Public Economics
提供方
Public Economics
National Research University Higher School of Economics
课程信息
4.6
57 个评分
This course offers an introduction into the public economics theory. It does not aspire to cover theories of taxation, public expenditures, regulation etc. at length and in-depth. Rather, our ambition is to give a bird's-eye view of central themes of public economics and related disciplines, and teach concepts, logic, and ideas, rather than methods of analysis, which would require an entirely different course format.
Our choice of topics covered by the course reflects a trade-off between salience and centrality, on the one hand, and suitability for a brief online introductory course, on the other. The course content is neither comprehensive (which would be a "mission impossible" for virtually any public economics course"), nor representative of other such courses. With these limitations and caveats in mind, we encourage our students to continue their public economics studies in a more regular fashion, and see our role inter alia in motivating interest in such "continued education".
The central theme of the course is the role of government as a mechanism of resource allocation which complements and augments markets. Governments are viewed as public agencies set to correct market failures. Such agencies however are prone to failures of their own, and hence markets and governments are two imperfect alternatives. We deal with government's limitations, with particular emphasis on those that have to do with informational asymmetry, limited administrative capacity, and imperfect accountability to society. Otherwise the course's man themes are economics of taxation, regulation, politics of public economics, incentives in government, and government vis-à-vis (civil) society.
教学大纲 - 您将从这门课程中学到什么
Week
1Introduction
1 个视频（共 2 分钟）, 2 个阅读材料
1 个视频
2 个阅读材料
Course syllabus10分钟
Supplementary reading10分钟
Government in a Market Economy
In this lecture we discuss reasons calling for government presence in market economies. We stress key advantages of markets over governments which make privately taken decisions highly efficient in the absence of externalities. The latter significantly distorts the work of market mechanism and lead to inefficient outcomes. We consider possible solutions to this inefficiency which are based either on coasean agreements or on public coercion (governements) and discuss conditions, advantages, and disadvantages related to these solutions.
5 个视频（共 89 分钟）, 1 个阅读材料, 1 个测验
5 个视频
1.2. Market failures and the Coase theorem24分钟
1.3. Collective action problem21分钟
1.4. Correcting externalities14分钟
1.5. Socially productive and unproductive activities15分钟
1 个阅读材料
Syllabus10分钟
1 个练习
Problem Set 120分钟
Week
2Design of Government: A Tax Theory Primer
This lecture covers the positive and normative theories of taxation, ways and means to collect public revenues, and existing informational, administrative, political constraints governments have to deal with. We consider lump sum tax as first best option which implementation in practice, unfortunately, is severely restricted by informational asymmetry. Then follows a cursory introduction into one of the most beautiful (but also most technically complex) parts of public economics which characterizes optimal tax schedules minimizing welfare losses subject to information constraints; such analysis is carried out in the so-called Mirrlees economy. Another focal point of the lecture is the role of elasticity in selecting taxes and how the concept of elasticity can be applied to the analysis of time inconsistency in taxation.
7 个视频（共 100 分钟）, 1 个阅读材料, 1 个测验
7 个视频
2.2. Power and Limitations of Lump-Sum30分钟
2.3. Selecting Tax Schedule8分钟
2.4. Complexity vs. Simplicity12分钟
2.5. The Role of Elasiticity22分钟
2.6. Political Constraints4分钟
2.7. Protection from Leviathan6分钟
1 个阅读材料
Syllabus10分钟
1 个练习
Problem Set 220分钟
Week
3Scope of Government
In this lecture we discuss how governments perform their key functions such as public regulation and public service delivery using three cases. In the first case, we discuss alternative means to control externalities by considering situations when private firms could cause harm to third parties (employees, customers, local communities etc.). These means include (a) imposing mandatory requirements upon firms to take precautionary measures, (b) allowing damaged parties to sue firms in the court of law, and (c) leaving such incidents to Coase-style private solutions. In the second case, we compare two modalities of public service delivery, namely in-house, by government agencies, or through outsourcing to private sector firms. Finally, we discuss the phenomenon of regulatory capture when wealthy elites unnecessarily complicate and obstruct the entry into the formal sector.
5 个视频（共 96 分钟）, 1 个阅读材料, 1 个测验
5 个视频
3.2. Controlling Externalities: Litigation vs. Regulation23分钟
3.3. The Role of Administrative Capacity16分钟
3.4. Outsourcing of Public Services31分钟
3.5. Regulatory Capture19分钟
1 个阅读材料
Syllabus10分钟
1 个练习
Problem Set 320分钟
Week
4Politics of Public Economics
This lecture begins with an analysis of how public economic policies differ from each other in democracies and autocracies. We next turn to politics of public economics in democracies and begin with the classical result about non-existence of a universal rule of democratic aggregation of preferences (Arrow's impossibility theorem). Then introduce so-called single-peaked preferences and discuss the role of median voter in collective decision making. Another problem occurs in polarized societies where even economically optimal democratic choice leaves people far to the left and/or far to the right from the median quite unhappy with a majority will. Possible solutions include restricting democratic procedures to smaller and hopefully more homogenous groups and charging user fees for a public good. We discuss the costs and benefits of these two approaches.
6 个视频（共 95 分钟）, 1 个阅读材料, 1 个测验
6 个视频
4.2. "Invisible political hand"9分钟
4.3. Democracy and autocracy compared15分钟
4.4. Preference aggregation problem12分钟
4.5. Single-peaked preferences and majority rule23分钟
4.6. Public goods: jointly or separately?19分钟
1 个阅读材料
Syllabus10分钟
1 个练习
Problem Set 420分钟
讲师
Leonid Polishchuk
ProfessorDepartment of Applied Economics
关于 National Research University Higher School of Economics
National Research University - Higher School of Economics (HSE) is one of the top research universities in Russia. Established in 1992 to promote new research and teaching in economics and related disciplines, it now offers programs at all levels of university education across an extraordinary range of fields of study including business, sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, political science, international relations, law, Asian studies, media and communications, IT, mathematics, engineering, and more.
Learn more on www.hse.ru
常见问题
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
Is financial aid available?
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