28904 - Microeconomics 3

Academic Year 2016/2017

  • Docente: Tito Pietra
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: SECS-P/01
  • Language: English
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Economics (cod. 8408)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the class, the student has acquired knowledge at the advanced level of the main results and analytical methods of microeconomics. In particular, student is able to: - Solve the canonical optimization problems used in microeconomics (with a finite number of variables) - Analyze the comparative statistics of these problems - Understand the basic logical structure of the proofs of existence and Pareto efficiency for pure exchange economies.

Course contents

1. Consumer theory

2. Equilibrium theory.

Readings/Bibliography

Mas-Colell, A., M.Whinston and J. Green, Microeconomic Theory, Oxford University Press, 1995.

Jehle, G.A., and P.J. Reny, Advanced Microeconomic Theory, Prentice Hall, 2008.

Balasko, Y., The Equilibrium Manifold. Postmodern Developments in the Theory of General Economic Equilibrium, MIT Press, 2009.

Some additional material (slides, problem sets, past exam) is at Alma Mater Digital Library. To access it, you must enrol in the "lista di distribuzione" of this class, whatever it is. The pwd is unibolmec.

 

Teaching methods


Assessment methods

The final grade will be based on a 3 hours written final exam. However, I preserve my right to supplement the written exam with an oral exam, in special circumstances. The exam aims to verify the student's understanding of the key analytical results and tools discussed in class. This can be obtained requiring him/her to apply these tools to simple computational problems, to explain properly the logic and the proofs of some of these results, and to apply their basic logic to novel economic problems. Positive grades will be registered, i.e. each student will be automatically registered with the first passing grade he/she gets.  Students have a ‘walk-away option': during any exams, you can walk away at any time, even at the very last moment. If you walk away, your paper will not be graded.
To take the exam is necessary to be enrolled via Almaesami.

Teaching tools

Teacher's lecture. Problem sets.

Office hours

See the website of Tito Pietra