Contemporary Issues in Economics, Finance and Business

Module code: EC1025

This course is designed for students new to economics and who want to understand how to use economic models and methods to address real-world questions. In the first half of the course, we will focus on applying economic models and methods to topics like economic growth, climate change, and income inequality. Through interactive lectures and seminars, you will learn the basics of descriptive data analysis, game theory, and participate in classroom experiments that make these concepts come alive.

In the second half of the course, we focus on economic policies. You will explore policymaking and how policy impacts competition, climate change, and globalization. Our hands-on seminar activities, including data analysis and case discussions, will give you practical experience in understanding and evaluating these policies. By the end of the course, you will have a solid foundation in applied economics theory and practice, ready to analyse and influence economic policy decisions.

We will use new and modern CORE textbook sources to support your learning. Economy, Society, and Public Policy" offers an easy introduction to the essential economic concepts needed for the course. We will use chapters from "Doing Economics" to conduct classroom experiments where you take on the role of a decision maker in an economic model. Additionally, "Economy, Society, and Public Policy" will guide you in conducting data analysis on real-world data and on the data produced by your and your classmates' actions in the classroom experiments.