Universität Wien

040021 KU Current Topics in Macroeconomic Policy (MA) (2022S)

8.00 ECTS (4.00 SWS), SPL 4 - Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 50 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

After the exam, flexible meeting dates to discuss the seminar project will be arranged.

  • Thursday 10.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Thursday 17.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 10 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 18.03. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 24.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 10 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 25.03. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 31.03. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 10 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 01.04. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 07.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 10 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 08.04. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 28.04. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 16 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 29.04. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 05.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 15 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock
  • Friday 06.05. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 12.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 10 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 13.05. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 19.05. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 10 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 20.05. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Friday 27.05. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 02.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 10 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 03.06. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 09.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 10 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 10.06. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Friday 17.06. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 23.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Hörsaal 10 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 24.06. 08:00 - 09:30 Hörsaal 8 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 1.Stock
  • Thursday 30.06. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 15 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 3.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The course will be in cooperation with the Austrian National Bank (Österreichische Nationalbank, OeNB).

Aim of the Course:
The aim of this course is that students learn how to answer current policy-relevant topics in the area of macroeconomics using microeconomic data. Accounting for household heterogeneity has become increasingly important in the evaluation of macro-stabilization policies and their potential redistributive effects. In this course, students will use detailed microeconomic data to empirically document household heterogeneity across a variety of dimensions (for example, across income, wealth, gender, employment status, etc.). They will independently analyze the role of heterogeneity for a wide range of topics relevant to macro-stabilization policies, such as households’ savings behavior, the distribution of marginal propensities to consume (MPCs), households’ balance sheets, financial distress, and indebtedness.

Course Structure:
The course will be structured in two parts. First, there will be an introduction to core topics and methodologies. Students will learn about basic consumption theory (precautionary savings, borrowing constraints, the role of MPCs), the determinants for the effectiveness of fiscal stimuli (e.g. the role of (wealthy) hand-to-mouth consumers), and why households’ portfolios matter for the transmission of monetary policy.
In the second part, students will work in groups on assigned seminar topics. They will use microdata (the Household Finance and Consumption Survey, HFCS) and apply econometric knowledge to answer their research questions. Finally, the seminar projects will be presented in class.
Staff members of the OeNB will be involved in both parts of the course.

Assessment and permitted materials

Evaluation consists of
• 10 % active participation in discussions
• 30 % midterm
• 40 % seminar paper
• 20 % seminar presentation

Students are expected to hand in a seminar paper and present their final seminar work. Evaluation criteria for the seminar paper are announced in class.

Important Dates:
• Exam on April 28th (preliminary)
• Interim Presentations of Project: Thursday, May 19th
• Deadline to hand in seminar papers: June 10th (1 week before the presentations)
• Final Seminar Presentations: Monday, June 20th (blocked, entire day)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Students need to achieve at least 50% of all points to pass this course.

Highly recommended:
- successfully completing a first-year macro course. Depending on the master’s program, these are "Applied Macroeconomics," "Macroeconomics for Economics and Finance," "Growth and Business Cycles" (or equivalent).

- Basic knowledge of statistics and econometrics

Familiarity with statistical software such as R or Stata is useful but not necessary.

Examination topics

The midterm covers all contents of the first part of the course which gives an introduction to core topics and methodologies.

Reading list

Research papers are announced in class and on the syllabus.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 11.05.2023 11:26