Economics (ECON)
ECON 014 (GS) Principles of Economics (3) Analysis of the American economy, emphasizing the nature and interrelationships of such groups as consumers, business, governments, labor, and financial institutions. Students who have passed ECON 002 or 004 or are registered in the College of Business Administration may not schedule this course.
Effective: Spring 2003
ECON 083S (GS) First-Year Seminar in Economics (3) Experiments in microeconomic principles.
Effective: Summer 1999
ECON 102 (GS) Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy (3) Methods of economic analysis and their use; price determination; theory of the firm; distribution.
Effective: Spring 2011
ECON 102H (GS) Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy (3) Methods of economic analysis and their use; price determination; theory of the firm; distribution.
Effective: Fall 2011 Ending: Fall 2011
ECON 104 (GS) Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy (3) National income measurement; aggregate economic models; money and income; policy problems.
Effective: Spring 2011
ECON 104H (GS) Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy (3) National income measurement; aggregate economic models; money and income; policy problems.
Effective: Fall 2011 Ending: Fall 2011
ECON 106 Statistical Foundations for Econometrics (3) Basic statistical concepts used in economics. Topics include probability distributions, expectations, estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation, and simple regression. Students who have completed ECON 306 may not schedule this course.
Effective: Spring 2011
ECON 106H Statistical Foundations for Econometrics (3) Basic statistical concepts used in economics. Topics include probability distributions, expectations, estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation, and simple regression. Students who have completed ECON 306 may not schedule this course.
Effective: Spring 2012 Ending: Spring 2012 Future: Spring 2012
ECON 197 Special topics (1-9) Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject that may be topical or of special interest.
Effective: Spring 1995
ECON 199 (IL) Foreign Studies (12) Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
Effective: Summer 2005
ECON 294 Research Project (1-12) Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
Effective: Summer 1994
ECON 296 Independent Studies (1-18) Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
Effective: Spring 2008
ECON 297 Special Topics (1-9) Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
Effective: Fall 1992
ECON 299 (IL) Foreign Studies (1-12) Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
Effective: Summer 2005
ECON 302 (GS) Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis (3) Allocation of resources and distribution of income within various market structures, with emphasis on analytical tools.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite:
ECON 302H (GS) Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis (Honors) (3) Allocation of resources and distribution of income within various market structures, with emphasis on analytical tools.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102 andMATH 110 orMATH 140
ECON 304 (GS) Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (3) Analysis of forces that determine the level of aggregate economic activity.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 104
ECON 304H (GS)Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (Honors) (3) Analysis of forces that determine the level of aggregate economic activity.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 104 andMATH 110 orMATH 140
ECON 306 Introduction to Econometrics (3) The implementation of statistical techniques to analyze data and address economic questions. Econometric results are produced and assessed.
Effective: Spring 2010
Prerequisite: ECON 106
ECON 306H Introduction to Econometrics (3) The implementation of statistical techniques to analyze data and address economic questions. Econometric results are produced and assessed.
Effective: Fall 2011 Ending: Fall 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 106
ECON 306H Introduction to Econometrics (3) The implementation of statistical techniques to analyze data and address economic questions. Econometric results are produced and assessed.
Effective: Spring 2012 Future: Spring 2012
Prerequisite: ECON 106 orECON 390;MATH 110 orMATH 140
ECON 315 (GS) Labor Economics (3) Economic analysis of employment, earnings, and the labor market; labor relations; related government policies.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102
ECON 323 (GS) Public Finance (3) Contemporary fiscal institutions in the United States; public expenditures; public revenues; incidence of major tax types; intergovernmental fiscal relations; public credit.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102
ECON 333 (GS) International Economics (3) Why nations trade, barriers to trade, balance of payments adjustment and exchange rate determination, eurocurrency markets, and trade-related institutions.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102, ECON 104 orECON 014
ECON 342 (GS) Industrial Organization (3) Industrial concentration, size, and efficiency of business firms, market structure and performance, competitive behavior, public policy and antitrust issues.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102
ECON 351 Money and Banking (3) Money, credit, commercial and central banking, financial intermediaries, treasury operations, monetary theory and policy, and foreign exchange. Students who have already taken Econ. 451 may not schedule this course.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102 orECON 104
ECON 395 Internship (1-18) Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction including field experiences, practica, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required.
Effective: Summer 1996
Prerequisite: prior approval of proposed assignment by instructor
ECON 397 Special Topics (1-9) Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in-depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
Effective: Spring 2008
ECON 397A Economics as a Career (1) Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in-depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
Effective: Fall 2011 Ending: Fall 2011
ECON 399 (IL) Foreign Studies (1-12) Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
Effective: Summer 2005
ECON 400M Honors Seminar in Economics (3-12) Readings, discussion, and oral and written reports on selected topics in economics.
