APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2014/2015

GRA 6649 International Economics

Responsible for the course
Per Botolf Maurseth

Department
Department of Economics

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
International economic integration is the major ingredient in economic globalization. This course gives students an advanced introduction to the major theories of international trade and investments, and economic integration.

Learning outcome
Students will aquire knowledge of the main models of economic integration from standard economic theory. They will learn to how analyse real world problems with advanced theoretical modelling tools. Topics such as comparative advantages, new trade theory, trade and growth and foreign direct investments are covered. Both theoretical and empirical questions are covered. Also trade policy is covered and students will learn how to analyse trade policy from theoretical perspectives. The student will have aquired knowledge about international capital movements and labour migration and their relationships with international trade. The student will also have understanding of firm based theories of international trade and how these differ from standard theories.

Prerequisites
Graduate course in Microeconomics, GRA 6031 Microeconomics or equvialent

Compulsory reading
Books:
Bowen, Harry P., Abraham Hollander, Jean-Marie Viaene. 2012. Applied international trade. 2nd ed. Palgrave Macmillan. 568. New main textbook
Krugman, Paul R. 1990. Rethinking international trade. MIT Press. Selected chapters
Krugman, Paul R. 1991. Geography and trade. Leuven University Press. Selected chapters

Collection of articles:
Selected articles will be added

Other:
During the course there may be hand-outs and other material on additional topics relevant for the course and the examination


Recommended reading

Course outline
Main topics are
* comparative advantage and gains from trade
* new trade theory based on monopolistic competition and increasing returns to scale
* international trade, factor mobility and foreign direct investments
* economic geography
* international trade and growth

Computer-based tools
Internet-based assignments and cases will be used. It's learning

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/It's learning or text book.


Examination
A three hour individual written exam concludes the course.

Examination code(s)
GRA 66491 written exam accounts for 100 % of the final grade in the course GRA 6649.

Examination support materials
Bilingual dictionary.
Examination support materials at written examiniations are explained under examination information in the student portal @bi. Please note use of calculator and dictionary in the section on support materials.

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.
Where this is not the case, all of the assessed components of the course must be retaken.
All retaken examinations will incur an additional fee.

Additional information
Honor Code
Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honor code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honor code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed.

Any violation of the honor code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honor code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honor code, please as