University of Michigan-Flint

Introduction to the principles of economic organization and national income determination and stabilization. Topics include inflation, unemployment, money and banking, and the economic role of government.

Introduction to the economic theories of production, consumption and exchange. Topics include applications of supply and demand, production and cost analysis, market structure, market failure, resource markets, and regulation.

Nature and functions of money. Commercial banking system and its role in the creation of money. Federal Reserve System as an agency of government control over the economy. Introduction to monetary theory.

Analysis of the behavior of decision makers in households, firms, and governments and the role of prices in resource allocation; market structure, economic welfare, regulation, externalities, public goods, and general equilibrium.

Examination of interaction between gender and labor issues, with particular attention to mechanisms that generate inequality.  Comparison of different theories of how labor markets work and how the labor force is reproduced.  Topics include wage determination, occupational segregation, segmented labor markets, household decision making, gender roles in the economy, and social stratification.

Development of economic thought from early times to the present. Particular attention to the ideas of Adam Smith, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, and John Maynard Keynes.

Comparison of competing schools of thought in political economy in historical perspective. Individual versus social explanations of inequality; alternative views of the market as a social phenomenon; the relationship between the political, social and economic systems; theories of long-term structural transformation of the economy.

Theories of capitalism, socialism, and mixed economies. The free market and planned economies. Application to existing economies.

Application of economic theories to issues relevant in professional and amateur sports. Topics include public financing of sports arenas, cost-benefit analysis of a franchise to a city, compensation of athletes, optimal ticket pricing strategies, and the industrial organization of professional and amateur leagues, including the anti-trust issues.

Theoretical and empirical literature in macroeconomics, including classical, Keynesian, and monetarist theories. Causes, consequences and cures of inflation and unemployment. Determination of equilibrium income, demand for and supply of money, the interest rate, and instability in the private economy.

Conduct of trade between nations. Problems of the balance of trade and of payments. Trade policies and their effects upon domestic and foreign economies. Development of agencies for stimulating and financing international trade.

Theories of competition and market power. Concentration, scale economies, product differentiation, entry barriers, collusion, mergers, price discrimination, and technological change. Problems in public utility rate-making, misallocation induced by regulation, and the role of competition in regulated industries.

Consideration of the Global Economy, primarily since 1945. Theories of growth and technological change. Case studies of major countries and investigation of key sectors, including manufacturing, information technology, and financial services.

Study of economic development from invention of agriculture to the present. Topics include technological change, evolution of economic institutions, the industrial revolution, colonialism and decolonization, and globalization. Theoretical focus on issues of growth and development.

Analytical methods applied to the problems of government finance. Effects of revenue and expenditure proposals on the allocation of resources, distribution of income, and administration of government.

Analysis of urban and regional economic problems. Location theory, export-base analysis, housing, transportation, and local services.

Analysis of energy resource development, utilization, and conservation. Long-term energy requirements; alternative sources. Examination of public energy policies. Benefit-cost analysis.

Economic analysis of the legal system, emphasis on property, contract, tort, and criminal law. Public policy issues concerning reform of the legal system.

Application of economic theory to environmental problems. Examination of externalities. Economics of environmental preservation: benefit-cost approach. Governmental environmental policy alternatives. Economic growth and environmental quality.

Economic concepts and theories taught in the elementary and middle school grades. Emphasis on strengthening knowledge of applied economics with materials and techniques currently used in the classroom. Group projects aimed at providing practical experience in teaching economics.

Assigned study of topics in economics beyond the scope of regular coursework.

Applied research under faculty supervision on an appropriate topic in economics.

Provides the qualified student with on-the-job experience using economics skills. Internship in a selected organization under the supervision of organization personnel and a faculty advisor. Required attendance at periodic seminars and submission of a written report summarizing the internship experience.

Exploration of varying special topics in economics

Case study in economic development. Colonization, westward expansion, agriculture, transportation, industrial revolution, slavery. Special focus on rise and expansion of big business, mass production, mass consumption.

Examination of labor issues within the context of various theories. Exploration of questions about why people work, the conditions under which they work, how they are paid, and the structure of labor markets.

Application of economic theory to the analysis of business problems. Empirical demand and supply analysis, pricing practices, price regulation and antitrust policy, investment decisions, research and development policy, and forecasting. Problems and case studies.

Theoretical and policy analysis of state and local government fiscal behavior. Revenues, expenditures, borrowing, intergovernmental fiscal relations. Applications to such areas as education, transportation, health care, and economic development.

Comprehensive, theoretical overview of cost-benefit analysis. Emphasis on theoretical framework for identification and assessment of costs and benefits from society’s perspective. Welfare economics and microeconomic foundation of cost benefit analysis; analytical tools and concepts to identify, measure, and compare all possible allocational outcomes in project evaluation; analysis of distributional effects; project evaluation under risk and uncertainty.

Economic analysis of the health care industry and governmental policies in health care. Economic tools to determine probable effects of proposals on the pattern of health care produced and on the allocation of resources both within the industry and in the economy generally.

Application of statistical techniques to problem-solving. Forecasting and time-series; regression; correlation; variance; cost-benefit analysis. Computer methods in solving problems of public policy and health care administration.

Credit and grade for ECN 495 is not given until successful completion of .

In-depth analysis of selected issues in economics.  Students write a capstone paper demonstrating knowledge of the discipline.

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Application of economic tools to public decision-making; emphasis on welfare economics and microeconomic foundation of public expenditure analysis; issues and problems in project evaluation and application of cost-benefit techniques.

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Assigned study of topics in economics beyond the scope of regular coursework.