AEP-30806 Economic Models

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

AEP-21306, ECH-21806 or AEP-20306

Contents:

The course is designed for MSc and PhD students and aims at the quantitative analysis of economic problems in agriculture and agribusiness in both developing and developed countries. As such it has a focus on applied micro-economic theory and quantitative research methods (econometrics, simulation models, spreadsheet use). Applications will mainly stem from agricultural settings. The course provides experience of the various aspects involved in building economic models on the basis of well defined model types, which can be adapted to suit the needs of a specific research objective.
Students are not only trained in model construction for quantitative analysis, but also in judging the appropriateness of models for a given purpose, how to introduce empirical content and how to interpret the results of quantitative models.
This is an advanced course and a good knowledge of micro-economics and econometrics is required.

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this course the student is expected to be able:
- give an overview of basic economic models;
- apply economic theories;
- apply quantitative research methods;
- assess the potential uses and limitations of different quantitative methods for policy analysis.

Activities:

- attending lectures and studying the material (chapters of books, articles, hand-outs);
- doing computer exercises;
- working on specific problem sets.

Examination:

The examination is based on the participation in the course activities, the marks for the excercises and a written examination.

Literature:

Syllabus Economic Models. The course is supported by an Eduweb site.