GRA 6612 Applied Microeconomics
 |
APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/2017 |
GRA 6612 Applied Microeconomics
Responsible for the course
Christian Brinch
Department
Department of Economics
Term
According to study plan
ECTS Credits
6
Language of instruction
English
Introduction
PREREQUISITES: GRA 6626 Topics in Microeconomics or equivalent and GRA 6039 Multivariate Statistics with Economitrics or equivalent.
The course teaches modern design based approaches to empirical analysis that are
prevalent in applied empirical microeconomics. The emphasis is on how we think about
designing empirical strategies for and on what is considered sound empirical evidence in
applied microeconomics. The course further teaches topics in applied microeconomics with
a strong leaning towards labor economics. The labor market is probably the most important
market in the economy, and a thorough understanding of the labor market is key for
understanding the workings of the economy in general and the effects of public policy
targeted to the labor market in particular, such as education policies, income taxation and
benefits for the sick and the elderly. This course teaches the main themes of labor
economics.
Learning outcome
After taking this course, students should
know the core theoretical analysis of key questions in labor economics,
know how to assess such questions using design based econometric approaches,
know core empirical results from applied labor economics.
Prerequisites
GRA 6039 Multivariate Statistics with Econometrics or equivalent
GRA 6626 Topics in Microeconomics or equivalent
All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.
Compulsory reading
Books:
Angrist and Pischke. 2015. Mastering metrics: the path from cause to effect. Selected parts
Borjas, G. J. 2013. Labor Economics. 6th. Selected parts
Lazear, E. 1995. Personell economics. Selected parts
Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant
for the course and the examination. ln particular, the course will cover a number of journal
articles that will be studied as cases of empirical analysis during the course.
Recommended reading
Course outline
- Empirical strategies in applied microeconomics
- Labor supply
- Economics of education and training
- Discrimination in the labor market
- lncentives and personell economics
Computer-based tools
Not applicable
Learning process and workload
A course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of 160-180 hours.
Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student's own
responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course
homepage/lt's learning or text book.
Examination
The course grade will be based on the following activities and weights :
20 % - group project/presentation with 4-6 students in each group
80 % - 3-hour written final examination
| Form of assessment | Weight | Group size |
| Presentation | 20% | |
| Written examination 3 hours | 80% | Individual |
Specific information regarding student assessment will be provided in class. This information may be relevant to requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several components of the overall assessment. This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded using points on a scale from 0-100. The final grade for the course is based on the aggregated mark of the course components. Each component is weighted as detailed in the course description. Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam components will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the points system and the mapping scale in the student portal @bi. Candidates may be called in for an oral hearing as a verification/control of written assignments.
Examination code(s)
GRA 66121 continuous assessment accounts for 100 % of the final grade in GRA 6612.
Examination support materials
BI approved exam calculator
Bilingual dictionary
Peter Berck og Knut Sydsæter. 1993. Economists' Mathematical Manual. 2nd ed. Berlin: Springer Verlag
Permitted examination support materials for written examinations are detailed under examination information in the student portal @bi. The section on support materials and the use of calculators and dictionaries should be paid special attention to.
Re-sit examination
It is only possible to retake an examination when the course is next taught. The assessment in some courses is based on more than one exam code. Where this is the case, you may retake only the assessed components of one of these exam codes. All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee. Please note that you need to retake the latest version of the course with updated course literature and assessment. Please make sure that you have familiarised yourself with the latest course description.
Additional information
Honour code. Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and are values that are integral to BI's honour code system. Students are responsible for familiarising themselves with the honour code system, to which the faculty is deeply committed. Any violation of the honour code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for academic misconduct. Issues of academic integrity are taken seriously by everyone associated with the programmes at BI and are at the heart of the honour code. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honour code, please ask. The learning platform itslearning is used in the teaching of all courses at BI. All students are expected to make use of itslearning.