ECC3820

Australian economic institutions and policy

Offered subject to final university approval · This subject may not be offered in 1999

Lecturer to be advised

6 points · Two 1-hour lectures and one 1-hour tutorial per week · Clayton · Prerequisites: Successful completion of ECC1000 and ECC1010 and any four second-year economics subject

Objectives On completion of this subject students should be able to understand the role and nature of institutions in a market economy; appreciate the varying pressures that may lead to change in institutions and institutional structures; apply theoretical models of institutions and institutional change to the Australian economy; understand the nature and role of key institutions in selected sectors of the Australian economy, including the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, the labour market and the financial sector, as well as the institutions central to competition and trade policy; and have developed analytical, written and oral skills by writing an essay and presenting a tutorial paper.

Synopsis This subject focuses on the role of economic institutions and institutional change in the Australian economy. Early lectures explore the role and nature of economic institutions and the process of institutional change, including the role of interest and pressure groups in promoting such change. An overview of Australian economic development sketches the changing environment within which such institutions operate. The course then focuses on key institutions, and changes in instiutional structures over time, in selected sectors of the Australian economy, including the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, the labour market and the financial sector, as well as the institutions central to competition and trade policy.

Assessment Individual tutorial paper (20-30 minutes): 15% · Essay (3000 words): 35% · Examination (2 hours): 50%

Prescribed texts

Kenwood A G Australian economic institutions since Federation, 1995
Quiggin J Great expectations: Microeconomic reform and Australia Allen and Unwin, 1996

Back to the 1999 Business and Economics Handbook