Economies in Transition Syllabus
Economies in Transition Syllabus Fall 2014 (Econ 380 - 001) MWF: 10:30-11:20 Robinson Hall B111
“The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.” – F.A. Hayek, The Fatal Conceit Instructor Information Instructor Meg Patrick
Email [email protected]
Office Location & Hours Directly after class on Wednesdays, or by appointment
Course Description With the dismantling of the Soviet system in the early 90’s, twenty-eight countries embarked on reform paths that would lead them away from central planning and more towards market-oriented economies. Though it had become increasingly clear that a fully planned economy was unworkable in practice, there existed no blueprint which countries could follow as they transitioned away from this method of economic organization. Thus, the countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe undertook a wide array of reform efforts, and subsequently have experienced varying degrees of economic progress. In this class, we employ the tools of economic analysis to try to understand why some countries engaged in this transition process have been relatively more economically successful than others. We finish the course by using the economic tools developed in studying the traditional transitioning economies to understand other economies around the world that are currently undergoing economic transitions.
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Course Objectives By the end of this course, I hope to have helped you to understand how the tools of economic analysis can help illuminate critical features regarding the wealth and poverty of transitioning nations. Because I believe learning is a process of mutual discovery, however, I hope to leave the class having learned something from you as well. As such, this class will feature ample opportunities for you to share your understanding of the topics under discussion. Economists the world around are still struggling with most of the tough questions we will address in this class, so you should feel no reservations about voicing your views. Required Reading Everything on this syllabus is available online, for zero price. Since this is a 300 level course, you have already bought at least a few textbooks, and I encourage you to refer to those throughout this semester as we use the tools of economics to understand transitioning economies. Each reading I assign will be made available via MyMason Portal. If you have not yet registered for this service, please go to mymasonportal.gmu.edu and use your GMU username and password to sign in. Mason uses only Mason e-mail accounts to communicate with enrolled students. Students must activate their Mason e-mail account, use it to communicate with their department and other administrative units, and check it regularly for important university information including messages related to this class. Grading Requirements The instructions for your paper projects will be handed out in a separate document.
Short paper #1: 15%
Midterm: 30%
Short paper #2: 15%
Presentation: 10%
Final paper: 30%
There will be NO EXTRA CREDIT offered in this course. Please do not come to me at the end of the semester requesting extra credit. If you do, I will simply refer you back to this syllabus. If, however, I feel you have made a strong contribution to the class throughout the semester, I reserve the right to bump you up half a letter grade. That is to say, if you
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are teetering on the edge of a B+ and an A- but I feel you have participated valuably in the class, I will assign the A-. A+ 98+ | A 97-93 | A- 92-90 | B+ 89-87 | B 86-82 | B- 81-80 | C+ 79-78| C 77-72 | C- 71-70 | D 69-60 | F
“The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.” – F.A. Hayek, The Fatal Conceit Instructor Information Instructor Meg Patrick
Email [email protected]
Office Location & Hours Directly after class on Wednesdays, or by appointment
Course Description With the dismantling of the Soviet system in the early 90’s, twenty-eight countries embarked on reform paths that would lead them away from central planning and more towards market-oriented economies. Though it had become increasingly clear that a fully planned economy was unworkable in practice, there existed no blueprint which countries could follow as they transitioned away from this method of economic organization. Thus, the countries of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe undertook a wide array of reform efforts, and subsequently have experienced varying degrees of economic progress. In this class, we employ the tools of economic analysis to try to understand why some countries engaged in this transition process have been relatively more economically successful than others. We finish the course by using the economic tools developed in studying the traditional transitioning economies to understand other economies around the world that are currently undergoing economic transitions.
1
Course Objectives By the end of this course, I hope to have helped you to understand how the tools of economic analysis can help illuminate critical features regarding the wealth and poverty of transitioning nations. Because I believe learning is a process of mutual discovery, however, I hope to leave the class having learned something from you as well. As such, this class will feature ample opportunities for you to share your understanding of the topics under discussion. Economists the world around are still struggling with most of the tough questions we will address in this class, so you should feel no reservations about voicing your views. Required Reading Everything on this syllabus is available online, for zero price. Since this is a 300 level course, you have already bought at least a few textbooks, and I encourage you to refer to those throughout this semester as we use the tools of economics to understand transitioning economies. Each reading I assign will be made available via MyMason Portal. If you have not yet registered for this service, please go to mymasonportal.gmu.edu and use your GMU username and password to sign in. Mason uses only Mason e-mail accounts to communicate with enrolled students. Students must activate their Mason e-mail account, use it to communicate with their department and other administrative units, and check it regularly for important university information including messages related to this class. Grading Requirements The instructions for your paper projects will be handed out in a separate document.
Short paper #1: 15%
Midterm: 30%
Short paper #2: 15%
Presentation: 10%
Final paper: 30%
There will be NO EXTRA CREDIT offered in this course. Please do not come to me at the end of the semester requesting extra credit. If you do, I will simply refer you back to this syllabus. If, however, I feel you have made a strong contribution to the class throughout the semester, I reserve the right to bump you up half a letter grade. That is to say, if you
2
are teetering on the edge of a B+ and an A- but I feel you have participated valuably in the class, I will assign the A-. A+ 98+ | A 97-93 | A- 92-90 | B+ 89-87 | B 86-82 | B- 81-80 | C+ 79-78| C 77-72 | C- 71-70 | D 69-60 | F
