| Course title | |||||
| 経済学 [Economics] | |||||
| Course category | general education courses | Requirement | Credit | 2 | |
| Department | Year | 1～ | Semester | Spring | |
| Course type | Spring | Course code | 01SS0212a | ||
| Instructor(s) | |||||
| 千年 篤, 草処 基 [CHITOSE Atsushi, KUSADOKORO Motoi] | |||||
| Facility affiliation | Faculty of Agriculture | Office | Email address | ||
| Course description |
|
The goal of this course is to understand basic theories of microeconomics (neo-classical economics) and macroeconomics (originating in Keynes’ innovative work, “General Theory”). Microeconomics explores the market mechanism and economic agent behavior underlying it. What is important regarding the market mechanism is “price” that functions as a signal reflecting the values of goods and services. On the other hand, macroeconomics investigates the relationships among aggregate variables in economies such as gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment rate, interest rate, foreign exchange rate, etc. Study on financial policy and monetary policy is also an important topic in macroeconomics. The course focuses on microeconomics, because basic microeconomic theory would help students to understand the essence of each of various economic phenomena currently observed in the real world. |
| Expected Learning |
| Students are expected to gain the way of economic thinking and to be able to apply basic economic theory, specifically microeconomic theory to understanding of various economic phenomena currently observed. |
| Course schedule |
|
The course is intended to proceed with the following schedule: 1. April 11/ Guidance, “What is the way of economic thinking ?--rational behavior hypothesis--, current status of Japan’s economy, objectives of microeconomics and macroeconomics 2. April 18/ Basic macroeconomics: Components of national economy, national income, Effective demand, multiplier effects 3. April 25/Efficient resource allocation and market mechanism : supply and demand, perfectly competitive market, market equilibrium, elasticity 4. May 2/ Consumer theory (1): Utility, marginal utility, budget constraint, relative price, choice set. preference, indifference curve 5. May 9/ Consumer theory (2): Marginal rate of substitution (MRS), optimum consumption plan, change in optimum consumption in response to change to change in income 6. May 16/ Consumer theory (3): Change in optimum consumption in response to change to change in price 7. May 23/ Producer theory (1): Profit maximization, technology, returns to scale 8. May 30/ Producer theory (2): Cost minimization, marginal rate of technical substitution (MRTS), choice of optimum factor combination, cost function, choice of optimum production level, individual firm’s supply curve and market supply curve 9. June 6/ Consumer surplus, producer surplus, social welfare, efficiency of market 10. June 13/ Market failure, public goods 11. June 20/ Monopoly, oligopoly 12. June 27/ Externalities, Pigouvian tax, internalization of externalities, Coase theorem 13. July 4/ Efficiency and fairness of taxation, effects of consumption tax on market 14. July 11/ Efficiency and fairness of specific or general consumption tax, social welfare program and resource allocations 15. July 18/ Final examination |
| Prerequisites |
| Basic calculus |
| Required Text(s) and Materials |
| No specific textbook is used. |
| References |
| References will be announced in class. |
| Assessment/Grading |
|
Grades will be given with the following weights: Class attendance/In-class test (0-5%), Assignment (30-35%), Final Examination (60-70%) |
| Message from instructor(s) |
| Course keywords |
| Office hours |
| In principle, right after each class |
| Remarks 1 |
| Remarks 2 |
| Related URL |
| Lecture Language |
| Japanese |
| Language Subject |
| Last update |
| 3/21/2018 7:29:15 PM |