ECON 7032 - Public Economics PG

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015

This course investigates the role of the public sector in the economic arena. We will attempt to explain why government intervention is needed, how it influences the behaviour of the private sector and what the welfare effects of such influences are. We will also survey political economy, which regards actions of the public sector as determined by political processes. Topics covered may include welfare economics, market failures, and political economy. Students are expected to be familiar with one variable calculus and optimization techniques at the level of Intermediate Microeconomics IID.

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Course Details

Course Code	ECON 7032
Course	Public Economics PG
Coordinating Unit	Economics
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	ECON 7011 or equivalent
Restrictions	Available to MFin&BusEc, GradCertEc, GradCertIntEc, GradDipAppEc, GradDipIntEc, MAppEc, MAppEc(Int) & MAppEc(PubPolicy) students only
Assessment	Typically a mid-semester test & final exam

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Eran Binenbaum

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	Students are introduced to the basic tools, concepts and models required to understand key topics in Public Economics
2	Students learn to appreciate the policy challenges facing governments around the world, learn to think about solutions to these challenges, and to appreciate the difficulties involved in solving these challenges
3	Students become familiar with a set of perspectives into the economic activities of the government sector that will help them become enlightened participants - engaged citizens, voters, politicians and/or civil servants - in society

最新糖心Vlog Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1,2
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	1,2
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	1,2,3
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	1,2
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	1,2
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	1,2,3
A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community.	3
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	2,3

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course will be delivered in the standard lecture-mode. Students are expected to actively participate in the lectures, which includes doing the requisite reading, answering questions and participating in the conversations.

Students are required to write an essay on one of the topics covered in the course.

Tutorials are devoted to enhancing students' understanding of the concepts covered in the lectures. Part of the tutorial time may also be used to help students optimise their essays.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Typical weekly workload for the course is 12 hours a week, distributed as follows: 2 hours for the lecture, 1 hour for the tutorial, 3 hours for requisite revision/required readings, 3 hours for homeworkd problems, 2 hours for the essay, and 1 hour for the additional readings.

Learning Activities Summary

The tentative lecture schedule is as follows:

Week 1	Introduction and Overview
Week 2	General Equilibrium
Week 3	Welfare Economics: Efficiency, Welfare Theorems, Social Welfare Functions and Nonmarket Valuation
Week 4	Players: The Basic Building Blocks of Analysis
Week 5	Midterm Review lecture (NOTE: last lecture before the in-class MIDTERM exam)
Week 6	Subsystems, Political Philosophy and Rent-Seeking (NOTE: first lecture after the midterm exam)
Week 7	Public Goods
Week 8	Theories of the Public Sector
Week 9	Incentive Problems and the Theory of the Second Best
Week 10	Innovation and the Role of Government
Week 11	Final Review lecture

Small Group Discovery Experience

The homework problems are discussed in the tutorials. They are closely related to Eran Binenbaum's research, so the students get to know about the lecturer's work as a researcher.

The 最新糖心Vlog's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Midterm Exam	20%
Final Exam	55% or 70% (70% if Final Exam mark is higher than Essay mark)
Essay	25% or 10% (10% if Final Exam mark is higher)

Assessment Detail

The midterm exam is scheduled for Thursday 3 September 2015. It is a 2 hour long, closed-book exam to be held in class. It will cover material taught in the first 5 lectures.

The final exam will be held during the Uni exam period (at a date to be announced). It will be a 3 hour long, closed book exam.

The essay is between 5 and 16 pages long. The student first submits a topic for approval. The student may then submit a draft version of the essay before the deadline so as to get feedback. The final version of the essay is due by 4 November 2015. More details on the essay are provided in class.

Submission

The final version of the essay is due by 4 November 2015.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Additional Assessment

If a student receives 45-49 for their final mark for the course they will automatically be granted an additional assessment. This will most likely be in the form of a new exam (Additional Assessment) and will have the same weight as the original exam unless an alternative requirement (for example a hurdle requirement) is stated in this semester’s Course Outline. If, after replacing the original exam mark with the new exam mark, it is calculated that the student has passed the course, they will receive 50 Pass as their final result for the course (no higher) but if the calculation totals less than 50, their grade will be Fail and the higher of the original mark or the mark following the Additional Assessment will be recorded as the final result.

Student Feedback

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SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the 最新糖心Vlog to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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