Public System Area
Externalities, imperfect competition, and public goods supply may lead to market failures in the economy. Market mechanisms do not result in fair income distribution generally. In the Public System area, students will discuss the role of the public sector in correcting these market failures and income inequality from socio-economic perspectives, and comprehensively learn through multiple lectures and seminars. It is particularly recommended that students in this area take [Macroeconomics] and [Public Economics] as core courses.
| Course name | Course description | Target year |
|---|---|---|
| Seminar in SEP: Public System Area | In this course, students will learn methods often used for empirical research in the field of public economics. They will analyze socio-economic phenomena using actual data and computers. | 2 – 4 |
| International Finance | In this course, students will first learn national economic calculation and balance of payments accounting as basic knowledge indispensable for understanding international finance, and then about the relationship between foreign exchange and financial markets, which is key to analysis. They will also deepen their understanding of the determinants of short/long-term exchange rates and the mechanism of interaction between international finance and fiscal/monetary policy. | 2 – 4 |
| Public Economics | Appropriate interventions by government are essential to deal with malfunction of market such as environmental problems, undersupply and differential of public goods and existence of inequality. Students will learn main topics of public economics which consider what kind of intervention should be operated, on both sides of theory and actual proof. | 2 – 4 |
| Public Finance | This course will give lectures on the basic themes of “finance”, such as fiscal systems, government expenditure, taxation, budget deficit and government debt, social security, and fiscal policy, from both theoretical and institutional perspectives. | 2 – 4 |
| Macroeconomics | In this course, students will observe how the gross domestic product, interest rate, and growth rate are determined in the economy of a country. They will also discuss how fiscal and monetary policies implemented by the government and central banks influence economic activities. | 2 – 4 |
| Network Science | In this lecture, students will learn network science, which deals mathematically with "relationships" that exist everywhere, from social to natural phenomena. The lecture will include practical exercises using Python with concrete examples. | 2 – 4 |
| Social Policy | This course introduces students to the study and practice of social policy, including labor policies and social security/social protection. With basic ideas of economics, students will gain a better understanding on social policy, including: 1) the rationale for social policy; 2) the roles of social policy from the perspectives of economic efficiency and equity; 3) the historical development of social policy; and 4) individual policies. | 2 – 4 |