Economics 411--Giertz--Spring 2020--Online continuation (Beginning March 23, 2020)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Final Examination (combined Exams 2 and 3)

I hope you are all doing well during the current period of uncertainty.   This introduction provides a plan for the remainder of the semester.  I will attempt to be flexible and I hope you will as well.

1.     First, traditional classes well be replaced by online instruction.  As noted previously, the lectures and other material will be available on-demand.  This means you can access work on your own schedule.  Nevertheless, you should attempt to view the lectures as they become available. 

 

2.     I plan to work from the class website, not from COMPASS although grades will be posted there.

 

3.     The lectures and other material will be available on-demand (asynchronous) from the website.  This means you can access work on your own schedule.  Nevertheless, you should attempt to view the lectures as they become available. 

 

4.    I will use the PowerPoint platform with my lectures recorded over the slides.  For best results, download the PowerPoint lecture files into the PowerPoint program on your computer.  The audio may not work if you view the material directly from an Internet browser.

 

5.     The will also be other material available on the Internet that will be assigned to supplement the lectures.

 

6.     You can ask questions be email.

 

7.     The same syllabus and set of topics that we have been using to date will be followed.  This means that you can study the text and other material immediately if you choose.

 

8.      There will be one (final) exam for the class that will be open book-open Internet. This untimed exam will replace the previously scheduled midterm and final exams and count two-thirds of the grade.  I will provide the exam at least two weeks before the end of the term.  The exam will be due on May 15—the scheduled final date.

 

9.      You have received your grades for the first exam. I am not sure if or how you will be able to review your work.  Since the exam will only cover only new material, the review of the first exam is not essential.

 

 


Online Lectures:

 

 

Present Value Tutorial--Khan Academy    and  Time Value of Money   You may have to sign up (free) with Kahn Academy to view.

 

Lecture 1--March 23, 2020  Benefit-Cost

 

Lecture 2-March 25, 2020 Introduction to Redistribution

 

Three Views of Economic Inequality: 

Valerie Ramey  The Past, Present and Future of US Income Inequality

Thomas Sowell on the Myths of Economic Inequality--Hoover Institution

Dan Ariely  How equal do we want the world to be?

 

Indifference Curves--Khan Academy

 

Lecture 3-March 26  More on Redistribution

 

Lecture 4-March 27  Redistributio to the "Poor"

 

Angus Deaton--Nobel Prize Lecture:  Measuring and Understanding Behavior, Welfare, and Poverty

 

Lectures 5-April 5  Healthcare 1

 

Lectures 6-April 5 Healthcare 2  with brief coverage of education and unemployment insurance

 

Bill Schlosser  Healthcare Economics   

Alternatives to Affordable Care Act--Harvard University, Kennedy School Discussion

 

Lecture 7-April 6 Social Security 1

    Lecture 8-April 7 Social Security 2

    Nobel Laureate Economist Peter Diamond - "The Future of Social Security"  Rice University

    Lecture 9-April 8 Introduction to Taxation

   Joel Slemrod-Weird Taxes of Past and Their Lessons for Tax Policy  Tulane University

    Lecture 10-April11 Taxation Continued

     Inequality in America: Taxes and the Ultra-Rich:  Emmanuel Saez, Steven Kaplan,  Luigi Zingales  University of Chicago

     Lecture 11-April15 Taxation Basics Concluded and Final Exam Informaton

     Tax Incidence-Khan Academy     Taxation and Deadweight Loss-Khan Academy     Taxation and Inelastic Demand--Khan Academy

   Lecture 12-April18 Income Taxation I

   Lecture 13-April19 Income Taxation II   

   Lecture 14-April19 Income Taxation III   

   Should the Tax System Be Used to Reduce Wealth Inequality United States-Tax Policy Center  (long, but interesting)

   Lecture 15-April 20 Business Taxation and the Corporate Tax 

    The Corporate Tax--Viard and Toder  American Enterprise Institute

   Lecture 16-April 22 Consumption Taxation   Last Lecture

   The Value Added Tax Explained Tax Pollicy Center

  Final Examination (combined Exams 2 and 3)