Spring 2025
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Economics
E801: Advanced Microeconomics II5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: core courseCourse Number: E801Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700, E701, E702, E703
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades
One final examination of 120 min. A prerequisite for the admission to the examination is the regular participation in class, submission of problem sets, good performance in exercise sessions.
Course Content
The course provides an advanced introduction to the theory of general equilibrium. This is a subject that is technically demanding and typically taught only superficially in more elementary classes. It builds in particular on the introductory microeconomics class E702, but also uses the mathematical tools provided in E700, and builds on themes developed in macroeconomics in E701. It is related to the advanced macroeconomics classes, but develops the conceptual sides of the equilibrium problem in more detail than those classes.
The course treats the following topics:
1. Aggregate Demand, 2. Production Theory, 3. Exchange Economies, 4. Production Economies, 5. Uncertainty and Arrow-Debreu Equilibrium, 6. Basic Asset Pricing.
The course teaches the fundamentals of economic equilibrium theory and thus lays the foundations for almost all aggregate theories in economics, such as macroeconomics, international trade, finance, environmental economics, etc. It is complemented by intensive problem-solving work by the students and exercise sessions.
Teaching Method: Lecture (4 SWS) + Exercise (2 SWS)
Competences acquired
After taking this class, students are supposed to know the core concepts of general economic equilibrium, such as the Law of Demand, contingent markets, Walrasian equilibrium, the core, arbitrage-free allocations, market incompleteness, etc.
They are able to analyze problems involving these concepts independently and apply them to issues arising in various fields of economics, such as international trade, macroeconomics, public finance, and others. Special emphasis is put on the technical competence in applying these concepts.
After taking this class, students should understand the role of the price mechanism in different economic contexts and analyze its functioning for the research questions they are studying. They can distinguish a competitive problem from a game-theoretic or decision-theoretic problem and use the corresponding formal and conceptual tools with confidence and competence.
They can assess the scope of equilibrium arguments and decide whether an equilibrium-theoretic approach to a certain research question is appropriate. They understand the common structure of economic equilibrium models and can use this knowledge to transfer insights from one subfield to another.
Contact Information: Prof. Dr. Ernst-Ludwig von Thadden, Phone: (0621) 181 – 1915; email: vthadden@uni-mannheim.de; Office: 3.19, VWL-Building; Office hours: upon appointment.
Teaching Assistant: Emre Oral
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 13.02.25 – 20.03.25 Thursday 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, P043 Lecture 12.02.26 – 19.03.25 Wednesday 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, P043 Tutorial Tutorial 14.02.25 – 21.03.25 Friday 12:00 – 13:45 L7, P044 E802: Advanced Macroeconomics II5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: core courseCourse Number: E802Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700, E701, E702, E703
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades:
Final examination, solutions to problem sets, and participation in exercise sessions.Course Content
This course covers basic methods useful for dynamic economic modeling under rational expectations.
- Linear Rational Expectations (RE) Models: linearizing economic models and solving linear RE models: determinacy, indeterminacy, and 'sunspot' equilibria
- Linear RE models and Vector Auto-Regressions (VARs): state space representation of economic models, VAR representation of observables, invertibility problems, identification of economic shocks
- Linear Quadratic (LQ) Dynamic Programming: solving LQ problems: Ricatti equation, invariant subspace methods, stochastic problems and certainty equivalence
- Introduction to the New Keynesian Model and its Linearized Form
Competences acquired
After the course students will be able to apply and understand the basic tools used in business cycle analysis and will be able to follow the recent literature on dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models. They also learn how these techniques could be applied in other fields concerned with dynamic decision making.
Teaching Assistant: Bjarne Horst
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 10.02.25 – 17.03.25 Monday 08:30 – 10:00 L7, 3–5, P043 Lecture 10.02.25 – 17.03.25 Monday 17:15 – 18:45 L9, 1–2, 003 Tutorial Tutorial 13.02.25 – 20.03.25 Thursday 15:30 – 17:00 B6, 30–32, 211 E803: Advanced Econometrics II5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: core courseCourse Number: E803Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700, E701, E702, E703
Course Content
The course provides an introduction to semi- and nonparametric estimation methods in microeconometrics, as well as to bootstrap theory and treatment effect evaluation.
Competences acquired
On successful completion of the module, students are expected to attain the following competences:
Attain advanced theoretical knowledge in econometrics in the specific topics the module covers at a high technical and mathematical level.
Be familiar with current theories and recent developments in the specific topics of focus for the module.
– Attain a higher/advanced level of analytical capability.
Be in a position to take on follow-up advanced theoretical and applied econometrics modules.
Attain the level of competence that permits independent undertakings in search of new knowledge in the specialist areas the module covers.
Attain the level of competence required to carry out (theoretical) research-oriented projects independently.
To be in a position to exchange information, ideas, and solutions with experts of the field on a scientific level as well as with laymen.
To be able to communicate and to work effectively and efficiently with people and in groups.
Graduates are able to communicate precisely in the English specialist language.
Contact Information: Prof. Yoshiyasu Rai, Ph.D., yraimail.uni-mannheim.deLiterature/
recommended textbooks
Bruce E. Hansen (2019), Econometrics, Manuscript, University of Wisconsin.
A. W. van der Vaart (1998), Asymptotic Statistics, Cambridge University PressSchedule
Lecture Lecture 10.02.25 – 17.03.25 Monday 12:00 – 13:30 L7, 3–5, P043 Lecture 11.02.25 – 18.03.25 Tuesday 12:00 – 13:30 L7, 3–5, P043 Tutorial Tutorial 11.02.25 – 18.03.25 Tuesday 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, P043 E804: Advanced Microeconomics III5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: core courseCourse Number: E804Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700, E701, E702, E703, E801, E802, E803
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades: Written Exam
Course Content
The goal is to provide an introduction to the role of private information and its strategic use in various environments including markets, contracts, negotiations, regulation, communication, political processes, and expert advice.
Summary of Contents:
I. Adverse Selection.
II. Signaling.
III. Screening.
IV. Moral Hazard.
V. Mechanism design.Competences acquired
Successful participants’ understanding of the role of private information in strategic environments is at the forefront of current research. They are ready to begin developing their own research questions in this field of study, can synthesize their knowledge with the study of economic problems in other fields, and are able to find solutions to practical problems concerning beneficial regulatory interventions in various contexts of market failure. Crucially, successful participants understand the fundamental tension between private information and achieving social goals. This understanding enlightens their judgment of conflict and cooperation in a wide range of social situations beyond the narrow context of economics.
Teaching Assistants: Emre Oral
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 31.03.25 – 26.05.25 Monday 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, P043 Lecture 01.04.25 – 27.05.25 Tuesday 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, P043 Tutorial Tutorial 04.04.25 – 30.05.25 Friday 12:00 – 13:45 L7, P044 E805: Advanced Macroeconomics III5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Yann Mueller
Course Type: core courseCourse Number: E805Credits: 5Prerequisites
Requirements for the Assignment of ECTS Credits and Grades
There will be problem sets and a final exam. The course grade is based on your performance in the problem sets (20%) and the final exam (80%).
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Moritz Kuhn
Teaching Assistant: Yann Müller
Course Content
This course focuses on dynamic decision making and heterogeneity in macroeconomics. The course introduces the theory of modern macroeconomics, basic tools, and discusses various applications.
The topics of this course are:
Consumption/
savings: complete markets, incomplete markets, overlapping generations Labor markets: frictional labor markets, wage dispersion, policy implications
Teaching Method: Lectures (4 SWS) and Exercise (1 SWS)
Competences acquired
The goal of the course is to provide students with a deeper understanding of the mathematical methods used in modern macroeconomics. The course will introduce students to important classes of models and theories of heterogeneity used in research in modern macroeconomics. Students will also be introduced to empirical research in macroeconomics to learn how to connect theory and data. The TA sessions apply the methods and theories from class to prepare students to conduct independent research for their Ph.D. (or Master's) thesis. Students will learn how the topics from class connect macroeconomics to other areas of economics and how the methodology, e.g. dynamic programming, can be used in other areas.
Recommended literature
- Recursive Macroeconomic Theory, Lars Ljungqvist, Thomas J. Sargent
Recursive Methods in Economic Dynamics, Nancy L. Stokey, Robert E. Lucas Jr., Edward C. Prescott
Equilibrium Unemployment Theory, Christopher A. Pissarides
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 31.03.25 – 26.05.25 Monday 08:30 – 10:00 L7, 3–5, P043 Lecture 01.04.25 – 27.05.25 Tuesday 08:30 – 10:00 L9, 1–2. 002 Tutorial Tutorial 03.04.25 – 29.05.25 Thursday 15:30 – 17:00 B 6, 30–32 Bauteil E-F, 211 E806: Advanced Econometrics III5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: core courseCourse Number: E806Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700, E701, E702, E703, E801, E802, E803
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades: Written exam and assignments
Course Content
Part I is devoted to the analysis of panel data models. Besides discussing fixed- and random effects settings we also investigate GMM/
IV estimation and dynamic panel models. Part II deals with univariate time series analysis. We start with discussing theoretical foundations of time series analysis and then turn to linear models, including autoregressions. Finally, we deal with non-stationary unit root time series if time permits. Competences acquired
The students have acquired the necessary demanding econometric, statistical, and mathematical techniques to understand and solve theoretical problems in panel data and univariate analysis, i.e. in special fields of econometrics. They are able to read and understand methodologically specialist literature and, based on that, can extend their methodological knowledge independently. The students have acquired basic tools for empirical research. Based on their methodological expertise, they are able to independently extend their knowledge in order to conduct own empirical analyses. The students can formulate research questions, are able to analyze and to address them.
Literature:
- Cameron, A.C. and Trivedi, P.K. (2005), Microeconometrics: Methods and Applications, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Hamilton, J.D. (1994), Time Series Analysis, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- Hayashi, F. (2000), Econometrics, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- Horowitz, J. L. (2001), The Bootstrap, in J. J. Heckmann & E. bE. Leamer (eds), Handbook of Econometrics, Vol. 5, North-Holland, Amsterdam.
- Lütkepohl, H. and Krätzig, M. (2004), Applied Time Series Econometrics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Wooldridge, J.M. (2010), Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data, Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 02.04.25 – 28.05.25 Wednesday 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, room P 043 Lecture 03.04.25 – 29.05.25 Thursday 08:30 – 10:00 L7, 3–5, room P 043 Tutorial Tutorial 03.04.25 – 29.05.25 Thursday 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, room P 043 RES (Bridge Course): Financial Economics of Climate and Sustainability5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCredits: 5Prerequisites
Pre-requisites and finance context: The course will assume that participants have a background in core graduate-level finance. The course will cover topics from a variety of subfields in finance (asset pricing, financial intermediation, household finance, corporate finance). The introductory block of three classes is intended to orient students to the science of climate change as well as to refresh key concepts from economics and finance; the remaining classes will dive into detail on current research in different subfield. We will conclude with a discussion of open topics in this field. We expect that the course will be useful to doctoral students in finance, economics, and accounting. As a global class, we will be on Zoom.
Course Content
The purpose of the course is to (a) introduce graduate students to questions and methods in the rapidly evolving fields of climate/
sustainable finance; (b) connect researchers from across the globe interested in this topic to stimulate more rigorous, relevant, and collaborative work. Addressing climate change demands changes in natural, social, and economic systems and will require greater collaboration. In that spirit, this course is being offered by a team of professors from different schools and universities across the globe. Each instructor will deliver one or more lectures and there will be students from a number of different schools. Our teaching group consists of current and former AFA and EFA presidents and some of the leading climate finance scholars, including Laura Starks (current AFA President), Patrick Bolton (former AFA President), Stefano Giglio, Marcin Kacperczyk (former EFA President), Caroline Flammer, Geoff Heal, Stefan Reichelstein, Johannes Stroebel, Ben Caldecott and Peter Tufano.
Course Requirement: Beyond weekly preparation and participation, students will be expected to write a paper either laying out a potential research topic or synthesizing a set of related papers that were not discussed in class. Papers should not exceed eight pages, plus applicable tables and exhibits.
