PA/POEC 7317.

501
Course
Economics for Public Policy
Professor Dr. Kruti Dholakia-Lehenbauer
Term Fall 2010
Meetings Friday 5:30-8:15 PM; WSTC 1.224

CONTACT INFORMATION
Main Phone 972-883-2926
Office Location GR 3.232
Email Address kruti@utdallas.edu;
Office Hours W/F 4:00-5:30 PM; R 5:00-6:30 PM or after class or By appointment
Other Information Please email me if you are arriving for office hours or for appointment

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

Officially, there are no prerequisites to this course. However, I will
function under the assumption that you are familiar with basic economic
concepts. If you have never taken an economics class before, please
advise me immediately, so that I can accommodate your needs
Pre-requisites, Co-
accordingly in class discussions.
requisites, & other
restrictions
Using Microsoft Office 2007 is highly recommended (You can get the
Office ’07 from UTD Bookstore at a very reasonable discounted price of
$35.00). Please obtain your NET-ID if you have not obtained it yet,
because email sent from your utdallas.edu email address is encouraged.
Economics for Public Policy is a doctoral level course designed to
introduce students to the use of economic methods of the analysis of
public policy. While the primary theoretical framework for the course is
microeconomics, the course also includes macroeconomics. A variety of
Course Description public policy topics are covered in the course such as education and
education reform, employment and the labor market, taxes and
redistribution, health and health care, poverty and inequality, and public
assistance programs. A central theme in the course is the role of the
government.
The course goals are:
• To give a strong economic cost-benefit analysis background for
people interested in analyzing, understanding, or making public
Learning Outcomes
policy in the long run.
• Giving key knowledge required to write a policy analysis paper in
the social sciences
Economics of Public Issues, The (16th Edition) (Paperback) by Roger LeRoy
Required Texts &
Miller, Daniel K. Benjamin, Douglass C. North. Publisher: Addison Wesley;
Materials
(July 5, 2009)
Suggested Texts, Any book on Basic Economics (including the textbook for ECO 2301 or
Readings, & ECO 2302). If you attend class regularly, the textbook and class-notes
Materials should suffice!
CLASS SCHEDULE
DATE TOPICS, READINGS, ASSIGNMENTS (Miller, et al) Group Members
20-Aug Introduction to course and syllabus explanation
Part I. The Foundations of Economic Analysis
27-Aug
Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 1 2
Part II. Supply and Demand
3-Sep
Chapters 5, 6, 7 2 1
10-Sep Chapters 8, 9, 10 3 1
Part III. Labor Markets
17-Sep
Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14 4 2
Part IV. Market Structures
24-Sep
Chapter 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 5 2
1-Oct Part V. Political Economy
Chapter 20, 21, 22 6 1
8-Oct
Chapter 23, 24, 25; Policy Paper Part I Due 7 1
Part VI. Property Rights and the Environment
15-Oct
Chapters 26, 27, 28, 29 8 2
Part VII. International Trade and Economic Prosperity
22-Oct
Chapter 30, 31, 32 9 1
29-Oct Student Paper Presentations (1-3) 3
5-Nov Student Paper Presentations (4-6) 3
12-Nov Student Paper Presentations (7-9) 3
19-Nov Student Paper Presentations (10-13) 4
26-Nov NO CLASS
3-Dec Policy Paper Part II Due
These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.
COURSE POLICIES
Group Presentations 30 percent (20 group + 10 individual)
Individual Presentation 20 percent
Policy Paper Part I 20 percent
Policy Paper Part II 30 percent
Grading (credit)
Criteria
Policy Paper Part I due October 1, 2010 – email preferred
Policy Paper Part II due December 3, 2010 – email preferred
GRADING:
90-100 = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 0-69 F
NOT ACCEPTABLE! Early submissions, on the other hand, are highly
Late Work
recommended!
Regular attendance is highly desirable. You are also responsible for all
announcements made in class, whether or not you attend. Looking at previous
Class Attendance
experiences with this and other classes, tardiness and absence are the main
contributing factors to poor grades.
Other details: http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies