040164 UK Methodology of Economics (BA) (2022S)
Prüfungsimmanente Lehrveranstaltung
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An/Abmeldung
Hinweis: Ihr Anmeldezeitpunkt innerhalb der Frist hat keine Auswirkungen auf die Platzvergabe (kein "first come, first served").
- Anmeldung von Mo 07.02.2022 09:00 bis Mo 21.02.2022 23:59
- Abmeldung bis Mo 14.03.2022 23:59
Details
max. 50 Teilnehmer*innen
Sprache: Englisch
Lehrende
Termine (iCal) - nächster Termin ist mit N markiert
- Mittwoch 02.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 17 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Mittwoch 09.03. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 16.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 17 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Mittwoch 23.03. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 30.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 17 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Mittwoch 06.04. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 27.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 17 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Mittwoch 04.05. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 11.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 17 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
- Mittwoch 18.05. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 25.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 1 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 01.06. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 08.06. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 15.06. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 22.06. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
- Mittwoch 29.06. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
Information
Ziele, Inhalte und Methode der Lehrveranstaltung
Art der Leistungskontrolle und erlaubte Hilfsmittel
The aims of this course can only be realized if students are active in presenting and discussing ideas. The assessment criteria reflect this. During the lectures, students have to present at least one time the literature that is assigned for that week, and have to act at least one time as discussant. Apart from presenting or discussing, students have also to be actively involved in the general discussion. 50% of the final grade is determined by these three different elements (presentation 25%, discussion 10%, active participation 15%). The other 50% is assigned to a final essay in which the student should apply the literature that we discussed to a specific economic model the student can choose.
Work on the final essay is organized as follows. A student writes a half-page proposal. This proposal is either accepted or is asked to be rewritten. The student then writes an essay of at most 10 pages. The essay has to have a clear introduction where the question is posed the essay addresses. There is a subsequent analysis and a separate conclusion. Deadline for the essay is February 20, 2019.
Work on the final essay is organized as follows. A student writes a half-page proposal. This proposal is either accepted or is asked to be rewritten. The student then writes an essay of at most 10 pages. The essay has to have a clear introduction where the question is posed the essay addresses. There is a subsequent analysis and a separate conclusion. Deadline for the essay is February 20, 2019.
Mindestanforderungen und Beurteilungsmaßstab
Students should have an evaluation on each and every part of the assessment criteria to get a final grade. Students should also be present at least 9 out of the 12 sessions and read the relevant material in advance of the lecture.
Prüfungsstoff
There will not be a midterm or a final exam. Instead, students should show they have read and thought about the literature.
Literatur
Lecture 1. General Introduction: the type of questions we will address
Literature: Krugman, Paul R. 2009. “How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?” The New York Times Magazine, September 2. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/magazine/06Economic-t.html.
Lecture 2. Introduction to Philosophy of Economics
Literature: Hausman, D. 1984. The Philosophy of Economics: An Anthology. Cambridge UP, chapter 1. J.S. Mill. 1836. On the definition and method of political economy. Excerpt from “On the definition of political economy and the method of investigation proper to it.
Lecture 3. Friedman’s Essay
Literature: Friedman, M. 1953. The Methodology of Positive Economics. In Essays of positive economics, pp. 3-43.
Lecture 4. Credible Worlds
Literature: Sugden, Robert (2000), ‘Credible Worlds: The Status of Theoretical Models in Economics’, Journal of Economic Methodology, 7 (1), 1 – 31.
Gibbard, A. and H. Varian. 1978. Economic Models. Journal of Philosophy 75, pp. 664-77.Lecture 5. Nature’s Capacities. Are they relevant for Economics?
Literature: Cartwright, Nancy (2009), ‘If no capacities then no credible worlds’, Erkenntnis, 70 (1), 45-58.
Lecture 6. Economics Rules
Literature: Rodrik, D. 2015. Economics Rules: The Rights and Wrongs of the Dismal Science. Norton.
Lecture 7. Is Game theory empirically empty and if so, can it be still useful?
Literature: Alexandrova, Anna. (2006) “Connecting Economic Models to the Real World: Game Theory and the FCC Spectrum Auctions.” Philosophy of the Social Sciences 36.2: 173-192.
Lecture 8. Does Macroeoconomics need Microfoundations?
