Teaching
Teaching
pp39901: policy approaches to mitigating climate change
Description: This course analyzes current policy options for addressing long-term climate change from an economic perspective. The focus of the course is on understanding the difference between market-based and regulatory approaches, and on comparing the two major rival market-based approaches (cap-and-trade and carbon taxation). As time allows, related policies in the transportation, agricultural and energy sectors will be discussed. The course focuses on U.S. domestic policy, but there will be some attempt to understand how these choices interact with international agreements. The course does not deal with the science of climate change.
pp39402: topics in U.S. Tax policy
Description: Official federal budget calculations currently project a flat revenue stream for the next twenty years, but expenditures are expected to explode, mainly due to commitments to Medicare and Social Security. This suggests that additional revenue may be required. Meanwhile, the current tax code is overly complex, inefficient and increasingly unpopular. Together, this creates a looming crisis that politicians and voters should be able to see clearly, but seem reluctant to address.
Against this backdrop, this course examines the major features of the United States federal tax system, describes the biggest problems with the current system, and analyzes the most important reform proposals. The aim of the course is to give students a comprehensive view of how the federal government raises revenue and to provide students with substantive knowledge regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the proposals that are likely to dominate debate regarding the tax system in the next decade.
pp31100: Statistics for public policy ii
Description: This course is a continuation of the empirical methodology core sequence. It is intended to follow PP310. It will serve as an introduction to basic econometrics.