intermediate public economics - university of pittsburgh syllabi.pdf · quizzes: instead of...
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Intermediate Public Economics
Professor Allison Shertzer
University of Pittsburgh
Spring 2012
Course Details
Course number: ECON 1230
Lecture schedule: MW 4:30 – 5:45 pm
Classroom: Posvar 4900
My office: Posvar 4714
My office phone: 412-648-7071
Office hours: MW 3:30 – 4:30 pm
Course website: Blackboard site
Course textbook: Public Finance and Public Policy by Jonathan Gruber. Any edition is fine,
so feel free to shop around. We’ll use it a lot, so you will definitely need a copy.
Course overview: The objective of this course is to provide you with the tools necessary to
understand the justifications for and the consequences of government interventions in the
economy. We will examine the role of public policy in markets in which there are external costs
(e.g. pollution) or benefits (e.g. education) as well as the role of government in providing social
insurance. Finally, we will study the incidence and efficiency implications of various types of
taxation.
In order to understand the consequences of government intervention in the economy, a
significant amount of attention will be given to empirical research that tries to answer policy-
relevant questions. Consequently, as each topic in the course is covered, an effort will be made
toward understanding the empirical problems that researchers must overcome and evaluating the
extent to which they are successful.
Prerequisites: Students should have successfully completed Intermediate Microeconomics.
Grades:
Quizzes: 20%
Class participation: 5%
Midterm Exam 1: 20%
Midterm Exam 2: 20%
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: 35%
All grading appeals must be made in writing within one week after the assignment or exam was
graded and returned. At my discretion, the entire item may be regraded.
Quizzes: Instead of requiring you to turn in homework assignments, I will give a few quizzes on
assigned problems and readings at the start of class throughout the semester. I will drop your
lowest quiz grade when I compute your quiz average, so you can miss one with no penalty.
Class participation: To reward the type of participation that makes the class better for
everyone, five percent of your overall grade will be based on your contribution to class through
asking and answering questions. If you attend class regularly and occasionally ask thoughtful
questions or answer mine, you will receive full credit. There is no expectation that all students
will speak in each class.
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: In order to allow you to more deeply explore a
topic in public economics as well as hone your writing and speaking abilities, the course will
require an individual project. You will choose a topic that interests you and propose a research
paper involving five or six scholarly publications and possibly newspaper articles. Once I have
approved your topic and proposed papers, you can prepare a draft. Next, you will carefully read
and critique another student’s draft (and he or she will do the same for you). Finally, you will
submit a final draft to me and make a short presentation to the class summarizing what you have
learned.
Make-up Exam Policy: Make-up exams will only be allowed if you provide official
documentation indicating that due to illness or a death in the family, you were unable to take the
exam at the stated time. In addition, you must email me within 24 hours after the exam to alert
me of the situation. At my discretion, the make-up exam may be oral in nature rather in written.
Students with special needs: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation, you are encouraged to contact Disability Resources and Services as early as
possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations
for this course.
Cheating policy: Cheating of any form as described by the Academic Integrity Guidelines will
not be tolerated.
Lateness and courtesy: Out of respect for me and your classmates, please arrive to class on
time and turn off all cell phones during lecture.
Schedule
Week of: Content Important Dates
Monday Wednesday 1/2 X Ch. 1 Intro 1/9 Ch. 2 Micro Theory Ch. 2 Micro Theory 1/16 X Ch. 3 Empirical Tools
1/23 Ch. 3 Empirical Tools Ch. 3 Empirical Tools 1/30 Ch. 5 Externalities Ch. 5 Externalities 2/6 Ch. 7 Public Goods Ch. 8 Cost Benefit Analysis Proposals due 2/6
2/13 Ch. 9 Political Economy Exam 1 Receive topic approval 2/13
2/20 Ch. 9 Political Economy Ch. 9 Political Economy 2/27 Ch. 10 Local Expenditures Ch. 11 Education 3/5 X X 3/12 Ch. 12 Social Insurance Ch. 13 Social Security First draft due 3/12
3/19 Ch. 15 Health Insurance Ch. 16 Health Insurance
3/26 Ch. 19 Tax Incidence Ch. 20 Tax Optimality Critiques due 3/26
4/2 Review, Catch up Exam 2 4/9 Presentations Presentations Final papers due 4/9
4/16 Presentations Presentations
Intermediate Public Economics
Professor Allison Shertzer
University of Pittsburgh
Spring 2013
Course Details
Course number: ECON 1230
Lecture schedule: MW 3:00 – 4:15 pm
Classroom: Posvar 4900
My office: Posvar 4714
My office phone: 412-648-7071
Office hours: MW 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Course website: Blackboard site
Course textbook: Public Finance and Public Policy, 4th
edition by Jonathan Gruber. You may
use an earlier edition as long as you take responsibility for making sure you do homework
questions with similar content. We will be reading a lot of the text so you’ll definitely want a
copy. When reading assigned chapters, you should focus on the sections I discussed in class.
Course overview: The objective of this course is to provide you with the tools necessary to
understand the justifications for and the consequences of government interventions in the
economy. We will examine the role of public policy in markets in which there are external costs
(e.g. pollution) or benefits (e.g. education) as well as the role of government in providing social
insurance. Finally, we will study the incidence and efficiency implications of various types of
taxation.
In order to understand the consequences of government intervention in the economy, a
significant amount of attention will be given to empirical research that tries to answer policy-
relevant questions. Consequently, as each topic in the course is covered, an effort will be made
toward understanding the empirical problems that researchers must overcome and evaluating the
extent to which they are successful.
Prerequisites: Students should have successfully completed Intermediate Microeconomics. A
good grasp of calculus-based economic models is essential.
Grades:
Quizzes: 15%
Class participation: 10%
Midterm Exam 1: 20%
Midterm Exam 2: 20%
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: 35%
All grading appeals must be made in writing within one week after the assignment or exam was
graded and returned. At my discretion, the entire item may be regraded.
Homework: A number of questions from the text will be assigned for each chapter. I will use
quizzes and exams to check your comprehension rather than collecting assignments. Also, I will
not post solutions to the questions, providing you with the ideal environment in which to develop
your critical thinking skills. I encourage you to work in groups on the problems. We have an
excellent assistant for the class who will be available during the week to help you with
homework questions. You can also email me if you found a question to be difficult and I will
solve it in class for you.
Quizzes: I will give a few quizzes on assigned problems and readings at the start of class
throughout the semester. In general these will be announced one class ahead of time. I will drop
your lowest quiz grade when I compute your quiz average, so you can miss one with no penalty.
Class participation: To reward the type of participation that makes the class better for
everyone, ten percent of your overall grade will be based on your contribution to class through
asking and answering questions. If you attend class regularly and occasionally ask thoughtful
questions or answer mine, you will receive full credit. There is no expectation that all students
will speak in each class.
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: In order to allow you to more deeply explore a
topic in public economics as well as hone your communication abilities, the course will require
an individual project. You will choose a topic that interests you and propose a research paper
involving five scholarly publications and possibly newspaper articles. Once I have approved
your topic and proposed papers, you can prepare a draft. Next, you will carefully read and
critique another student’s draft (and he or she will do the same for you). Finally, you will submit
a final draft to me and make a short presentation to the class summarizing what you have
learned.
Make-up Exam Policy: Make-up exams will only be allowed if you provide official
documentation indicating that due to illness or a death in the family, you were unable to take the
exam at the stated time. In addition, you must email me within 24 hours after the exam to alert
me of the situation. At my discretion, the make-up exam may be oral in nature rather in written.
Students with special needs: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation, you are encouraged to contact Disability Resources and Services as early as
possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations
for this course.
Cheating policy: Cheating of any form as described by the Academic Integrity Guidelines will
not be tolerated.
Lateness and courtesy: Out of respect for me and your classmates, please arrive to class on
time and turn off all cell phones during lecture.
