PLCY 801 - Economic Foundations of Policy Analysis I
PLCY 801 (Fall) is the microeconomics half of our two core economics courses that provide a foundation for public policy analysis. Microeconomics focuses on the behaviour and decision making of individual agents: consumers and households, firms, and government and the markets they exchange goods and services in.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of the course is to help students gain an understanding of core economic principles that you can apply to policy analysis and build upon in other courses in the program. Economics is central to many policy issues and the course provides a solid theoretical foundation that can then be applied to practical public policy issues.
The primary objectives are to:
- Introduce the basic principles and techniques of economic theory
- Apply that theory to current public policy issues
Course Format and Evaluation
Class sessions combine lectures, discussion, class exercises, presentations, and interactive work. The class format in 801 will be a combination of pre-lecture reading and exercises using an online program, review and extension of concepts in class time, and in-class discussion ‘learning by doing’ segment where we focus on applying economic theory to policy problems.
- Evaluation will be in the form of a number of short quizzes in class plus assignments that cover current policy issues that involve economic analysis.