Economics 184 Assignment, Class and TA Section Schedule
Spring 2019
version date: 2019.4.17
Problem Set Due Dates
PS 1 due Fri 2/25 at 9AM
PS 2 due Wed 2/6 at 5PM
PS 3 due Wed 2/20 at 9AM
PS4 due Wed 4/3 at 5PM
PS 5 due Wed 4/17 at 5PM
PS 6 and PS 7 due on same day, Wed 5/1
Shopping / Wait-List Policy
This course does not have a capacity constraint. All students seeking enrollment will be admitted.
Class Calendar (see below for TA session Calendar)
TA Session Calendar
| Week Beginning | Objectives | |
| 1 | 1/14 | No TA section this week. |
| 2 | 1/21 | Review of solving the Ricardian model. Here is a helpful write-up of the relevant equations, to complement the figures in the lecture notes. |
| 3 | 1/28 | Discussion of students’ answers to PS1 # 19 (Peter Navarro’s editorial in the NYT). Other review of PS 1 as requested and time allows. |
| 4 | 2/4 | Discussion of students answers to PS 2 problem #13-15 (Daniel Altman’s editorial in FP). Other review of PS 2 as requested and time allows. |
| 5 | 2/11 | Review of finding the RV equilibrium. |
| 6 | 2/18 | Review of RV model and practice mid-term. |
| 7 | 2/25 | Review of mid-term exam questions. |
| 8 | 3/4 | Discussion of students answers to PS 3 problem #10 (Adam Dean’s editorial in the WP). |
| BREAK | ||
| 9 | 3/25 | Review of PS3. Answer questions related to multi-cone HO model. |
| 10 | 4/1 | Review of PS4. Answer questions related to tariffs and quotas. |
| 11 | 4/8 | TBD |
| 12 | 4/15 | TBD |
| 13 | 4/22 | TBD |
| 14 | 4/29 | TBD |
| 15 | 5/6 | TBD |
Syllabus
Course Summary
This course covers a set of conceptual tools that are useful for understanding “globalization”. We will use these tools to answer questions about how countries, firms and workers respond to international trade.
Pre-requisites
Two terms of introductory economics
Contact Info
Peter K. Schott
165 Whitney Avenue, Room 3524
203.436.4260
peter.schott@yale.edu
Office Hours
There are two ways to schedule an office visit: (i) send me an email with a few times that work for you and I will pick one; (ii) email me a few minutes before you want to drop by, and if I am in I will respond immediately.
Teaching Assistants
Daisuke Adachi (daisuke.adachi@yale.edu)
Charles Cai (charles.cai@yale.edu)
Discussion Sections
TBD
Class Participation
I encourage discussion. Please ask questions during class. I will feel free to call on you.
Laptops are NOT permitted in class. Please see me if this creates undue difficulty.
Website
A website for this class will be maintained on Canvas. All lecture slides, homeworks, optional readings, case studies and study materials will be posted to this website.
Textbooks
There are two recommended textbooks that complement the lectures, problem sets and exams. I recommend you get ONE of these as there is NO NEED to have both. They are:
International Trade by Feenstra and Taylor. This text is now in its fourth edition (ISBN-13: 978-1319061739), but either the first (ISBN 978-1429206907) or second edition (ISBN 978-1429241045) is fine for our purposes, and they are much cheaper. Note that Feenstra and Taylor have also produced a version of this book that contains international macro chapters which is called International Economics. We will not be using those chapters, but the first half of this larger textbook contains the trade chapters.
International Economics by Krugman, Obstfeld and Melitz. This text, beginning with the ninth edition (ISBN 978-0132961646), has a nice discussion of recent models of firms and trade (chapter 8). Any edition after the ninth would be fine for this course.
Required Readings
Required readings can be accessed via the hyperlinks above or from the “recommended readings” folder on classes v2.
Optional Readings
You are encouraged to read the business section of a major newspaper/website (e.g., NYT, WDJ, FT, Economist, etc.) every day to familiarize themselves with current trends in “globalization”. I may send articles to you periodically during the semester, or ask you to find an discuss an article as part of a problem set. I have also posted some good articles to the syllabus above and to the ClassesV2 website.
Optional Books
The following books are optional and quite good:
Free Trade Under Fire by Doug Irwin
The Choice by Russell Roberts
Pop Internationalism by Paul Krugman
Case Studies
The class will likely make use of one or two case studies published by the Harvard Business School. These will be posted to the class schedule and Canvas as the semester proceeds.
Class Assignments
Problem sets are to be handed in electronically via Canvas if possible, or at the front of the classroom at the beginning of class on the day they are due. Problem sets are posted to the “assignments” section of Canvas. Problem set due dates are as noted on the class calendar and in the “assignments” section of Canvas. I reserve the right to add/subtract assignments as we go along. Problem sets are equally weighted. The lowest problem set score will be dropped, except in the case of any “double” assignments, in which case only half of the low grade will be dropped.
You may work with up to 1 partner on problem sets, and hand in the solutions either jointly or individually. If you work with a partner YOU MUST DECLARE THIS on the solutions you hand in
NOTE: use of solution sets from prior-year assignments is expressly forbidden and will be considered a violation of academic integrity.
Grading
Final grades are determined as follows:
Problem Sets (30 percent)
In class and final exam (2 x 35 = 70 percent)
Academic Integrity / Group Work
No student’s name should appear on a group project if the student has not contributed to the production of the project. The following is an example of unacceptable conduct: Neo agrees to produce a case write-up, putting Trinity’s name on the case write-up. Trinity agrees to repay Neo by producing a subsequent assignment on his own.
In group work, all group members are responsible for the integrity of work that is submitted. Group members should always question other members about the source of material and analysis that is being included in group projects. If a group member has any concerns about the integrity of material being submitted by the group, that group member should discuss those concerns with the instructor.
Plagiarism: the members of any academic community are expected not to present ideas or material from other sources as their own. In the context of this course, it is acceptable to, for example:
Refer to concepts, frameworks, and analytical tools from the readings or class lectures without citation. For example, you may refer to the five forces, added value, sustainable competitive advantage, signaling, and so on without citing the source.
Refer to the material in cases without citations. For example, you do not need to cite the HBS case in your case analysis when you refer to factual information from the text or tables.
Quote or paraphrase analysis from another source and present it as your own. For example, it would be unacceptable to find an analysis of your case project company on the web and quote or paraphrase it in the analysis you hand in without correctly attributing it. There is a difference between consulting a source and then forming your own opinion based on what you have read, and “lifting” material directly.