Schedule
Week of: Content Important Dates
Monday Wednesday 1/7 Ch. 1 Intro Ch. 2 Micro Theory 1/14 Ch. 2 Micro Theory Ch. 3 Empirical Tools 1/21 X Ch. 3 Empirical Tools
1/28 Ch. 3 Empirical Tools Ch. 5 Externalities 2/4 Ch. 5 Externalities Ch. 7 Public Goods Proposals due Monday
2/11 X (no class) Fracking Day
2/18 Ch. 8 Cost Benefit Analysis Exam 1 Receive topic approval
2/25 Ch. 9 Political Economy Ch. 9 Political Economy 3/4 Ch. 10 Local Expenditures Ch. 11 Education 3/11 X X 3/18 Ch. 12 Social Insurance Ch. 13 Social Security First draft due Monday
3/25 Ch. 15 Health Insurance Ch. 16 Health Insurance
4/1 Ch. 19 Tax Incidence Ch. 20 Tax Optimality Critiques due Monday
4/8 Review, Catch up Exam 2 4/15 Presentations Presentations Final papers due Monday
4/22 Presentations Presentations
Intermediate Public Economics
Professor Allison Shertzer
University of Pittsburgh
Spring 2013
Course Details
Course number: ECON 1230
Lecture schedule: MW 4:30 – 5:45 pm
Classroom: Posvar 4900
My office: Posvar 4714
My office phone: 412-648-7071
Office hours: MW 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Course website: Blackboard site
Course textbook: Public Finance and Public Policy, 4th
edition by Jonathan Gruber. You may
use an earlier edition as long as you take responsibility for making sure you do homework
questions with similar content. We will be reading a lot of the text so you’ll definitely want a
copy. When reading assigned chapters, you should focus on the sections I discussed in class.
Course overview: The objective of this course is to provide you with the tools necessary to
understand the justifications for and the consequences of government interventions in the
economy. We will examine the role of public policy in markets in which there are external costs
(e.g. pollution) or benefits (e.g. education) as well as the role of government in providing social
insurance. Finally, we will study the incidence and efficiency implications of various types of
taxation.
In order to understand the consequences of government intervention in the economy, a
significant amount of attention will be given to empirical research that tries to answer policy-
relevant questions. Consequently, as each topic in the course is covered, an effort will be made
toward understanding the empirical problems that researchers must overcome and evaluating the
extent to which they are successful.
Prerequisites: Students should have successfully completed Intermediate Microeconomics. A
good grasp of calculus-based economic models is essential.
Grades:
Quizzes: 15%
Class participation: 10%
Midterm Exam 1: 20%
Midterm Exam 2: 20%
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: 35%
All grading appeals must be made in writing within one week after the assignment or exam was
graded and returned. At my discretion, the entire item may be regraded.
Homework: A number of questions from the text will be assigned for each chapter. I will use
quizzes and exams to check your comprehension rather than collecting assignments. Also, I will
not post solutions to the questions, providing you with the ideal environment in which to develop
your critical thinking skills. I encourage you to work in groups on the problems. We have an
excellent assistant for the class who will be available during the week to help you with
homework questions. You can also email me if you found a question to be difficult and I will
solve it in class for you.
Quizzes: I will give a few quizzes on assigned problems and readings at the start of class
throughout the semester. In general these will be announced one class ahead of time. I will drop
your lowest quiz grade when I compute your quiz average, so you can miss one with no penalty.
Class participation: To reward the type of participation that makes the class better for
everyone, ten percent of your overall grade will be based on your contribution to class through
asking and answering questions. If you attend class regularly and occasionally ask thoughtful
questions or answer mine, you will receive full credit. There is no expectation that all students
will speak in each class.
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: In order to allow you to more deeply explore a
topic in public economics as well as hone your communication abilities, the course will require
an individual project. You will choose a topic that interests you and propose a research paper
involving five scholarly publications and possibly newspaper articles. Once I have approved
your topic and proposed papers, you can prepare a draft. Next, you will carefully read and
critique another student’s draft (and he or she will do the same for you). Finally, you will submit
a final draft to me and make a short presentation to the class summarizing what you have
learned.
Make-up Exam Policy: Make-up exams will only be allowed if you provide official
documentation indicating that due to illness or a death in the family, you were unable to take the
exam at the stated time. In addition, you must email me within 24 hours after the exam to alert
me of the situation. At my discretion, the make-up exam may be oral in nature rather in written.
