TODAY
TOMORROW
ECON 309: Advanced Experimental Design and Statistics
Prerequisite:
MGSC 209, or MATH 203, or equivalent. Advanced statistics as employed
in the construction and optimization of experimental designs and
subsequent analysis of data. One and two-way ANOVA in detail from a
linear modeling and least squares perspective (to match basic
econometrics), contrasts, orthogonal contrasts, and power planning.
Course objectives:
(1) Understand experimental
design, philosophically, statistically and scientifically (2) Understand
statistical methods for creating good experimental designs (3) Know how
to use statistics to analyze data from well-designed experiments.
ECON 420: Foundations of Economic Exchange
Classical and
neoclassical theory of economic exchange. Philosophical critiques and
commendations of market exchange. Human nature as self-regarding in
market exchange and other-regarding in social exchange. Property right
systems in economic exchange.
Course Objectives:
From the perspectives of two
forms of rational orders, constructivist and ecological, this course
will study the foundations of economic exchange. We will examine the
extent to which reason and the deliberate action of a constructivist
order and the undesigned principles of norms and traditions in an
ecological order can inform our understanding of impersonal exchange in
markets and personal social exchange with friends, neighbors, and
family.
ECON 464/564: Game Theory
(Same as MATH 464)
Prerequisites: MATH 210 or ECON 496. In this course we will study some
of the basic elements of Game Theory. Game Theory studies environments
in which the payoffs from an individual's actions depend upon the
actions of others. Game Theory attempts to develop an understanding of
such situations and to provide a formal mathematical framework and
solution concepts to help students make better strategic choices in
these environments.
Course Objective:
Provide a formal mathematical
framework to help students make better strategic choices in these
environments. To gain an understanding of the basic elements of Game
Theory. To learn how to make better strategic choices in an environment
in which the benefits from an action depend upon the actions of
others.
ECON 471: Experimental Economics 1
A course designed to
engage the student as an economic actor in a wide variety of
environments. The economies we will study will be ones in which students
will participate and generate the data that will then be the subject of
examination in the classroom. We will explore how these studies
parallel important questions in the at large economy today. Special
topics include Pit Markets, Trust, Double Auctions, Asset Markets and
Price Bubbles, Information Cascades, and Prediction Markets.
Course Objectives:
To show the applicability of experiments
to important economic questions and to foster in the students mind a
fundamentally scientific approach to settling questions of economic
debate.
ECON 481: Economic System Design I
This course will
introduce you to the analytical and engineering principles used in
developing exchange systems. Students will be required to become
familiar with the literature on applied mechanism design and understand
the behavioral aspects of auction systems, matching, assignment and
transportation problems. In addition, students will be introduced to
methods for testbedding systems using experimental economics.
Course Objectives:
After taking this course
students should have an understanding of (1) The information and
incentive constraints that affect the design of allocation mechanisms,
(2) The design principles required to develop allocation mechanisms for
complex systems and (3) The literature and practice of mechanism design.
ECON 530: Computational Economics
(Same as CPSC 430 and CS
531) This course will introduce students to the computational tools
required to understand electronic exchange systems and implement
economic experiments. Students will be required to become familiar with
numerical analysis, computer simulation and programming of experiments.
Course Objectives:
After taking this course
students should be able to (1) Use computational methods in solving
economic exchange problems, (2) Implement an electronic exchange
systems.
ECON 582: Economic System Design II
Prerequisites: ECON
581. This course is intended to involve students in designing specific
allocation mechanisms for specific problems. Students will be required
to design and develop a mechanism to a specific allocation
problem. Students must develop an analytical model, literature review
and testbed for their mechanism.
Course Objectives:
After taking this course
students should have a complete model of a solution to a specific
allocation problem. This includes a full description of the problem and
related literature review, a set of instructions and testbed. This will
become a foundation of doing research in systems design.
ECON 683: Economic System Design III
Prerequisites: ECON
581, 582. Students will be required to synthesize their knowledge of
Economic Systems Design and Experimental Economics and apply it to a
real world problem.
Course Objectives:
Students must demonstrate an
in depth knowledge of an existing economic exchange environment; provide
at least one viable alternative arrangement for reorganizing the
current exchange institution or resource allocation mechanism; test the
original and alternative mechanisms in a controlled laboratory
environment; and present results in a professional manner with both oral
and written reports.
ECON 685 Economic Systems Design Lab I
Prerequisite, ECON 482 or 582. Laboratory to design and test resource allocation mechanisms. (Offered every year.)
Course Objectives:
(1) Develop the experimental
software and conduct the thesis research. Conduct experiments on the
thesis topic and analyze the data from the experiments, (2) Design and
develop the required software to undertake your experiments and to show
that you can conduct original research and analysis.
ECON 686 Economic Systems Design Lab II
Prerequisite, ECON 685. Laboratory to implement and redesign allocation mechanisms. (Offered every year.)
Course Objectives:
(1) Develop the experimental
software and conduct the thesis research, (2) Conduct experiments on the
thesis topic and analyze the data from the experiments, (3) Design and
develop the required software to undertake your experiments and to show
that you can conduct original research and analysis.
ECON 689: Seminar in Economic Science
Students
required to pre-read papers presented by various speakers, attend their
seminars, ask intelligent questions and summarize the content and
importance of the seminar. May be repeated up to three semesters for
credit. (Offered every semester.) 2 credits.
Course Objectives:
(1) To expose students to a variety of
current topics en Economics, (2) To improve students’ abilities to
engage in dialogue, (3) To improve students’ capacity to read and
abstract
ECON 691 Economic Systems Design Thesis I
Prerequisites, ECON 483 or 683. Laboratory to implement and redesign allocation mechanisms. (Offered every year.)
Course Objective:
Analyze data from experiments and write thesis.
ECON 692 Economic Systems Design Thesis II
Prerequisites,
ECON 483 or 683, and successful proposal defense of thesis. Laboratory
to implement and redesign allocation mechanisms. (Offered every year.)
Course Objective:
Analyze data from experiments and write thesis.