Effective: Spring 1993
Prerequisite: ECON 302, ECON 304 fifth-semester standing admission into Honors program
ECON 401 History of Economic Thought (3) Survey of economic ideas from Greco-Roman times to the present.
Effective: Spring 2001
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 304
ECON 402 Decision Making and Strategy in Economics (3) Development and application of the tools for decision making under uncertainty and for game theoretic analysis of economic problems.
Effective: Spring 2007
Prerequisite: ECON 302;SCM 200 orSTAT 200
ECON 403W The Economics of Arts and Entertainment (3) Supply and demand of creative goods and services; industry structure; role of information; policy issues.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 302 andECON 490
ECON 404W Current Economic Issues (3) An analytical survey of significant problems of current economic policy and the application of economic analysis to important social issues.
Effective: Spring 1993
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 304
ECON 406W The Economics of Social Conflict (3) Economic theory of the resolution of social conflicts: social choice theory, voting, noncooperative games, voluntary trade, and allocation by force.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402 andMATH 110 orMATH 140
ECON 407W Political Economy (3) Applications of the tools of game theory to analyze topics in collective decision making.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402
ECON 408W Intellectual Property (3) A comparative and cost-benefit analysis of intellectual property that examines patents, copyrights, government supported research, and prizes.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402 orECON 444
ECON 409W Economics of Terrorism (3) Terrorism throughout history; economic causes, costs, sources, and consequences.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402
ECON 410 Economics of Labor Markets (3) Economic analysis of the employment relationship from the microeconomic perspective, with emphasis on current labor-market problems and public policy issues.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102
ECON 411W Behavioral Economics (3) Topics in behavioral economics; selected games; evolutionary models of social behavior; culture and social behavior; herding; overconfidence.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402 orECON 444
ECON 412 Labor Economics and Labor Markets: Theory, Evidence, and Policy (3) Advanced topics in labor economics: theory, empirical evidence, and policy.
Effective: Spring 2009
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 315
ECON 413W Economic Growth and the Challenge of World Poverty (3) Economic prosperity in historical perspective; recent successes (East Asia, China, India); ongoing challenges (the bottom billion; sub-Saharan Africa).
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 471
ECON 414W The Economic Way of Looking at Life (3) Economics/life according to Gary Becker: criminal behavior; economics of the family (marriage, divorce, intrahousehold resource allocation, bequests), policy issues.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 412
ECON 415W The Economics of Global Climate Change (3) Evidence on climate change; economic models of the environment and market failure; cost-benefit analysis of policy options; carbon markets.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 428
ECON 417W The Economics of Uncertainty (3) Uncertainty is examined in contracts, with an emphasis on limited liability. Asymmetric information and economic puzzles are also considered.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402 orECON 444
ECON 418W A Comparative and Cost-Benefit Analysis of State Government Activities (3) This course examines federalism with a particular focus on the activities undertaken by the state of Pennsylvania.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 490
ECON 421 Analysis of Economic Data (3) Economic analysis of data: sources, variable definitions, miscodings, missing observations, censoring and truncation, applications.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402 orECON 451;ECON 490<
ECON 422W Applying Monetary Theory to Monetary History (3) Monetary history is examined. Special attention is paid to commodity-based systems, private money, and government monopolies on currency.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 451
ECON 424 Income Distribution (3) Inequality and poverty in the United States, measurement problems, determinants of inequality, arguments for and against equality, impact of redistributive policies.
Effective: Fall 1992
Prerequisite: ECON 302, ECON 315 orECON 323
ECON 425 Economics of Public Expenditures (3) Analytic and policy aspects of public expenditure decisions; applications from areas of contemporary public interest.
Effective: Summer 1992
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 323<
ECON 428 Environmental Economics (3) Environmental pollution, the market economy, and optimal resource allocation; alternative control procedures; levels of environmental protection and public policy.
Effective: Summer 1992
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 323
ECON 429 Public Finance and Fiscal Policy (3) Analysis of public revenue and expenditure structure primarily at the federal level; federalism; fiscal policy and public debt.
Effective: Fall 1983
Prerequisite: ECON 323;ECON 302 orECON 304
ECON 430 Regional Economic Analysis (3) Analysis of personal and industrial location decisions, regional economic growth, migration patterns, and regional policy; emphasis on tools and techniques.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102 orECON 104
ECON 432 Urban Economics (3) Theories and methods for economic analysis of such urban problems as housing, segregation, government services, and transportation.
