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.
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:
- 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.
Competences:
- Apply the acquired skills and knowledge to new areas of analysis in digital goods and markets, as well as in broader fields of economics.
Students receive individual guidance from the instructor.
Students prepare a draft assignment, which they present to the
teacher and the other students. The students take turns acting as
opponents during each other’s presentations. The feedback should
especially focus on the written presentation in the draft
assignment, with particular emphasis on the
introduction.
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
Exact dates will be available in the seminar’s course room no
later than 14 days before the start of the semester
• Kick-off meeting: Week 6 / 36. See exact date in Absalon.
• Additional meetings/introductory teaching/guidance: Optional. See
Absalon.
• Deadline for submission of commitment paper/project description:
No later than February 28 / September 30.
• Deadline for uploading seminar paper draft in Absalon: No later
than one week before the presentations. See exact date in Absalon.
• Presentations: In the period November 20 – December 11 for the
autumn semester and May 1 – 23 for the spring semester.
See exact dates in Absalon.
• Common submission date for all seminars: December 20 at 10:00 for
the autumn semester and June 1 at 10:00 for the spring
semester.
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. - Examination prerequisites
-
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
-
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
-
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.
- 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
- 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)
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Kursusinformation for indskrevne studerende