AEM 1300

Macroeconomic Policy and the 2016 Election: Introduction to the Issues and How to Analyze Them

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2015-2016.

This course is an introduction to macroeconomic analysis at the college level and the issues that are most important to the national debate culminating in the 2016 election. A simple model of the macroeconomy is introduced and then used to illuminate these issues through examination of empirical data. Among the topics covered are: How Big Should the Government Be and Should We Care About the Government Deficit? Who Should We Tax and How Much? Social Security – What Is It and Should You Care? Health Insurance and Obamacare The European Crisis – The Difference between Spain and Florida Inflation and the Zero Lower Bound To Regulate or Not? The Crash of 2009 – Déjà Vu All Over Again? Immigration and Economic Growth China and the US Income Distribution.

When Offered Summer.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisites: simple algebra and a basic knowledge of recent US history.
Forbidden Overlaps Forbidden Overlap: ECON 1120.

• Identify the basic structure of the US Economy.
• Explain a simple macroeconomic model of how the economy works to generate growth and employment.
• Illustrate how macroeconomic aggregates (such as GDP, inflation, employment) are measured.
• Identify data sources for macroeconomic variables.
• Use all of the above to critique important macroeconomic issues of the present time.

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