ECC5810 - Public economics

Leader(s): Dr Birendra Rai

Offered

Clayton Second semester 2009 (Day)

Synopsis

Topics in the theory of public goods including optimum conditions analysis; market failure and problems of political decision-making in relation to the supply of pure and impure public goods; separation of equity and efficiency aspects; possible applications to such issues as income redistribution, merit wants, pollution control and multi-level government.

Objectives

The learning goals associated with this unit are to:

• be familiar with the welfare framework, economic concepts and theoretical economic analysis of public goods at an advanced level
• be familiar with advanced economic analysis of political decision-making in the public choice literature
• have a sophisticated understanding of the implications of public goods analysis for government policy in major areas of public expenditure
• have a sophisticated appreciation of the limitations and deficiencies of theoretical and empirical economic analysis in this general area.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 100%

Contact hours

3 hours per week

Co-requisites

Students must be enrolled in course code 3194 to undertake this unit