Students with special needs: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation, you are encouraged to contact Disability Resources and Services as early as
possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations
for this course.
Cheating policy: Cheating of any form as described by the Academic Integrity Guidelines will
not be tolerated.
Lateness and courtesy: Out of respect for me and your classmates, please arrive to class on
time and turn off all cell phones during lecture.
Schedule
Week of: Content Important Dates
Monday Wednesday 1/7 Ch. 1 Intro Ch. 2 Micro Theory 1/14 Ch. 2 Micro Theory Ch. 3 Empirical Tools 1/21 X Ch. 3 Empirical Tools
1/28 Ch. 3 Empirical Tools Ch. 5 Externalities 2/4 Ch. 5 Externalities Ch. 7 Public Goods Proposals due Monday
2/11 X (no class) Fracking Day
2/18 Ch. 8 Cost Benefit Analysis Exam 1 Receive topic approval
2/25 Ch. 9 Political Economy Ch. 9 Political Economy 3/4 Ch. 10 Local Expenditures Ch. 11 Education 3/11 X X 3/18 Ch. 12 Social Insurance Ch. 13 Social Security First draft due Monday
3/25 Ch. 15 Health Insurance Ch. 16 Health Insurance
4/1 Ch. 19 Tax Incidence Ch. 20 Tax Optimality Critiques due Monday
4/8 Review, Catch up Exam 2 4/15 Presentations Presentations Final papers due Monday
4/22 Presentations Presentations
Intermediate Public Economics
Professor Allison Shertzer
University of Pittsburgh
Spring 2014
Course Details
Course number: ECON 1230
Lecture schedule: MW 4:30 – 5:45 pm
Classroom: Cathedral 306
My office: Posvar 4510
My office phone: 412-648-7071
Office hours: MW 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Course website: Blackboard site
Teaching assistant: Katie Jo Black
Teaching assistant office hours: TTh 1:00 – 2:00 pm in Posvar 4524
Course textbook: Public Finance and Public Policy, 4th
edition by Jonathan Gruber. You may
use an earlier edition as long as you take responsibility for making sure you do homework
questions with similar content. We will be reading a lot of the text so you’ll definitely want a
copy. When reading assigned chapters, you should focus on the sections I discussed in class.
Course overview: The objective of this course is to provide you with the tools necessary to
understand the justifications for and the consequences of government interventions in the
economy. We will examine the role of public policy in markets in which there are external costs
(e.g. pollution) or benefits (e.g. education) as well as the role of government in providing social
insurance. Finally, we will study the incidence and efficiency implications of various types of
taxation.
In order to understand the consequences of government intervention in the economy, a
significant amount of attention will be given to empirical research that tries to answer policy-
relevant questions. Consequently, as each topic in the course is covered, an effort will be made
toward understanding the empirical problems that researchers must overcome and evaluating the
extent to which they are successful.
Prerequisites: Students should have successfully completed Intermediate Microeconomics. A
good grasp of calculus-based economic models is essential.
Grades:
Quizzes: 15%
Class participation: 10%
Midterm Exam 1: 20%
Midterm Exam 2: 20%
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: 35%
All grading appeals must be made in writing within one week after the assignment or exam was
graded and returned. At my discretion, the entire item may be regraded.
Homework: A number of questions from the text will be assigned for each chapter. I will use
quizzes and exams to check your comprehension rather than collecting assignments. Also, I will
not post solutions to the questions, providing you with the ideal environment in which to develop
your critical thinking skills. I encourage you to work in groups on the problems. We have an
excellent assistant for the class who will be available during the week to help you with
homework questions. You can also email me if you found a question to be difficult and I will
solve it in class for you.
Quizzes: I will give a few quizzes on assigned problems and readings at the start of class
throughout the semester. In general these will be announced one class ahead of time. I will drop
your lowest quiz grade when I compute your quiz average, so you can miss one with no penalty.
Class participation: To reward the type of participation that makes the class better for
everyone, ten percent of your overall grade will be based on your contribution to class through
asking and answering questions. If you attend class regularly and occasionally ask thoughtful
questions or answer mine, you will receive full credit. There is no expectation that all students
will speak in each class.
