PAM 3130

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - January 31, 2019 7:14PM EST
  • Course Catalog - January 31, 2019 7:15PM EST

PAM 3130
Behavioral Economics and Public Policy

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2018-2019.

Standard economic theory assumes that individuals are rational decision-makers; however, that is often not the case in the real world. Behavioral economics uses findings from psychology to determine ways in which individuals are systematically irrational to improve upon existing models. The first part of this course reviews these theories, while the second part of the course focuses on how these findings have been used to design better education, health, and tax policies as well as many others.

When Offered Fall, Spring.

Permission Note Enrollment limited to: undergraduate students.
Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: PAM 3100 or a course in basic econometrics and PAM 2000 or ECON 3030; or permission of instructor.

Distribution Category (SBA-HE)

Comments Co-meets with PAM 5130 in Spring.

Outcomes
  • Use the key findings in psychology that have important lessons for the field of economics.
  • Apply economic insights from lab experiments to policy design.
  • Interpret empirical results from research papers as they relate to policy.
  • Identify areas of policy where taking behavioral insights into account could improve public policy in terms of implementation, efficiency, or redistribution.
  • Identify assumptions in standard economic models that may not hold in real world settings and learn how economists test their validity.
  • Present findings from top-tier journals in economics.

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi:

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ECON 3670

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17037 PAM 3130   LEC 001

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  • Prerequisite: Either PAM 3100, CRP 5450, or a course in basic econometrics AND either PAM 2000, CRP5122 or ECON 3030. Some courses in other departments may be substituted, but they need to be cleared first by instructor, btk24.