GRA 6668 Empirical Industrial Organization

GRA 6668 Empirical Industrial Organization

Course code: 
GRA 6668
Department: 
Economics
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Tom-Reiel Heggedal
Christian Brinch
Course name in Norwegian: 
Empirical Industrial Organization
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Applied Economics
Semester: 
2021 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

This course concerns empirical analysis of firms and markets, with a strong leaning towards modern applied microeconometric techniques. The course teaches these techniques and their applications to major issues. We also go through other empirical cases from the industrial organization literature and discuss the empirical methods uses for analyzing different industrial organization issues. Such issues include the relationship between market structure and firm profitability, product differentiation, entry and market structure, innovation, and mergers.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

After taking this course, students should

  • know how to analyze empirical microeconomic problems using data from experiments and quasi-experiments
  • know how experiments and quasi-experiments are used in empirical industrial organization, including the limitations of these methods
  • know about the different empirical analysis techniques in empirical industrial organization, when they are used and the limitations of the different methods
Learning outcomes - Skills

After taking this course, students should

  • be able to perform experimental and quasi-experimental analyses of economic data using statistical software
  • be able to assess empirical analyses of issues in industrial organization, evaluating to what extent the analyses provide credible empirical evidence.
General Competence

After taking this course, students should:

  • have achieved a broader understanding on how economic theory and empirical analyses can complement each other when we try to understand markets and firms
Course content
  • Empirical strategies in applied microeconomics
  • Implementation of empirical strategies in statistical software
  • Key scientific studies in empirical industrial organization.
Teaching and learning activities

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 itslearning.

Software tools
Stata
Additional information

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.

Both parts of the examination must be passed in order to receive a final grade in the course.

Qualifications

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 specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Covid-19

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there may be deviations in teaching and learning activities as well as exams, compared with what is described in this course description.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Activity
Form of assessment: 
Presentation
Weight: 
20
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 3)
Exam code: 
GRA66681
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Invigilation
Weight: 
80
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • BI-approved exam calculator
  • Simple calculator
  • Bilingual dictionary
Duration: 
3 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Written examination under supervision.
Exam code: 
GRA66682
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
36 Hour(s)
Examination
3 Hour(s)
Group work / Assignments
10 Hour(s)
Preparing student presentations
Student's own work with learning resources
111 Hour(s)
Sum workload: 
160

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.