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: In order to allow you to more deeply explore a
topic in public economics as well as hone your communication abilities, the course will require
an individual project. You will choose a topic that interests you and propose a research paper
involving five scholarly publications (and possibly newspaper articles). Once I have approved
your topic and proposed papers, you can prepare a draft. Next, you will carefully read and
critique another student’s draft (and he or she will do the same for you). Finally, you will submit
a final draft to me and make a short presentation to the class summarizing what you have
learned.
Make-up Exam Policy: Make-up exams will only be allowed if you provide official
documentation indicating that due to illness or a death in the family, you were unable to take the
exam at the stated time. In addition, you must email me within 24 hours after the exam to alert
me of the situation. At my discretion, the make-up exam may be oral in nature rather in written.
Students with special needs: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation, you are encouraged to contact Disability Resources and Services as early as
possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations
for this course.
Cheating policy: Cheating of any form as described by the Academic Integrity Guidelines will
not be tolerated.
Schedule
Week of:
Content Important Dates
Monday Wednesday
6-Jan X Ch. 1 Intro
13-Jan Ch. 2 Micro Theory Ch. 2 Micro Theory
20-Jan X Ch. 3 Empirical Tools
27-Jan Ch. 3 Empirical Tools Ch. 5 Externalities
3-Feb Ch. 5 Externalities Ch. 7 Public Goods Proposals due Monday
10-Feb Ch. 7 Public Goods Catch up, review Receive topic approval
17-Feb Exam 1 Ch. 9 Political Economy
24-Feb Ch. 9 Political Economy Ch. 10 Local Expenditures
3-Mar Ch. 12 Social Insurance Ch. 13 Social Security
10-Mar X X
17-Mar Ch. 15 Health Insurance Ch. 16 Health Insurance First draft due Monday
24-Mar Ch. 19 Tax Incidence Ch. 20 Tax Optimality
31-Mar Catch up, review Exam 2 Critiques due Monday
7-Apr Presentations Presentations Final papers due Monday
14-Apr Presentations Presentations
Intermediate Public Economics
Professor Allison Shertzer
University of Pittsburgh
Spring 2014
Course Details
Course number: ECON 1230
Lecture schedule: MW 3:00 – 4:15 pm
Classroom: Cathedral 306
My office: Posvar 4510
My office phone: 412-648-7071
Office hours: MW 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Course website: Blackboard site
Teaching assistant: Katie Jo Black
Teaching assistant office hours: TTh 1:00 – 2:00 pm in Posvar 4524
Course textbook: Public Finance and Public Policy, 4th
edition by Jonathan Gruber. You may
use an earlier edition as long as you take responsibility for making sure you do homework
questions with similar content. We will be reading a lot of the text so you’ll definitely want a
copy. When reading assigned chapters, you should focus on the sections I discussed in class.
Course overview: The objective of this course is to provide you with the tools necessary to
understand the justifications for and the consequences of government interventions in the
economy. We will examine the role of public policy in markets in which there are external costs
(e.g. pollution) or benefits (e.g. education) as well as the role of government in providing social
insurance. Finally, we will study the incidence and efficiency implications of various types of
taxation.
In order to understand the consequences of government intervention in the economy, a
significant amount of attention will be given to empirical research that tries to answer policy-
relevant questions. Consequently, as each topic in the course is covered, an effort will be made
toward understanding the empirical problems that researchers must overcome and evaluating the
extent to which they are successful.
Prerequisites: Students should have successfully completed Intermediate Microeconomics. A
good grasp of calculus-based economic models is essential.
Grades:
Quizzes: 15%
Class participation: 10%
Midterm Exam 1: 20%
Midterm Exam 2: 20%
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: 35%
All grading appeals must be made in writing within one week after the assignment or exam was
graded and returned. At my discretion, the entire item may be regraded.