The course is also part of the TRR 266 Accounting for Transparency
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 21.01.25 – 23.04.24 Tuesday 17:00 – 19:00 Zoom E800: CDSE Seminar (2nd+3rd year)12 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E800Credits: 12Prerequisites
2nd and higher year Ph.D. students from the Center for Doctoral Studies in Economics (CDSE), 2nd year students from the Master of Economic Research
Course Content
Method (hours per week): Colloquium (2 h)
Duration of the module: 4 semesters
ECTs awarded after each semester: 3 ECTs
Schedule
Seminar Seminar 11.02.25 – 27.05.25 Tuesday 15:30 – 17:00 L7, 3–5, 001 E8004: Reading Course in Environmental Economics (3rd+4th year)2.5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8004Credits: 2.5Prerequisites
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS Credits and Grades:
Presentations
Course Content
Students will read, present and discuss papers in environmental economics.
Competences acquired
- Presentation skills
- Participation in scientific discourse
- Absorption of recent research in environmental economics
- Acquisition of a reading routine
Schedule
Seminar Seminar 10.02.25 – 19.05.25 Monday (biweekly) 13:45 – 15:15 L9, 1–2, P043 E8010: Econometrics Research Seminar (3rd +4th year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8010Credits: 5Course Content
This seminar provides a forum for internal and external speakers to discuss their recent research in econometrics. Students working on either econometrics or an empirical project with a substantive econometric component are welcome to present.
Competences acquired
Contact information: Christoph Rothe, Phone: (0621) 181-1921, email: rothe@vwl.uni-mannheim.de, Office 1.11, L7,3–5, Office hours: by appointment
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 13.02.25 – 29.05.25 Thursday 15:30 – 17:00 L7, 3–5, P043 E8014: Quantitative Macroeconomics with Heterogeneous Households (2nd year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8014Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700, E701, E702, E703; some familiarity with a programming language of your choosing (e.g. Python, Fortran, Julia, C, MATLAB)
Grading and ECTS credits: problem sets and presentations
Course Content
This course will discuss how the household heterogeneity affects the economy and how the macroeconomic policy and existing market frictions underlie the level of inequality. To this end it will introduce the standard incomplete-markets model, an arguable workhorse of modern macroeconomics, in which households face uninsurable income risk and use risk-free assets to smooth the marginal utility of their consumption. This will be extended to: (1) models with overlapping generations and a life-cycle component and (2) two-asset models. Next, we will recast the standard framework in continuous time to achieve greater computational performance than traditional discrete-time methods.
Course roadmap:
1. Optimal stochastic growth model and income fluctuations problem.
2. Solving DP problems with exogenous and endogenous labor supply using value function iteration.
3. Root-finding procedures (covered only bisection but can cover Newton methods as well).
4. Policy function iteration.
5. (One-dimensional) approximation: (a) piecewise linear approximation; (b) Chebychev polynomials.
6. Different types of grids: (a) equispaced; (b) exponential grid; (c) power-space grid.
7. Endogenous gridpoints method (EGM) (Carroll, EL 2005).
8. Discretization of income process: (a) Tauchen (EL, 1986); (b) Rouwenhorst (Cooley, 1995); (c) Random walk in finite horizon.
9. Simulations: how to generate random numbers from an arbitrary distribution.
10. Standard incomplete markets model. Saving motives. Computing invariant distribution.
11. Lifecycle incomplete market economy with OLG structure. Different earnings dynamics: (a) Guerrieri-Lorenzoni (QJE, 2017); (b) Castañeda et al. (JPE, 2003).
12. Two-asset SIM model with discrete adjustment (Kaplan and Violante, Ecta 2014). EGM for the two-asset problem. Multidimensional piecewise linear approximation.
13. Heterogeneous Agent Economies in Continuous Time (Achdou et al., 2017).Competences acquired
The students gain knowledge and understanding how to use numerical methods to solve dynamic programing problems.
Contact Information: Prof. Krzysztof Pytka, Ph.D.; email: pytka@uni-mannheim.de; phone: (0621) 181-181-7; Office: L7 3-5, room 2.09, Office hours: by appointment.
