88-220 Tentative Schedule

Fall, 1998

• Week 1 (August 24, 26):
  • Introduction and Administrative Details. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 1]
  • Social Decision Making and the Market. [EEP, Preface and A Note to Users]
  • *Experiment: Supply and Demand. [EEP, pp 3-8]

• Week 2 (Aug 31, September 2):
  • Supply and Demand. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 2; EEP, pp 21-38 and pp 69-78]
  • Real World: Readings on Supply and Demand.
  • Real World: Readings on Shifting Supply and Demand.
  • Supply and Demand lab and homework (EEP, pp 9-20, pp 39-53) due 2 Sep, here is the data .
  • *Experiment: A Sales Tax. [EEP, pp 91-94]
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.

• Week 3 (Sep 7, 9):
  • Labor Day (Sep 7), no class.
  • Policy Applications of Supply and Demand: Taxes and Subsidies. [EEP, 105-114]
  • Real World: Readings on Sales Taxes.
  • Shifting Supply and Demand homework (EEP, pp 79-88) due 9 Sep, here are some important notes on this assignment.

• Week 4 (Sep 14, 16):
  • A Sales Tax homework (EEP, 115-124) due 14 Sep, here is the data .
  • Exam 1, 16 September. (Here is a postscript version and text version of a previous exam. Here is a text version of the 1996 exam. Also, here is a type of question that you will definitely see on this exam.) Here are the statistics for Exam 1.

• Week 5 (Sep 21, 23):
  • *Experiment: A Minimum Wage. [EEP, pp 145-150]
  • Further Applications of Supply and Demand: Price Restrictions. [EEP, 165-170]
  • Real World: Readings on Minimum Wages.
  • Rational Choice and Demand Theory. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 3 and 4]

• Week 6 (Sep 28, 30):
  • A Minimum Wage lab and homework (EEP, pp 151-164, 171-176) due 30 Sep , here is the data .
  • Rational Choice and Demand Theory. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 3 and 4]
  • Revealed Preference. [Do this experiment before class; print out your data summary page and bring it with you]
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.

• Week 7 (Oct 5, 7):
  • Rational Choice and Demand Theory. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 3 and 4]
  • Preferences and Consumer Choice.
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.
  • Policy Applications of Rational Choice and Demand Theory. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 5]

• Week 8 (Oct 12, 14):
  • Mid-Semester Holiday (Oct 12), no class. Midterm Grade Information.
  • Policy Applications of Rational Choice and Demand Theory. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 5]
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.
  • Complete these problems from the MB3 book, due 14 Oct.

• Week 9 (Oct 19, 21):
  • Exam 2 (21 October). (Here is a postscript version and a text version of a previous year's exam--note that some of the diagrams in the test are missing from these versions, and they will be posted with the key. Here is the key: pg 2, pg 3, pg 4, pg 5, pg 6, pg 7, pg 8. Here are the statistics for Exam 2.)

• Week 10 (Oct 26, 28):
  • Last day to drop without Dean's permission (26 Oct).
  • Anomalies in Individual Decision Making. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 8; *Experiment TBA]
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.
  • Theory of the Firm. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 9--11 (selected parts TBA); EEP, pp 257-264]
  • *Experiment: Monopolies and Cartels. [EEP, pp 209-218]
  • Market Limitations and Policy: Monopoly. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 12; EEP, pp 227-238]
  • Real World: Readings on Monopolies and Cartels.
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.

• Week 11 (Nov 2, 4):
  • *Experiment: Adverse Selection. [EEP, pp 313-318]
  • Market Limitations and Policy: Information. [MB2 or MB3, ch. 6; EEP, 325-334]
  • Real World: Readings on Adverse Selection.
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.
  • Monopolies and Cartels lab and homework (EEP, pp 219-226, 239-242) due 6 Nov at 5pm in my SDS office (instead of 4 Nov), here is the data .

• Week 12 (Nov 9, 11):
  • *Experiment: Externalities. [EEP, pp 179-182]
  • Market Limitations and Policy: Externalities. [MB2, ch. 18, or MB3, ch. 17; EEP, 189-200]
  • Real World: Readings on Externalities.
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.
  • Adverse Selection lab and homework (EEP, pp 319-324, 335-344) due 11 Nov, here is the data .

• Week 13 (Nov 16, 18):
  • *Experiment: Public Goods. [TBA]
  • Public Goods. [MB2, ch. 19 (pp. 700--710), or MB3, ch. 18 (pp. 618-628)]
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.
  • Externalities lab and homework (EEP, pp 183-188, 201-208) due 18 Nov, here is the data .

• Week 14 (Nov 23, 25):
  • Public Goods homework (class handout, pp 125-130) due 23 Nov, here is the data .
  • *Experiment: Political Decision Making. [TBA]
  • Political Decision Making. [MB2, ch. 19 (pp. 710--718), or MB3, ch. 18 (pp. 628-636)]
  • Here are some Topic, Skills, and Questions.
  • Thanksgiving Recess (Nov 25), no class.

• Week 15 (Nov 30, December 2):
  • *Experiment: Escalation. [TBA]
  • *Experiment: Exponential Growth [TBA]
  • World Systems: Escalation and Exponential Growth.
  • Policy Making in the Real World. [MB2, ch. 19 (pp. 718--731), or MB3, ch. 18 (pp. 636--648)]
  • Exam 3 (2 December). Here is a practice exam. Here are some suggested answers to the practice exam---it will do you no good just to look at them without first studying hard and then taking the practice test.