Seminar: Digital Economics
Course content
This seminar explores the aspects of economic interactions that were transformed by the digital revolution of the recent decades and investigates the transformed reality. The natural focus is on the information flows within the economy and their effect on economic outcomes. We mostly focus on issues relevant to firm-consumer relations and explore them from a theoretical perspective. Possible questions that can be explored within this seminar include:
- Effects of the sharp drop of consumer search costs and the advent of matching platforms.
- Product reviews, consumer learning, and the ways in which sellers can manipulate it.
- Media, social media, and social learning.
- Consumer tracking and privacy.
-
Digital goods piracy and the economics of open-source software.
The focus of the seminar is on theoretical models of Economic interactions. It is therefore expected that the students work on primarily theoretical papers within this seminar.
The seminar is primarily for students at the MSc of Economics.
In additional to the learning outcome specified in the Master curriculum the student is after completing the seminar expected to be able to:
Knowledge:
- Identify the fundamental ways in which the economic
interactions have been transformed by digitization.
Skills:
- Interpret and critically assess theoretical and empirical studies on digital economics and economics of information.
- Formalize and model interactions in environments with asymmetric information.
Competencies:
- Apply the acquired skills and knowledge to new areas of analysis in digital goods and markets, as well as in broader fields of economics.
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.
A very good introduction to the topic is given in the following survey:
- Goldfarb, Avi, and Catherine Tucker. “Digital Economics.”
Journal of Economic Literature 57, no. 1 (March 2019):
3–43.
https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20171452.
For more details on the particular topic of economics of privacy, see also:
- Acquisti, Alessandro, Curtis Taylor, and Liad Wagman. “The Economics of Privacy.” Journal of Economic Literature 54, no. 2 (2016): 442–92. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.54.2.442.
Students are strongly recommended to have followed
Microeconomics III and/or Game Theory.
For most topics discussed in the seminar, it is extremely
beneficial to have followed courses on Industrial Organization.
Students may get additional inspiration from having followed
courses related to Marketing, Behavioral Economics, and Mechanism
Design.
BSc in Economics or similar
- Kick-off meeting:
Week 6, Tuesday (Feb 4), 15:15-17:00
- Extra meetings / introductory teaching / guidance:
Will likely have another meeting in week 8, same time slot.
Optional office hours, dates TBD.
- Deadline for submission of commitment paper / project
description:
March 1, 10:00
- Deadline for uploading a seminar assignment paper in Absalon:
One week before the presentations.
- Presentations:
In the time period 1 – 23 May, exact dates TBD
- Submission date:
1 June at 10.00
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 supervisor.
The supervisor 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
-
Home assignment, .
- Type of assessment details
- Individual or in groups of up to 3.
A seminar paper of 15 standard pages for one person, 22.5 standard pages for 2 and 30 standard pages for 3 students.
See further exam information in the Masters Programme Curriculum. - Exam registration requirements
-
Attendance in all seminar activities as stated in the Master curriculum.
Reexam: Hand in and have approved a synopsis.
- 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 in Digital Exam.
Common submission date for all seminars: June 1 at 10:00 for the spring semester.
For enrolled students more information about examination, rules, aids etc. is available at the intranet for Master (UK) and Master (DK ).
- Re-exam
-
Reexam information:
Individual seminar paper of 15 standard pages. See further exam information in the Masters Programme Curriculum.
Deadline and more information is available at MSc in Economics - KUnet
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
- AØKK08405U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Spring
- 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
- Egor Starkov (12-6a6c7477337879667770747b456a68747333707a336970)
Teacher
Egor Starkov (egor.starkov@econ.ku.dk)
Timetable
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