1. Principis econòmics fonamentals
1.1. Escassetat i elecció: cost d'oportunitat.
1.2. Especialització i intercanvi: avantatges comparatius i economies d'escala.
1.3. Assignació de recursos: sistemes alternatius.
2. Funcionament ideal d'una economia de mercat
2.1. Fonaments de la demanda, de l'oferta i de l'equilibri econòmic.
2.2. Propietats d'eficiència del sistema competitiu: la "mà invisible".
2.3. Les primeres crítiques que se'ns acudeixen: la distribució de la renda.
3. Més enllà d'un marc ideal
3.1. Externalitats i béns col.lectius.
3.2. Mercats no competitius.
3.3. La informació: el risc moral i la selecció adversa
4. Variables macroeconòmiques fonamentals
4.1. El flux circular de l'activitat econòmica i les identitats macroeconòmiques bàsiques.
4.2. La mesura de la renda.
5. Aplicacions
5.1. Els problemes medi-ambientals típics: els recursos comuns.
5.2. Introducció a l'Anàlisi Cost/Benefici.
Type of exam:
The presentation will represent 3/9 of your final mark. 2/9 is based on your presenation (all members of one group will receive the same mark) and 1/9 is based on your opposition to another group. In order to do a good opposition (so you know what to praise and what not) you should seriously study the other subject too.
For your presenation (2/9), your professor will look at:
- have you researched the subject well?
- what is the quality of the economic analysis?
- are your conclusions supported by your analysis?
- what was the overall quality of the presentation?
For your opposition (1/9), your professor will look at:
- have you researched the subject well?
- do you offer justified praise and critiques?
For those who do not enlist to do a presentation, there is the alternative of writing an essay presenting a Cost - Benefit Analysis of Globalization. This essay should have a minumum of 5 and a maximum of 8 pages of text using Times New Roman, 12pt. Pictures, diagrams, tabels, etc. do not form part of the page count. You are expected to write a scientific essay, using standard scientific citation and a variety of common scientific sources. It may be written in Catalan, Spanish or English. Deadline for presenting a printed copy of your essay to the 'bustia' of Gijsbert Huijink is Friday, December 11th 2009. Faillure to present the essay will result in a '0' for this part of the subject.
The final 6/9 of your mark will be obtained via your exam. The exam will have open questions and/or exercises similar to the ones practiced in class.