Fall 2024 - ECON 913 G100
Selected Topics in Economics (4)
Class Number: 2797
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2024: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
BurnabySep 4 – Dec 3, 2024: TBA, TBA
Burnaby
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Instructor:
John Gilraine
jgilrain@sfu.ca
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Offered by arrangement.
COURSE DETAILS:
This course with focus on Industrial Organization methods and applications. The course
will be empirically focused and will introduce you to empirical models of discrete choice. To
do so, the course will cover a variety of contexts where discrete choice models have been
used, including classic IO applications such as the cement industry and more recent applications
such as in education markets. Themes throughout the course will be identification
(e.g., unobserved heterogeneity) and computational tractability. The two goals of the course
are to (i) familiarize yourself with how to estimate empirical models and (ii) develop your
programming skills.
Tentative Course Outline:
The weekly coverage might change as it depends on the progress of the class
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Week 1 |
Course Introduction Reading assignment: None |
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Week 2 |
Estimation of Production Functions Reading assignment: TBD |
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Week 3 |
Demand Estimation Reading assignment: TBD Problem Set 1 Assigned (due in two weeks) |
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Week 4 |
Static Models of Cournot and Bertrand Competition Reading assignment: TBD |
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Week 5 |
Empirical Models of Market Entry Reading assignment: TBD Referee Report 1 Assigned (due in two weeks) |
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Week 6 |
Empirical Models of Market Entry (Continued) Reading assignment: TBD Problem Set 2 Assigned (due in two weeks) |
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Week 7 |
Investment Reading assignment: TBD |
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Week 8 |
Dynamic Demand |
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Week 9 |
Dynamic Games Reading assignment: TBD |
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Week 10 |
Dynamic Discrete Choice Estimation Reading assignment: TBD Referee report 2 presentations |
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Week 11 |
Dynamic Discrete Choice Estimation (Continued) Reading assignment: TBD Problem Set III Assigned (due in two weeks) Referee report 2 presentations |
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Week 12 |
Horizontal Differentation Reading assignment: TBD |
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Week 13 |
More IO Applications Reading assignment: TBD |
Grading
- Preparation 10%
- Problem sets (4) 40%
- Referee Reports (2) 20%
- Final Exam 30%
Materials
RECOMMENDED READING:
Empirical Industrial Organization: Models, Methods, and Applications by Victor Aguirregabiria.
Available at http://aguirregabiria.net/wpapers/book_dynamic_io.pdf.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Graduate Studies Notes:
Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.