Inhalt

[ 572KPEHECIK20 ] KS Economics of Inequality

Versionsauswahl
(*) Unfortunately this information is not available in english.
Workload Education level Study areas Responsible person Hours per week Coordinating university
3 ECTS B2 - Bachelor's programme 2. year Economics René Böheim 2 hpw Johannes Kepler University Linz
Detailed information
Pre-requisites (*)KS Einführung in die Volkswirtschaftslehre
Original study plan Bachelor's programme Economics and Business 2025W
Learning Outcomes
Competences
  • Students know economic theories related to inequality and poverty and are able to critically discuss them
  • Students know the axioms underlying modern scientific research of inequality and poverty, various indicators to describe economic inequality, and understand the implications of inequality for societal well-being, growth, and policy-making.
  • They are familiar with theoretical and empirical research to assess policy solutions addressing inequality
Skills Knowledge
  • Critically evaluate economic theories related to inequality and poverty.
  • Assess the effectiveness of inequality-reducing and poverty-reducing policies such as taxation and social transfers.
  • Identify trends in inequality and poverty and understand the underlying economic conditions.
  • Formulate policy recommendations based on economic theory and empirical evidence.
  • Factual Knowledge: Key terms and measurements of inequality (e.g., Gini coefficient, Theil index, at risk of poverty and social exclusion, et cet.). Causal analysis for policy evaluation.
  • Conceptual Knowledge: Theories of inequality, such as poverty lines, the Harris-Todaro Model or the Kuznets Curve
  • Procedural Knowledge: Analyze data related to inequality or poverty
Criteria for evaluation
  • Participation (10%): Engagement in class discussions, especially around case studies.
  • Assignments (40%): Multiple-choice question on research articles; short essay analysing data on incomes.
  • Written Exam (50%): A selection of short questions on the concepts and economic theories of income inequality and poverty.
Methods Lectures: In which the concepts and economic theories of inequality and poverty are explained and the empirical evidence is critically discussed Assignments:

  • Students analyze income data and critically asses their results
  • Students read and summarize recent research on income inequality/poverty and discuss the findings critically
Language English
Study material Martin Ravallion, The Economics of Poverty, Oxford University Press, 2016

Additional literature: Atkinson, A. B., Piketty, T., and Saez, E. (2011). Top incomes in the long run of history. Journal of Economic Literature, 49(1):3–71. Card, D. (2009). Immigration and inequality. The American Economic Review, 99(2):1–21. Cowell, Frank, 2011, Measuring inequality, Chapters 1-4, Oxford University Press. Piketty, Thomas, 2000, “Theories of persistent inequality and intergenerational mobility", Chapter 8 of Handbook of Income Distribution, Vol 1, Elsevier. Sen, Amartya, 2000, "Social justice and the distribution of income", Chapter 1 of Handbook of Income Distribution, Vol 1, Elsevier. Topical scientific articles

Changing subject? No
On-site course
Maximum number of participants 200
Assignment procedure Assignment according to priority