Homework: A number of questions from the text will be assigned for each chapter. I will use
quizzes and exams to check your comprehension rather than collecting assignments. Also, I will
not post solutions to the questions, providing you with the ideal environment in which to develop
your critical thinking skills. I encourage you to work in groups on the problems. We have an
excellent assistant for the class who will be available during the week to help you with
homework questions. You can also email me if you found a question to be difficult and I will
solve it in class for you.
Quizzes: I will give a few quizzes on assigned problems and readings at the start of class
throughout the semester. In general these will be announced one class ahead of time. I will drop
your lowest quiz grade when I compute your quiz average, so you can miss one with no penalty.
Class participation: To reward the type of participation that makes the class better for
everyone, ten percent of your overall grade will be based on your contribution to class through
asking and answering questions. If you attend class regularly and occasionally ask thoughtful
questions or answer mine, you will receive full credit. There is no expectation that all students
will speak in each class.
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: In order to allow you to more deeply explore a
topic in public economics as well as hone your communication abilities, the course will require
an individual project. You will choose a topic that interests you and propose a research paper
involving five scholarly publications (and possibly newspaper articles). Once I have approved
your topic and proposed papers, you can prepare a draft. Next, you will carefully read and
critique another student’s draft (and he or she will do the same for you). Finally, you will submit
a final draft to me and make a short presentation to the class summarizing what you have
learned.
Make-up Exam Policy: Make-up exams will only be allowed if you provide official
documentation indicating that due to illness or a death in the family, you were unable to take the
exam at the stated time. In addition, you must email me within 24 hours after the exam to alert
me of the situation. At my discretion, the make-up exam may be oral in nature rather in written.
Students with special needs: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation, you are encouraged to contact Disability Resources and Services as early as
possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations
for this course.
Cheating policy: Cheating of any form as described by the Academic Integrity Guidelines will
not be tolerated.
Schedule
Week of:
Content Important Dates
Monday Wednesday
6-Jan X Ch. 1 Intro
13-Jan Ch. 2 Micro Theory Ch. 2 Micro Theory
20-Jan X Ch. 3 Empirical Tools
27-Jan Ch. 3 Empirical Tools Ch. 5 Externalities
3-Feb Ch. 5 Externalities Ch. 7 Public Goods Proposals due Monday
10-Feb Ch. 7 Public Goods Catch up, review Receive topic approval
17-Feb Exam 1 Ch. 9 Political Economy
24-Feb Ch. 9 Political Economy Ch. 10 Local Expenditures
3-Mar Ch. 12 Social Insurance Ch. 13 Social Security
10-Mar X X
17-Mar Ch. 15 Health Insurance Ch. 16 Health Insurance First draft due Monday
24-Mar Ch. 19 Tax Incidence Ch. 20 Tax Optimality
31-Mar Catch up, review Exam 2 Critiques due Monday
7-Apr Presentations Presentations Final papers due Monday
14-Apr Presentations Presentations
Intermediate Public Economics
Professor Allison Shertzer
University of Pittsburgh
Spring 2015
Course Details
Course number: ECON 1230
Lecture schedule: MW 3:00 – 4:15 pm
Classroom: Cathedral 216
My office: Posvar 4510
My office phone: 412-648-7071
Office hours: MW 1:45 – 2:45 pm
Course website: Blackboard site
Teaching assistant: Tate Twinam
Teaching assistant office hour: T 1:00 – 2:00 pm in Posvar 4524
Course textbook: Public Finance and Public Policy, 4th
edition by Jonathan Gruber. You may
use an earlier edition as long as you take responsibility for making sure you do homework
questions with similar content. We will be reading a lot of the text so you’ll definitely want a
copy. When reading assigned chapters, you should focus on the sections I discussed in class.
Course overview: The objective of this course is to provide you with the tools necessary to
understand the justifications for and the consequences of government interventions in the
economy. We will examine the role of public policy in markets in which there are external costs
(e.g. pollution) or benefits (e.g. education) as well as the role of government in providing social
insurance. Finally, we will study the incidence and efficiency implications of various types of
taxation.
In order to understand the consequences of government intervention in the economy, a
significant amount of attention will be given to empirical research that tries to answer policy-
relevant questions. Consequently, as each topic in the course is covered, an effort will be made
toward understanding the empirical problems that researchers must overcome and evaluating the
extent to which they are successful.
