Seminar: Public Economics
Course content
The seminar invites students to analyze theoretical and empirical issues within public economics.
Possible topics include:
- Labor supply and taxation
- Optimal income taxation
- Universal basic income
- Inequality and the tax system
- Public good provision and marginal cost of public funds
- Optimal commodity taxation
- Individuals’ understanding of and preferences for public interventions.
- Taxation of multinational firms
- Taxation and regulation of the financial sector
- Tax havens
- Tax evasion
- Green taxes
- Taxation of sin goods (tobacco, alcohol etc.)
- Optimal social insurance (unemployment, disability, etc.)
- Retirement and taxes / public transfers
- Tax competition
- Border trading
- Taxation and international migration
- Tagging
Students are encouraged to write papers in pairs. Examples of what papers may do include:
- A thorough review of related articles on a specific topic
- An independent extension of an existing theoretical model
- Simulations of a theoretical model with the aim of, e.g., testing an estimation strategies or policy recommendations.
- A replication and extension of the empirical analysis of a published article using the article’s dataset
- An independent empirical analysis using, e.g., data available through one’s work or publicly available data
- A policy paper on a relevant topic of economic policy
The seminar is primarily for students at the MSc of Economics.
After completing the seminar, the student is expected to be able to fulfil the learning outcome specified in the Master curriculum and to be able to:
Knowledge:
- Define and discuss the differences between a research question and strategy.
- Define and discuss the structure of a good (seminar) paper.
- Identity relevant literature.
Skills:
- Use existing knowlegde to analyze new theoretical or empirical problems.
- Evaluate the feasibilty of a research strategy.
- Present a research project to peers.
Competences:
- Independently plan and execute a research project.
Supplemented by an overall intended learning outcome outlined in the programme-specific curriculum
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.
The aim of the presentations is, that the student uses the
presentation as an opportunity to practice oral skills and to
receive feedback. The presentations is not a part of the exam and
will not be assessed.
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.
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.
Process:
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.
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.
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 full project AFTER the presentation has taken
place.
For relevant literature, please refer to the syllabuses of the courses Public Finance and Tax Policy as well as top journals (American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics etc.), top field journals (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Journal of Public Economics) and the journals Journal of Economic Perspectives and Journal of Economic Literature.
The seminar builds on the courses Public Finance and Tax Policy.
BSc in Economics or similar
Kick-off meeting: Monday September 2nd 2024 at 08.15.-10.00
- Extra meetings / introductory teaching / guidance: Wednesday
October 2nd 2024 at 08.15-13.00
- Deadline for submission of commitment paper / project
description: Sunday the 22nd of September 2024
- Deadline for uploading a seminar assignment paper in Absalon:
Sunday the 22nd of November 2024
- Presentations:
Monday the 9th of December 2024
Tuesday the 10th of December 2024
- Exam date: 20 December at 10.00 AM
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.
Examples of the feedback given:
-The teacher gives the students individual guidance on formulating a feasible research question and strategy.
-Each student receives individually oral feedback on a written outline and presentation of the project from peers and teacher.
-The teacher gives the students individual guidance during the execution of the project.
-Each student receives individually oral feedback on the paper and at the presentation from peers and teacher.
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 assignment
- Type of assessment details
- A 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.
__ - Exam registration requirements
-
Attendance in all activities at the seminar as stated in the formal requrements in the Master curriculum and at the KUnet for Seminars (UK) and Seminars (DK) is required to participate in the exam.
__
- Aid
- All aids allowed
Use of AI tools is permitted. You must explain how you have used the tools. When text is solely or mainly generated by an AI tool, the tool used must be quoted as a source.
_
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- External censorship
__
- Exam period
-
Exam information:
The seminar paper must be uploaded to the Digital Exam portal. More information will be available from the middle of the semester.
For enrolled students more information about examination, rules, aids etc. is available at the intranet for Master (UK) and Master (DK ).
Examination Dates can be found here (latest uploading of Seminar paper to the Digital Exam portal for assessment.)
_____
- Re-exam
-
Reexam information:
The reexam form in seminars is a seminar paper with a synopsis
Deadline and more information is available at Seminars(UK) and Seminars(DK).
More information about reexam etc is available at Master(UK) and Master(DK).
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
- AØKK08340U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Autumn
- 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 Coordinator
- Thomas Markussen (16-83777e7c70823d7c70817a848282747d4f74727e7d3d7a843d737a)
Teacher
Thomas Damsgaard Tørsløv
Timetable
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