Effective: Summer 1992
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 323
ECON 433 Advanced International Trade Theory and Policy (3) Causes/consequences of trade; effects of tariffs and quotas; strategic trade policy; political economy of trade restrictions and other topics.
Effective: Summer 1992
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 333
ECON 434 International Finance and Open Economy Macroeconomics (3) Trade balance movements, exchange rate determination; monetary and fiscal policies in open economies; international policy coordination; the world monetary system.
Effective: Spring 1992
Prerequisite: ECON 304 orECON 333
ECON 436W (US) Economics of Discrimination (3) Analysis of the economic characteristics of women and minorities, with examination of race and sex discrimination and related government policies.
Effective: Fall 2007
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 315
ECON 437W Multinationals and the Globalization of Production (3) This course will focus on trade, multinationals and offshoring, and explore their implications for the U.S. and developing countries.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 433 <
ECON 438W Winners and Losers from Globalization (3) The economic effects of globalization on individuals, governments, nation- states and business.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 433 andECON 490<
ECON 439 Economics of Technology Diffusion (3) Technology Diffusion: Globalization, productivity measurement, intellectual property.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 433
ECON 440 Trade and Labor Markets (3) International trade and its impacts on markets in industrialized and development economies; low-skilled workers in the emerging global economy.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 433
ECON 442 Managerial Economics (3) Application of economic theory to managerial decision making; risk, uncertainty; models and statistical techniques.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102
ECON 443 Economics of Law and Regulation (3) An economic analysis of property rights, contractual arrangements, illegal activities, and regulation; competitive problems due to externalities and market failure.
Effective: Summer 1992
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 342
ECON 444 Economics of the Corporation (3) Coordination and incentive issues within a corporation. Topics include employment contracts, performance incentives and pricing of financial assets.
Effective: Summer 1997
Prerequisite: ECON 302<
ECON 445 (H P A 445) Health Economics (3) Economic analysis of U.S. health care system; planning, organization, and financing; current public policy issues and alternatives.
Effective: Spring 1994
Prerequisite: ECON 302, ECON 315 orECON 323 <
ECON 445W (H P A 445W) Health Economics (3) Economic analysis of U.S. health care system; planning, organization, and financing; current public policy issues and alternatives.
Effective: Spring 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 302, ECON 315 orECON 323<
ECON 446W Economics of Industry Evolution (3) Dynamics of industry evolution; empirical evidence and theoretical modeling of firm entry, growth, and exit; entrepreneurship; investment and strategic behavior.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 444 andECON 490
ECON 447W Economics of Sports (3) Examination of economic issues pertaining to professional and collegiate sports, including analysis of industrial organization, labor markets, and local economies.
Effective: Spring 2009
Prerequisite: ECON 302 andECON 490
ECON 448W Economics of Auctions and Procurements (3) Theoretical and empirical analyses of auctions and procurements; different modeling environments; econometric analysis of auction and procurement data.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402 orECON 444 andECON 490<
ECON 449W Economics of Collusion (3) Theoretical and empirical analysis of collusion among firms, case studies of cartel behavior, bidding behavior at auctions and procurements.
Effective: Spring 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 342 andECON 490 or permission of instructor<
ECON 450 The Business Cycle (3) Measurement and theories of the business cycle; stabilization policies; forecasting.
Effective: Summer 1992
Prerequisite: ECON 304 orECON 351
ECON 451 Monetary Theory and Policy (3) Monetary and income theory; monetary and fiscal policy.
Effective: Winter 1978
Prerequisite: ECON 304 orECON 351
ECON 452W Financial Crises (3) Examination of causes and consequences of financial crises; asset pricing theory, market efficiency, speculative bubbles; policy considerations.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 451
ECON 453 Monopolization and Vertical Restraints (3) Monopolization and vertical restraints: exclusive dealing, bundling, tying, predation and entry deterrence; empirical evaluation.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 444 andECON 490
ECON 454 Economics of Mergers (3) Economic analysis of horizontal and vertical mergers; econometric issues in measurement of unilateral and coordinated effects; policy issues.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 444 andECON 490
ECON 455W Economics of the Internet (3) Economics of the Internet; electronic commerce and network economics; pricing issues; intellectual property.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402 orECON 444
ECON 457W Economics of Organizations (3) An advanced course in the economics of organizations. The focus is on coordination, incentives, contracts, and information in corporations.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402 orECON 444<
ECON 463 (IL) Economic Demography (3) Microeconomics of demographic behavior; interrelationships between demographic and economic factors, in developing and industrialized economies; economic welfare and policy implications.
