Teacher(s)
Maniquet François; Olivera Angulo Javier (compensates Maniquet François);
Language
English
Prerequisites
Students must be familiar with basic microeconomics concepts, such as preferences, budgets, market equilibrium, Pareto efficiency, and general equilibrium
Main themes
The main themes are :
1) How can we define resource equality when agents have different preferences ?
2) Can we justify competitive markets when efficiency is to be combined with norms of equity ?
3) How can we define equality of opportunity when agents have different needs and different talents ?
4) How can public intervention improve equality when the governments face information constraints
1) How can we define resource equality when agents have different preferences ?
2) Can we justify competitive markets when efficiency is to be combined with norms of equity ?
3) How can we define equality of opportunity when agents have different needs and different talents ?
4) How can public intervention improve equality when the governments face information constraints
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | Whereas economics is mainly interested in efficiency, it is often the case that public intervention is inspired by different norms. One such major norm is that of social justice. There is no unique way to define justice, however, and there are implementation issues when one wishes to reach a more equitable allocation of resources. The course aims at introducing students to the part of economics that rigorously studies the different norms that can be used to justify public intervention. |
Content
Public interventions are supposed to be beneficial to societies. Let's say that they are supposed to enhance social welfare. In order to design these interventions clearly and efficiently and to evaluate their impact, it is necessary to discuss the way social welfare is defined. This course is about studying some schools of thought that have produced families of notions of social welfare. The norms on which these notions are built are inequality or poverty aversion, social mobility and responsibility. We will also study how these notions of social welfare can be used to evaluate contemporary social policies.
Teaching methods
The courses is composed of lectures given by the lecturer. Students are assigned exercises to solve each week. Students also have to work in group and produce an essay, that consists in applying the method developed during the lectures to a new problem. For the students registered to the public economics module, this essay is required to survey all three approaches to this problem. The essay will be evaluated by the three lecturers.
Evaluation methods
1) Students are required to submit homeworks every week. Access to the final exam is confitioned on having handed in all the homeworks.
2) Students provide a group essay at the end of the term. These essays are graded and count for 50% of the final grade.
3) There is a written open book exam during the session. It counts for 50% of the final grade.
2) Students provide a group essay at the end of the term. These essays are graded and count for 50% of the final grade.
3) There is a written open book exam during the session. It counts for 50% of the final grade.
Other information
Course taught at UNamur (Namur)
Bibliography
Une bibliographie détaillée est donnée au début du cours.
Faculty or entity