Prerequisites: Students should have successfully completed Intermediate Microeconomics. A
good grasp of calculus-based economic models is essential.
Grades:
Quizzes: 15%
Class participation: 10%
Midterm Exam 1: 20%
Midterm Exam 2: 20%
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: 35%
All grading appeals must be made in writing within one week after the assignment or exam was
graded and returned. At my discretion, the entire item may be regraded.
Homework: A number of questions from the text will be assigned for each chapter. I will use
quizzes and exams to check your comprehension rather than collecting assignments. Also, I will
not post solutions to the questions, providing you with the ideal environment in which to develop
your critical thinking skills. I encourage you to work in groups on the problems. We have an
excellent assistant for the class who will be available during the week to help you with
homework questions. You can also email me if you found a question to be difficult and I will
solve it in class for you.
Quizzes: I will give a few quizzes on assigned problems and readings at the start of class
throughout the semester. In general these will be announced in class a few days in advance. I
will drop your lowest quiz grade when I compute your quiz average, so you can miss one with no
penalty.
Class participation: To reward the type of participation that makes the class better for
everyone, ten percent of your overall grade will be based on your contribution to class through
asking and answering questions. If you attend class regularly and occasionally ask thoughtful
questions or answer mine, you will receive full credit. There is no expectation that all students
will speak in each class.
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: In order to allow you to more deeply explore a
topic in public economics as well as hone your communication abilities, the course will require
an individual project. You will choose a topic that interests you and propose a research paper
involving five scholarly publications (and possibly newspaper articles). Once I have approved
your topic and proposed papers, you can prepare a draft. Next, you will carefully read and
critique another student’s draft (and he or she will do the same for you). Finally, you will submit
a final draft to me and make a short presentation to the class summarizing what you have
learned.
Make-up Exam Policy: Make-up exams will only be allowed if you provide official
documentation indicating that due to illness or a death in the family, you were unable to take the
exam at the stated time. In addition, you must email me within 24 hours after the exam to alert
me of the situation. At my discretion, the make-up exam may be oral in nature rather in written.
Students with special needs: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation, you are encouraged to contact Disability Resources and Services as early as
possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations
for this course.
Cheating policy: Cheating of any form as described by the Academic Integrity Guidelines will
not be tolerated.
Schedule
Week
of: Content Important Dates
Monday Wednesday
5-Jan Ch. 1 Intro Ch. 2 Micro Theory
12-Jan Ch. 2 Micro Theory Ch. 3 Empirical Tools
19-Jan X Ch. 3 Empirical Tools
26-Jan Ch. 5 Externalities Ch. 5 Externalities
2-Feb Ch. 7 Public Goods Ch. 7 Public Goods Proposals due Monday
9-Feb Catch up, review Exam 1 Receive topic approval
16-Feb Ch. 9 Political Economy Ch. 9 Political Economy
23-Feb Ch. 10 Local Expenditures Ch. 12 Social Insurance
2-Mar Ch. 13 Social Security Ch. 15 Health Insurance
9-Mar X X
16-Mar Ch. 16 Health Insurance Ch. 18 Taxation First draft due Monday
23-Mar Ch. 19 Tax Incidence Ch. 20 Tax Optimality
30-Mar Catch up, review Exam 2 Critiques due Monday
6-Apr Presentations Presentations Final papers due Monday
13-Apr Presentations Presentations
Intermediate Public Economics
Professor Allison Shertzer
University of Pittsburgh
Spring 2015
Course Details
Course number: ECON 1230
Lecture schedule: MW 4:30 – 5:45 pm
Classroom: Cathedral 363
My office: Posvar 4510
My office phone: 412-648-7071
Office hours: MW 1:45 – 2:45 pm
Course website: Blackboard site
Teaching assistant: Tate Twinam
Teaching assistant office hours: T 1:00 – 2:00 pm in Posvar 4524
Course textbook: Public Finance and Public Policy, 4th
edition by Jonathan Gruber. You may
use an earlier edition as long as you take responsibility for making sure you do homework
questions with similar content. We will be reading a lot of the text so you’ll definitely want a
copy. When reading assigned chapters, you should focus on the sections I discussed in class.