Effective: Spring 2006
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 304 ; or 9 credits in demography
ECON 463W Economic Demography (3) Microeconomics of demographic behavior; interrelationships between demographic and economic factors, in developing and industrialized economies; economic welfare and policy implications.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 412 orECON 471 or 9 credits in demography
ECON 465W Cross Sectional Econometrics (3) Discrete choice models, censored and truncated regression models, longitudinal models, applications.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 302 andECON 490
ECON 466W Panel Data Models (3) Random and fixed effects, endogeneity, balanced and unbalanced panels, censoring of spells, differences in differences, applications.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 302 andECON 490
ECON 470 (IL) International Trade and Finance (3) Economic analysis of why nations trade, barriers to trade, the international monetary system, and macroeconomic policy in an open economy.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102 orECON 104
ECON 471 Growth and Development (3) Problems of capital formation, institutional considerations, theories of economic growth.
Effective: Summer 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 304 orECON 372
ECON 472 Transition to Market Economies (3) Economics of transition to a market economy; problems of former Soviet-type economies; privatization, stabilization, and institutional change.
Effective: Fall 2005
Prerequisite: ECON 302 orECON 304
ECON 473 (IL) China in the Global Economy: History, Culture, and Society (3) Analysis of China's role in the global economy and the impact on U.S. as well as global business and society.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102 orECON 104 or permission of program
ECON 475W Migration and Development (3) Human Capital Approach to Migration; Economics of Family Migration; Evidence: Micro and Macro Perspectives; Migration Policies.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 471 orECON 412;ECON 490
ECON 476W The Economics of Fertility in the Developing World (3) Demand for children, supply of children, and costs of fertility regulation; fertility transition; public policies to affect fertility.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 471 andECON 490
ECON 477 Labor Markets in Developing Countries (3) Labor demand and supply in developing countries; urban and rural labor markets, modern and informal sectors; policy issues.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 471 orECON 412
ECON 478 Incomplete Markets (3) Rural land markets, fragmented credit markets, risk and insurance, human capital and labor markets, innovation and technology spillovers, coordination failures.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 471
ECON 479W Economics of Matching (3) Economic application of matching to employment, marriage, organ markets, and medical residents.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 402 orECON 412 orECON 444
ECON 480 Mathematical Economics (3) Mathematical techniques employed in economic analysis; formal development of economic relationships.
Effective: Summer 1992
Prerequisite: ECON 302, ECON 304, MATH 110
ECON 481 Business Forecasting Techniques (3) A survey of contemporary business forecasting techniques, with emphasis on smoothing, decomposition, and regression techniques.
Effective: Spring 2008
Prerequisite: SCM 200 orSTAT 200
ECON 483 Economic Forecasting (3) Forecasting time series, using linear regression models and econometric software; useful forecasting models; financial and seasonal time series; trends.
Effective: Summer 2008
Prerequisite: ECON 490
ECON 485 Econometric Techniques (3) Applying statistical techniques to test and explain economic relationships; integration of economic theory with observed economic phenomena.
Effective: Spring 2011
Prerequisite: ECON 102 orECON 104;SCM 200 orSTAT 200
ECON 489M Honors Thesis (1-6) No description.
Effective: Spring 1993
Prerequisite: ECON 302, ECON 304 and admission into the departmental honors program
ECON 490 Introduction to Econometrics (3) Use of simple and multiple regression models in measuring and testing economic relationships. Problems including multicollinearity, hetroskedasticity, and serial correlation.
Effective: Summer 2000
Prerequisite: MATH 110, ECON 390
ECON 494 Research Project (1-12) Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
Effective: Summer 1994
ECON 494H Research Project (1-12) Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
Effective: Fall 2007
ECON 495 Internship (1-18) Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction including field experiences, practica, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required.
Effective: Summer 1995
Prerequisite: prior approval of proposed assignment by instructor
ECON 496 Independent Studies (1-18) Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
Effective: Fall 1983
ECON 496A Economic Readings (1) Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
Effective: Fall 2011 Ending: Fall 2011
ECON 497 Special Topics (1-9) Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
Effective: Fall 1983
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The University Faculty Senate has responsibility for and authority over all academic information contained in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
This electronic Undergraduate Bulletin is a version of the official bulletin of The Pennsylvania State University. It is suggested that users refer to this electronic bulletin when seeking the latest information about the University's academic programs and courses. Printed versions of the Bulletin are also official copies of the programs, courses, and policies in effect at the time of printing. Programmatic expectations for general education are those in effect at the time of admission to degree candidacy, and college and major requirements are those in effect at the time of entry to college and major. These are accurately indicated in each student's degree audit.
Effective Date: Current
Review Date: 07/15/2005