing causal relationships through program/policy evaluation.

774 Economic policy analysis II

This course is the second semester in the two-semester sequence in Economic Policy Analysis. It will survey more advanced issues in policy evaluation and culminate in a major policy project the student will complete in conjunction with an outside agency.

781 Labour economics I

A survey of basic labour economics. Topics include labour demand, labour supply, and the determination of equilibrium wages in competitive markets. Sources of wage differentials in competitive markets, such as human capital investment and compensating differentials, are examined, as are the effects on labour markets of government policies such as minimum wages, immigration restrictions, occupational health and safety regulations, and subsidies to education.

782 Labour economics II

This course surveys state-of-the-art research in labour economics. Recently covered topics include asymmetric information models of strikes; estimation of duration models; recent trends in wage structure, firm size, unionization, and self employment; the impact of international competition and technological change on labour markets; and modeling dynamic family labour supply decisions.

784 Industrial organization

785 Economics of human resource policies

This course will study a current topic or theme in Human Resource Economics. State-of-the-art research will be surveyed, with an emphasis on the policy relevance of research. Possible themes include: the design of social insurance systems for unemployment, disability, or retirement; policies to foster human capital formation; methods for evaluating labour market interventions; the human resource policy implications of globalization, technological change, or aging populations.

788 Health economics

This is a basic graduate survey course on the economics of health and health care. Topics include the organization, financing and utilization of health care services. Both theory and evidence relating to patterns of consumer and provider behaviour are examined, as are patterns of consumer and provider behaviour are examined, as are the functioning and regulation of "markets" for health services. Major public policy issues in the provision of health care in Canada are public policy issues in the provision of health care in Canada are identified and the economic aspects of such issues are considered in detail.

This course emphasizes economic modeling and testing theories of the behaviour of individuals and organizations in the health care system and its sub-systems (e.g. health insurance, health care); the methods and application of economic evaluation of health services, including health and biomedical research; and the analysis of alternative institutional arrangements as a response to market failure. The specific topics addressed in the course may vary from year to year. A term paper by the student is required.

793 Health economic policy

This course will study a specific topic or theme area of health economics. State-of-the-art research will be surveyed, with an emphasis on the policy relevance of research. Possible topics include the economics of health, health care financing, health care funding, the economics of the pharmaceutical sector, health and aging, and labour market experiences and health.

795 Analysis of health data

This course will present commonly used approaches to the analysis of data-types frequently encountered when conducting research in health economics. Topics may include the analysis of health survey data, health care utilization data, and the longitudinal data analysis.

798 Workshop in Economics I

799 Workshop in Economics II

Other courses are offered from time to time, and would be offered if it is necessary for a PhD student to complete a field requirement or prepare for a specific thesis topic. These include: Economics 706, Topics in econometrics; Economics 711, Topics in population economics; Economics 735, Urban economics; Economics 732, Fiscal federalism: federal, provincial and municipal; Economics 742, Topics in money and macroeconomics; Economics 753, Topics in international economics; Economics 784, Industrial organization; Economics 787, Methods of regional economic analysis. Economics 700, Topics in economics, also may be offered occasionally on a special topic of interest. Interested students should check with the department.

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