Course overview: The objective of this course is to provide you with the tools necessary to
understand the justifications for and the consequences of government interventions in the
economy. We will examine the role of public policy in markets in which there are external costs
(e.g. pollution) or benefits (e.g. education) as well as the role of government in providing social
insurance. Finally, we will study the incidence and efficiency implications of various types of
taxation.
In order to understand the consequences of government intervention in the economy, a
significant amount of attention will be given to empirical research that tries to answer policy-
relevant questions. Consequently, as each topic in the course is covered, an effort will be made
toward understanding the empirical problems that researchers must overcome and evaluating the
extent to which they are successful.
Prerequisites: Students should have successfully completed Intermediate Microeconomics. A
good grasp of calculus-based economic models is essential.
Grades:
Quizzes: 15%
Class participation: 10%
Midterm Exam 1: 20%
Midterm Exam 2: 20%
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: 35%
All grading appeals must be made in writing within one week after the assignment or exam was
graded and returned. At my discretion, the entire item may be regraded.
Homework: A number of questions from the text will be assigned for each chapter. I will use
quizzes and exams to check your comprehension rather than collecting assignments. Also, I will
not post solutions to the questions, providing you with the ideal environment in which to develop
your critical thinking skills. I encourage you to work in groups on the problems. We have an
excellent assistant for the class who will be available during the week to help you with
homework questions. You can also email me if you found a question to be difficult and I will
solve it in class for you.
Quizzes: I will give a few quizzes on assigned problems and readings at the start of class
throughout the semester. In general these will be announced one class ahead of time. I will drop
your lowest quiz grade when I compute your quiz average, so you can miss one with no penalty.
Class participation: To reward the type of participation that makes the class better for
everyone, ten percent of your overall grade will be based on your contribution to class through
asking and answering questions. If you attend class regularly and occasionally ask thoughtful
questions or answer mine, you will receive full credit. There is no expectation that all students
will speak in each class.
Research Project, Critique, and Presentation: In order to allow you to more deeply explore a
topic in public economics as well as hone your communication abilities, the course will require
an individual project. You will choose a topic that interests you and propose a research paper
involving five scholarly publications (and possibly newspaper articles). Once I have approved
your topic and proposed papers, you can prepare a draft. Next, you will carefully read and
critique another student’s draft (and he or she will do the same for you). Finally, you will submit
a final draft to me and make a short presentation to the class summarizing what you have
learned.
Make-up Exam Policy: Make-up exams will only be allowed if you provide official
documentation indicating that due to illness or a death in the family, you were unable to take the
exam at the stated time. In addition, you must email me within 24 hours after the exam to alert
me of the situation. At my discretion, the make-up exam may be oral in nature rather in written.
Students with special needs: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an
accommodation, you are encouraged to contact Disability Resources and Services as early as
possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations
for this course.
Cheating policy: Cheating of any form as described by the Academic Integrity Guidelines will
not be tolerated.
Schedule
Week
of: Content Important Dates
Monday Wednesday
5-Jan Ch. 1 Intro Ch. 2 Micro Theory
12-Jan Ch. 2 Micro Theory Ch. 3 Empirical Tools
19-Jan X Ch. 3 Empirical Tools
26-Jan Ch. 5 Externalities Ch. 5 Externalities
2-Feb Ch. 7 Public Goods Ch. 7 Public Goods Proposals due Monday
9-Feb Catch up, review Exam 1 Receive topic approval
16-Feb Ch. 9 Political Economy Ch. 9 Political Economy
23-Feb Ch. 10 Local Expenditures Ch. 12 Social Insurance
2-Mar Ch. 13 Social Security Ch. 15 Health Insurance
9-Mar X X
16-Mar Ch. 16 Health Insurance Ch. 18 Taxation First draft due Monday
23-Mar Ch. 19 Tax Incidence Ch. 20 Tax Optimality
30-Mar Catch up, review Exam 2 Critiques due Monday
6-Apr Presentations Presentations Final papers due Monday
13-Apr Presentations Presentations