
{
  "title":"Syllabus",
  "content":" Course Meeting Times Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session\nRecitations: 1 session / week, 1 hour / session\nCourse Description Explores the role of government in the economy, applying tools of basic microeconomics to answer important policy questions such as government response to global warming, school choice by K-12 students, Social Security versus private retirement savings accounts, government versus private health insurance, setting income tax rates for individuals and corporations.\nPrerequisites 14.01 Principles of Microeconomics\nRequirements and Grading There are three sets of requirements for this course:\nACTIVITIES PERCENTAGES Midterm exam 25% Final exam 50% Problem sets 25% Readings The only required reading is my textbook:\nGruber, Jonathan. Public Finance and Public Policy. 3rd ed. Worth Publishers, 2009. ISBN: 9781429219495.\nExams There will be a midterm exam worth 25% of the grade, and a final worth 50%. The midterm will be in class, 85 minutes, and closed book/closed notes.\nProblem Sets There will be 5 problem sets throughout the semester, each of which will consist of both mathematical exercises and essay questions. This requirement will be worth the remaining 25% of the grade. No late problem sets will be accepted for any reason. Grading will be based on the top 4/5 grades (your lowest homework grade will be dropped).\nCalendar LEC # TOPICS KEY DATES 1 Why study public finance? 2 Externalities in theory and practice Public goods in theory and practice 3 Basic theory, optimality and pricing Homework 1 due 4 Cost/benefit analysis 5 Political economy 6 Local public goods and fiscal federalism Homework 2 due 7 Public provision of private goods: education Midterm exam Social insurance and redistribution 8 Overview 9 Social security 10 Unemployment insurance, disability insurance and workers\u0026rsquo; compensation 11 Health insurance Homework 3 due 12 Redistribution and welfare policy 13 The institutions and theory of taxation Taxation and individual behavior 14 Taxation and labor supply Homework 4 due 15 Taxation and savings 16 Taxation, risk taking and wealth 17 Corporate taxation Homework 5 due 18 Tax reform Final exam "}


