Undergraduate - UnitECM3810 - Public sector economics

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Business and Economics
Organisational Unit	Department of Economics
Offered	Malaysia Second semester 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Grace Lee

Synopsis

The unit explains how the Malaysian government operates in comparison with governments in other developed and developing countries. Main topics are:

welfare economics (mixed economies and the extent to which they can be met by private markets; role of government in redistributing income; various modes of privatisation, public-private sector partnerships; role and performance of state-owned enterprises);
government budget expenditure (welfare economics, provision of public goods and externalities, emphasising environmental issues, income distribution, social insurance and cost-benefit analysis);
taxation (emphasis on constructing a theoretical framework for considering tax policy; how taxes should be levied to enhance economic efficiency and promote a fair distribution of income).

Outcomes

The learning goals associated with this unit are to:

understand the theory and issues related to welfare economics
identify the rationale for government intervention in the economy and the extent of that intervention
analyse specific policy issues in the area of public expenditure and taxation from the perspective of both traditional public finance and public choice
critically evaluate economic analysis and contemporary public debate in the area of public finance
analyse and understand a framework for taxation which enhances economic efficiency and promotes a fairer distribution of income.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 40%
Examination: 60%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Grace Lee

Prerequisites

ECW2731