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 12.02.25 – 09.04.25 Wednesday 12:00 – 15:15 B6, 30–32, Bauteil E-F, 230 E8022: Industrial Organization Empirics (2nd year)9,5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8022Credits: 9,5Prerequisites
E700, E701, E702, E703
4 SWS (3 SWS lecture + 1 SWS exercice)
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades
Assignments: 4 (75%)
Presentation (20%)
Class participation (5%)Course Content
The course examines the organization of firms, industries and markets. Industrial Organization studies the strategic interactions of firms in markets, and their implications for firms’ profits and consumer welfare. Market power and market structure are key concepts in IO. Market power (or monopoly power) is the ability of a firm, or group of firms, to gain extraordinary profits above those needed to remunerate the inputs. Market structure is a description of the number of firms in the market and of their respective market shares. The course has the goal to develop an active understanding of econometric analysis of market power and competition. Such goal is illustrated with applications to competition policy and competitive strategy. We will study empirically the determinants of firms’ and consumers’ behavior and market outcomes in the context of problems of price competition, investment, innovation, product design, mergers, or market entry-exit. Topics will cover: econometric issues and methods in the estimation of production functions, demand estimation, static models of Cournot and Bertrand competition, empirical models of entry and some general ideas of dynamic structural models.
Competences acquired
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to develop and actively understand econometric analysis of market power and competition. They will be able to combine data, economic models, and appropriate econometric techniques to answer empirical questions in Industrial Organization.
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 10.02.25 – 26.05.25 Monday 15:30 – 17:00 L9, 1–2, 003 Lecture 14.02.25 – 30.05.25 Friday 15:30 – 17:00 P044 E8032: Inequality and Economic Policy (2nd year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8032Credits: 5Prerequisites
[course details to be added soon]
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 11.02.25 – 27.05.25 Tuesday 13:45 – 15:15 B6, 211 E8038: Public Economics II (2nd year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8038Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700, E701, E702, E703, E801, E802, E803, E805, E806 or equivalent, Public Economics I highly recommended
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades: Presentation (45%), Research proposal (45%), Class participation (10%)
Course Content
This course is the second part of a two-semester PhD-level sequence in Public Economics. Building on the first part (E8037), we study important topics in modern Public Economics, with an emphasis on recent research papers and areas of frontier research. The course features student presentations of working papers, writing a research proposal, and a visit to an academic conference.
Competences acquired
PhD students will acquire thorough knowledge and understanding of current research in Public Economics. They will critically evaluate papers, in particular empirical research designs, and start formulating research questions. Ultimately, the goal of the course is to enable PhD students to begin conducting their own independent research in Public Economics.
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 12.02.25 – 28.05.25 Wednesday 08:30 – 10:00 L7, 3–5, P043 E8041: Environmental Economics Research Seminar (3rd+4th year)2.5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8041Credits: 2.5Prerequisites
Coursetimes: Mondays, every two weeks (13:45–15:15, P043). Each 3rd Tuesday of the month (12:30–14:00), the seminar will take place as Environmental Economics Brownbag Seminar (with Uni Heidelberg/
ZEW). In this seminar, internal and external speakers discuss their recent research in environmental economics. Students working on an empirical or theoretical project that is related to environmental economics are welcome to present.
Schedule
Seminar Seminar 17.02.25 – 26.05.25 see course description 13:45 – 15:15 L7, 3–5, P043 (Mondays) E8044: Economics of the Environment (2nd year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8044Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700-E703. Recommended: E8022 and/
or E8038 (can be taken simultaneously) Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades:
- Research proposal: 50%
- 30-minute presentation: 35%
- Class participation: 15%
Course Content
The objective of this course is to introduce the main concepts and empirical tools used in the economic analysis of environmental policies. The course will cover a broad range of current topics in environmental, energy, and climate policy. The basic structure of the course will involve presentation and discussion of papers that should be read in advance. Selected topics:
- Environmental regulation and industrial performance
- Carbon pricing
- Emissions trading
- Carbon leakage
- Environmental cost benefit analysis
- Health impacts of pollution
- Hedonic valuation of environmental amenities
- Political economy of environmental regulation
- Lobbying
- International agreements
Further information:
Students will be given a list of required and recommended readings that includes journal articles, working papers, and handbook chapters. The recommended textbook for background reading is
D. Phaneuf and T. Requate (2017). A Course in Environmental Economics. Cambridge University Press.
Competences acquired
Thorough understanding of the key topics, ability to critically evaluate empirical research in environmental economics that employs both structural and reduced-form econometric methods. Ability to apply state-of-art research methods. Presentation skills.
