PUBPOL 3401

Economics of Consumer Policy: Consumer Financial Protection

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

This course critically examines consumer protections in markets for consumer payments, credit, savings, and insurance. With attention to the characteristics of both supply and demand in these markets, we will investigate the various rationales for and effects of consumer protection policies in the United States and elsewhere. An important role of governments in market economies is the enactment and enforcement of laws and regulations designed to protect consumers from fraudulent or deceptive actions of firms. Such policies are often premised on consumers’ lack of information or lack of sophistication. Consumer financial markets are a particular policy focus because products are complex and information asymmetries are ubiquitous, and consumers’ financial decisions have important individual and collective consequences. Rapid innovation in consumer financial products, institutions, and technologies further complicates the landscape for consumer protections in these markets.

Forbidden Overlaps ECON 3610, PUBPOL 3400, PUBPOL 3401

Enrollment Information Enrollment limited to: undergraduate students.

Distribution Requirements (MQR-HE, SBA-HE)

Last 4 Terms Offered (None)

Learning Outcomes

• Describe specific consumer protection regulations in retail financial markets; compare policies across markets and government jurisdictions.
• Use concepts from information economics, behavioral economics and political economics to explain the rationale for consumer financial protection.
• Identify the impact of consumer protection regulations on the incentives of market participants.
• Use empirical evidence to critically analyze the performance of regulations.

View Enrollment Information