Universität Wien

290144 SE Seminar in Economics (Macroeconomics) (2021W)

Current Debates in Applied Economics

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 29 - Geographie
Continuous assessment of course work
ON-SITE

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. 25 participants
Language: German

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

UPDATE 24.11.2021: Aufgrund des von der Bundesregierung verordneten Lockdowns, werden die Seminareinheiten ab sofort und bis auf Widerruf online via Moodle-Kurs stattfinden!

  • Wednesday 06.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 5 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 13.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 20.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 27.10. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 03.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 10.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 17.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 24.11. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 01.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 15.12. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 12.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 19.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß
  • Wednesday 26.01. 13:15 - 14:45 Hörsaal 3 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 Erdgeschoß

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The aim of the course is to understand, interpret and present current discourses on theories, models and hypotheses in economics.
Contents are concrete topics, see below.
A seminar paper on one of the topics shall be written by one participant (or by two participants together, dependent on the whole number of participants of the course). In addition, the respective lecture and the discussion, as well as the discussion on the other topics.
In the first lesson, an introduction is given; and topics will be determined to participants

Assessment and permitted materials

Central is the writing of a seminar paper, which should be structured as follows:
• Elaboration of the topical question
• Historical background of the question
• Methods of Operationalization
• Evidence and opposites, discourses
• Summary
The work is to be composed and presented by two participants. The joint presentation shall last about 25-40 minutes.
The work is to be delivered one week before the presentation

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

(The percentages in the following refer to the share of the weight in the overall assessment:)
Content (25%), the comprehensibility of the lecture (10%), short summary (15%), the scientific method (10%) and the ability to discuss (5%) are evaluated.
Also, each has to make once a prepared discussion contribution (about 5 min) and 2 further ad hoc discussions (15%)
At the end of the semester, a final exam in written form(about 45 minutes) will finalize the evaluation (20%), all the resumes of the papers will be tested

Examination topics

The following is a list of possible topics and literature, on which the seminar papers can be based

1.
GDP or what - are there alternatives measurement of to wealth and progress?
- Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi (2009): Report by the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress

2.
Economies of Scale and Scope, Network Economies and Entropy - often Forgotten Basics of Economics
- Chandler Alfred D. , Hikino Takashi (1994): Scale and Scope: The Dynamics of Industrial Capitalism (Englisch) Taschenbuch Kap.

3.
Causes for the "Dutch disease" - Is the "curse of the resources" mandatory?
- Stevens, P. (2003). Resource impact: curse or blessing? A literature survey. Journal of Energy Literature. 9 (1): 3-42

4.
How Google became a world power? Peculiarities of network economies
- Shapiro Carl, Varian Hal R. (1999); Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy, Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Chapter 9
- Keese Christoph (2014): Silicon Valley. In particular, pp. 193-227

5.
Can tax cuts finance themselves? Is the Laffer curve correct?
- Udo H. Raab (1995): Public transaction costs and efficiency of the government revenue system. S.199-240

6. The Kuznets Curve and Environmental Kuznets Curve. Relation of environmental pollution and prosperity / development - empirics and criticism
- Borghesi Simone (1999): The Environmental Kuznets Curve: a Survey of the Literature. European University Institute
- David Stern: The Rise and Fall of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. World Development. Volume 32, Issue 8, August 200

7.
„Double Irish With a Dutch Sandwich“ – Tax Evasion Models of BIG Companies and responding EU-Policy concepts
- Farny Otto et al (2015): Steuerflucht und Steueroasen

8.
Health and Inequality: the Discourse on Wilkinson-Picket
- Wilkinson Richard G., Picket Kate E. (2015): Income Inequality and Health: a Causal Review. Social Science & Medicine. 2015 Mar;128:316-26

9. Global convergence, but divergence at country level? - How does the global income distribution develop?
- Branko Milanovic (2016) The unequal world - migration, the one percent and the future of the middle class. Chapter 3-5

10.
Piketty! "R> g" as a new key formula?
- Thomas Piketty (2016): Economics of inequality: an introduction. 144 p

11.
Schumpeter: Innovation and Creative Destruction (Disruption)
- Joseph A. Schumpeter: Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. Ch. VII, VIII, XII

12.
Waldviertel-Highway and Regional Development in the View of New Industrial Geography
-Ihara Ryusuke, Machikita Tomohiro: Voting for highway construction in economic geography. The Annals of Regional Science. December 2007, Volume 41, Issue 4, pp 951–966

13.
Reindustrialization of the US and Europe?
- Shih W. (2013): The Re-industrialization of the United States? Wirtschaftspolitische Blätter 2/2013. S.297-312
- Aiginger K. (2013): The "Greening" of Industrial Policy, Headwinds and a Possible Symbiosis. WIFO Working Papers, No. 450.
- Peneder M. (2014): Warum die Neue Industriepolitik die Deindustrialisierung beschleunigen wird. FIW-Policy Brief Nr. 23

14.
Advertising - necessary for information and competition, or a consequence of oligopolisation
- Naomi Klein (2000): No Logo - the fight of global players for market power, a game with many losers and few winners. Chapters 1, 7, 8, 18

15.
„Adam Smith in Beijing“ – How to explain the last decades in China?
-Giovanni Arrighi (2007): Adam Smith in Beijing: last 3 chapters

16.
The New Silk Road - the Greatest Investment Strategy in History up to now
- Erebus Wong, Lau Kin Chi, Sit Tsui and Wen Tiejun (January 2017): One Belt, One Road - China's Strategy for a New Global Financial Order. Monthly Review. Vol 68 Issue 08
- Grübler Julia, Stehrer Robert (2017): Die chinesische Investitionsoffensive „One Belt, One Road” - Wirtschaftliche Potenziale für Österreich? Policy Brief Nr. 33, Februar 2017

Reading list

17. Der Anthropozän-Diskurs
- Moore Jason W. (ed) (2016): Anthropocene or Capitalocene? Nature, History, and the Crisis of Capitalism
- Malm Andreas (2016): Fossil Capital: The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warming. London. Verso. 2016

18. Möglichkeiten des Neubaus der „Donauuferbahn” nach der Zerstörung Im rahmen von Regional- und Klimapolitik

19. Märkte zwischen Konkurrenz und Oligopolisierung- Marktmachtmessung und Wettbewerbspolitik
• Bontrup Heinz-J. (2006): Arbeit, Kapital und Staat. S. 194-251

20. Gibt es eine „Middle Income Trap“?
• Arie Y Lewin (2016): China's Innovation Challenge: Overcoming the Middle-Income Trap. Kapitel 1, 13,16

20.

Association in the course directory

(BA UF GW 07)

Last modified: Fr 10.12.2021 15:09