Cancelled Seminar: Competition Economics – Methods and Reasoning - canceled
Course content
Competitive markets are the foundation for consumer welfare – and competition policy plays a central role in maintaining and protecting the efficient functioning of markets. But when is a market player distorting competition and how are these distortions assessed?
This seminar is for students interested in this topic that seek a
better understanding of how economic methods and reasoning shape
competition policy and enforcement and help answer question such
as:
- When is a market player abusing its dominance in a market – and can Google freely advertise its own services using its search engine?
- How do you define the boundaries of a market for groceries?
- How do you assess whether a merger is good or bad for consumers – and is it strange that Facebook was allowed to buy Instragram?
- How do you assess the economic damages from a cartel such as an EU-wide truck cartel?
- When are prices excessive – and can producers of propietary drugs set prices freely?
- Why does Margrethe Vestager keep fining big tech companies?
In the seminar, students will get first-hand experience with real-life compeition cases and explore how the application of economic methods and reasoning can define the outcome of a case. The focus of the seminar is two-fold: Firstly, to provide an understanding of how economic methods are applied in specific cases, and secondly, to learn/develop how to convey economic results in a convincing manner (also to non-economists).
In some cases, useful data may be publicly available, while in
other cases, arguments must be based on either qualititave
components or illustrative calculations. Thus, students are not
required to conduct thorough empirical estimations or complex
simulations. Instead, the emphasis is on how to use the economic
toolbox at hand and the data which is available to illustrate a
point or convince the reader.The students will have the opportunity
to cover and review a competition case where economics has been
central.
At the beginning of the seminar, students will be introduced to the key methods of competition economics and will receive input on how to construct convincing arguments. Following this introduction, students will be asked to choose a specific case or focus for the seminar.
The seminar is primarily for students at the MSc of Economics.
After completing the seminar the student is expected to be able to fulfill the learning outcome specified in the Master curriculum and to be able to:
Knowledge:
• Define key concepts from competition economics
• Discuss the economic content of a competition case
Skills:
• Evaluate the methodological strengths and weaknesses of the
economic arguments used by opposing parties in a competiton case
• Present economic arguments in a convincing manner
Competences:
• Plan the outline of an economic expert report in a competition
case
• Implement complex economic reasoning so that it can be understood
by non-economists.
At the seminar the student is trained independently to
- identify and clarify a problem,
- seek and select relevant literatur,
- write a academic paper,
- present and discuss own paper with the other students at the
seminar.
Mandatory activities in the seminar:
- Kick-off meeting
- Finding literatur and defining the project
- Writing process of the seminar paper
- Presentation of own project and paper
- Giving constructive feedback to another student´s paper
- Actively participating in discussions at the presentations and
other meetings.
The aim of the presentations is, that you use the presentation as
an opportunity to practice oral skills and to receive feedback at
the paper. The presentations are not a part of the exam and will
not be assessed.
The seminar project paper must be uploaded in Absalon before the
presentations, as the opponents and the other seminar participants
have to read and comment on the paper. It is important that you
upload a paper that is so finalized as possible due to the fact
that the value of feedback and comments at the presentation is
strongly associated with the skill level of the seminar paper.
The teacher defines what materials may be used for the
presentations.
After the presentations, you can with a few corrections improve the
seminar paper by including the feedback and comments emerged during
the presentations. It is NOT intended that you rewrite or begin the
writing of the seminar paper after the presentation has taken
place.
Pandemic:
In case of a pandemic like Corona the teaching in this seminar may
be changed to be taught either fully or partly online. For further
information, see the course room on Absalon.
Useful introduction for students unfamiliar with competition
economics:
• Competition Policy – Theory and practice, Massimo Motta, 2014,
9780511804038
Case material and relevant publications, guidelines and reports will be made available for the students.
The student will benefit from attending the course Industrial Organisation before taking the seminar.
BSc in Economics or similar
Schedule of the seminar:
Spring 2021:
• Kick-off meeting (day, time from and to): 12 February,
10.15-13.00
• Extra days of introducing teaching: 19 February, 10.15-13.00
• Submission of project description for approval: 5 March
• Workshops/ Presentations meetings: 7 May (potentially also 6 May)
• Students are recommended to work in groups of 2
• Each group will be entitled to up to two individual supervision
sessions of 30 minutes
General information:
It is strongly recommended that you think about and search for a
topic before the semester begins, as there is only a few weeks from
the kick-off meeting to the submission of the project
description/agreement paper.
There is no weekly teaching/lecturing and the student cannot expect
guidance from the teacher. If the teacher gives a few introduction
lectures or gives the opportunity for guidance, this as well as
other expectations are clarified at the kickoff meeting.
All information regarding the seminar is communicated through
Absalon including venue. So it is very important that you by
yourself logon to Absalon and read the information already when you
are registered at the seminar.
• Each student receives individually oral feedback on the paper
and at the presentation from peers and teacher.
• The teacher gives the students collective oral feedback and
individual guidance.
For enrolled students: More information about registration, schedule, rules etc. can be found at Master (UK) and Master (DK).
More information about seminars is available at Seminars (UK) and Seminars (DK).
Read about the study programme and curricula at MSc in Economics
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Written examinationA seminar paper in English that meets the formal requirements for written papers stated in the curriculum of the Master programme and at KUNet for seminars.
___ - Aid
- All aids allowed
for the seminar paper.
The teacher defines the aids that must be used for the presentations.
__
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- External censorship
__
Criteria for exam assessment
Students are assessed on the extent to which they master the learning outcome for the seminar and can make use of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes in the Curriculum of the Master programme.
To receive the top grade, the student must with no or only a few minor weaknesses be able to demonstrate an excellent performance displaying a high level of command of all aspects of the relevant material.
- Category
- Hours
- Project work
- 186
- Seminar
- 20
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- AØKK08413U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Schedulegroup
-
and venue:
Go to "Remarks".
Exam and re-sits: Go to "Exam". - Capacity
- One class of up to 20 students
- Studyboard
- Department of Economics, Study Council
Contracting department
- Department of Economics
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Social Sciences
Course Coordinators
- Holger Vandel Rasmussen (6-6c7f67363a35456a68747333707a336970)
- Neil Justin Gallagher (6-776869383e3e456a68747333707a336970)
Teacher
Holger Vandel Rasmussen and Neil Justin Gallagher
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Courseinformation of students