Literature: Janssen, M. 1993. Microfoundations. Routledge, chapters 2-4, Janssen, M. 2008, `Microfoundations’ in S. Durlauf and L. Blume (eds.). The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. MacMillan. Hoover, K. Reductionism in Economics: Intentionality and Eschatological Justification in the Microfoundations of Macroeconomics" (Philosophy of Science 2015),Student Presentations in Lectures 9-12.
Take a classic paper in economics and discuss its (ir)relevance for explaining real world phenomena and/or for the development of economic science. Classic papers include, for example:
1. Akerlof, G. 1970.
2. Lucas, R.
3. Spence, M.
4. Schelling, T.
5. Vernon Smith
6. Thaler, R.
7. Rubinstein, A. 1982.
8. Aumann, R. Can we Rationally Agree to Disagree?Other Nobel Prize laureates can also be chosen
Other literature:
Rubinstein, Ariel. “A Sceptic’s Comment on the Study of Economics.” The Economic Journal, 510 (2006): C1-C9.
Literature: Krugman, Paul R. 2009. “How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?” The New York Times Magazine, September 2. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/magazine/06Economic-t.html.
Lecture 2. Introduction to Philosophy of Economics
Literature: Hausman, D. 1984. The Philosophy of Economics: An Anthology. Cambridge UP, chapter 1. J.S. Mill. 1836. On the definition and method of political economy. Excerpt from “On the definition of political economy and the method of investigation proper to it.
Lecture 3. Friedman’s Essay
Literature: Friedman, M. 1953. The Methodology of Positive Economics. In Essays of positive economics, pp. 3-43.
Lecture 4. Credible Worlds
Literature: Sugden, Robert (2000), ‘Credible Worlds: The Status of Theoretical Models in Economics’, Journal of Economic Methodology, 7 (1), 1 – 31.
Gibbard, A. and H. Varian. 1978. Economic Models. Journal of Philosophy 75, pp. 664-77.Lecture 5. Nature’s Capacities. Are they relevant for Economics?
Literature: Cartwright, Nancy (2009), ‘If no capacities then no credible worlds’, Erkenntnis, 70 (1), 45-58.
Lecture 6. Economics Rules
Literature: Rodrik, D. 2015. Economics Rules: The Rights and Wrongs of the Dismal Science. Norton.
Lecture 7. Is Game theory empirically empty and if so, can it be still useful?
Literature: Alexandrova, Anna. (2006) “Connecting Economic Models to the Real World: Game Theory and the FCC Spectrum Auctions.” Philosophy of the Social Sciences 36.2: 173-192.
Lecture 8. Does Macroeoconomics need Microfoundations?
Literature: Janssen, M. 1993. Microfoundations. Routledge, chapters 2-4, Janssen, M. 2008, `Microfoundations’ in S. Durlauf and L. Blume (eds.). The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. MacMillan. Hoover, K. Reductionism in Economics: Intentionality and Eschatological Justification in the Microfoundations of Macroeconomics" (Philosophy of Science 2015),Student Presentations in Lectures 9-12.
Take a classic paper in economics and discuss its (ir)relevance for explaining real world phenomena and/or for the development of economic science. Classic papers include, for example:
1. Akerlof, G. 1970.
2. Lucas, R.
3. Spence, M.
4. Schelling, T.
5. Vernon Smith
6. Thaler, R.
7. Rubinstein, A. 1982.
8. Aumann, R. Can we Rationally Agree to Disagree?Other Nobel Prize laureates can also be chosen
Other literature:
Rubinstein, Ariel. “A Sceptic’s Comment on the Study of Economics.” The Economic Journal, 510 (2006): C1-C9.
Zuordnung im Vorlesungsverzeichnis
Letzte Änderung: Di 24.05.2022 11:08
• Do economic models provide useful insight in how the economy functions?
• How can we assess the fruitfulness of these insights?
• If economic models clearly only partially reflect the world we live in, how can they explain or predict?
• What is the role of econometrics or experiments in testing economic models?
• What is the role of rationality assumptions and equilibrium assumptions? Why are they used?
• Is it important that macroeconomics has microeconomic foundations? If so, why?
• Is there “progress” in economic knowledge acquisition?
• How to think about “mainstream economics” and other “schools”? Has “mainstream economics” evolved?
• To what extent is economics different from other natural and/or social sciences?The purpose of this course is to address these questions. Many economists and philosophers have provided their views and opinions. This course is meant to get acquainted with these views and to use them to get a better understanding of the different roles economic models play.Prerequisites: Microeconomics I (Mikroökonomie I) and Macroeconomics I (Makroökonomie I)