Argomenti dell'insegnamento
Prof. Roberti Introduction to Public Economics Theoretical Tools in Public Economics Public Goods and their Provision Externality Problems Externalities: Problems and Solutions Prof. Stillman Cost Benefit Analysis Empirical Tools in Public Economics Education Social Insurance Social Security Unemployment, Disability and Injury Insurance Income Distribution and Welfare Programs Taxation and Tax Incidence Taxes on Labor Supply / Savings Taxes on Wealth / Consumption Taxes on Businesses Political Economy

Insegnamenti propedeutici
Previous attendance of an introductory course in microeconomics is strongly suggested, to properly follow the lectures.

Modalità di insegnamento
lectures and exercises

Modalità d'esame
A voluntary midterm and mandatory final exam, both written, as well as a mandatory writing assignment and presentation. Non-attendees are allowed to take the midterm exam and are encouraged to do the presentation. The midterm grade can be rejected in which case the student will take a longer final exam covering all of the material in the course. For attending students, the course project is done in groups of 2 students and it includes a written project report (about 10 pages) and short 10-minute presentation of the main ideas developed. Non-attending students can do a course project in groups of 2 students if they prefer but must sign-up when this is offered, i.e. agree on a topic with the instructors at the least 2 months before the exam that they wish to take. Non-attending students can also do instead so a written 10-page project on their own. For the exams neither textbooks, nor other teaching materials, nor any electronic devices are allowed in the examination room. Dictionaries without notes and simple calculators are permitted.

Criteri di valutazione
The final grade will be a weighted average of the writing assignment (25%), presentation (5%), midterm exam (35%) and final exam (35%). Students that do not take the midterm or reject their midterm grade will be given a longer final that will count for 70% of the final grade. For non-attending students who choose not to do the presentation, the writing assignment will count for 30% of the final grade. The textbook, “Public Economics” by Jonathan Gruber, additional reading materials made available to the class and the in-class slides of the instructors will form the basis for the material covered in the exams and will be made available to the students online. Relevant for assessing the written exam is the clarity of answers, mastery of the teaching language, and the ability to summarize, evaluate, and establish relationships between topics and to solve formal problems. Relevant for assessing the course project is the ability to work on a specified topic, creativity, critical thinking, ability to structure and summarize ideas in your own words, teamwork and an effective presentation.