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 13.02.25 – 22.05.25 Thursday 10:15 – 11:45 L9, 1–2, 002 E8050: Reading Group in Microeconometrics (2nd-4th year)ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8050Prerequisites
[course details to be added soon]
Schedule
Seminar Seminar 10.02.25 – 26.05.25 Monday 13:45 – 15:15 L9, 1–2, 002 E8053: Colloquium for PhD students (2nd+3rd year)2.5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8053Credits: 2.5Prerequisites
The colloquium offers seond- or third year PhD students an opportunity to present and discuss their research ideas in an open format, an informal setting, and a small group. Early stage work in microeconomic theory or financial economics is welcome. There is no final evaluation and there are no grades.
Schedule
Colloquium Colloquium 11.02.25 – 20.05.25 Tuesday (biweekly) 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, 410 E8057: Research in Empirical Industrial Organization (3rd+4th year)7.5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8057Credits: 7.5Prerequisites
Second year empirical IO PhD or instructor permission.
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades
Pass/
Fail based on discussion and presentation in class Course Content
This course is for PhD students writing their dissertation in Empirical Industrial Organization. It is intended to guide students in their dissertation research.
Competences acquired
Doctoral students will learn how to solve common problems arising during the research process, how to present their results, how to write up their project, and how to present their research.
Further information:
Please send a CV 2 weeks prior to registration.
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 15.02.24 – 30.05.24 Thursday 11:00 – 13:45 L7, 3–5, 410 E8060: Colloquium for Doctoral Students (3rd+4th year)2.5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8060Credits: 2.5Prerequisites
Dissertation advised by Ager or Ciccone, or by invitation
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades
Presentations and papers
Grading and ECTS credits:
100% weight on presentation and papers
Course Content
The course wants to (1) help students start on their dissertation research (2) help students in writing their research papers (3) help students in improving their skills in presenting their research
Competences acquired
Develop the ability to start, write up, and present their own research
Schedule
Colloquium Colloquium 19.02.25 – 21.05.25 Wednesday 13:45 – 15:15 L7, 3–5, P043 E8068: Topics in Monetary Economics (2nd year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E8068Credits: 5Prerequisites
Prerequisites: E700-E703, E801-E806
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades: 30–45min Presentation of Academic Paper (50%) + 10 Pages Research Proposal (50%)
Course Content
The course “Topics in Monetary Economics” is an advanced graduate course that makes students familiar with topics at the research frontier of modern monetary economics. Starting from the benchmark Representative Agent New Keynesian Model (RANK), we highlight in the first part of the course four main challenges for the transmission of monetary policy in this class of models: (i) the lack of amplification, (ii) the forward guidance puzzle, (iii) missing inflation/
deflation after the Great Recession, (iv) and the lack of long-run effects on innovation and growth. In the second part of the course, we develop and discuss recent advances in the literature that allow to overcome these challenges through: (1) individual preferences that allow for wealth in the utility (WUNK), (2) household heterogeneity and cyclical income inequality and risk (TANK, THANK, HANK), (3) a departure from the full information rational expectation (FIRE) hypothesis through behavioral frictions (BRANK, BHANK), (4) life-cycle dynamic, (5) household default risk, (6) trends in the natural rate, a (7) cost channel of monetary policy, and (8) the synthesis of New Keynesian models with endogenous growth theory. In the final part of the course, students will present and discuss a research paper and develop an own research proposal based on the course material.
Competences acquired
Students will strengthen their abilities to independently study and deeply understand papers at the research frontier of the academic literature on monetary economics. They learn how to precisely summarize an academic paper and put its contribution in relation to the existing literature. Moreover, students will learn how to critically evaluate a paper’s main results, particular modelling assumptions and/
or the limits of the empirical analysis. To this end, students will acquire competence in preparing a presentation and improve their skills to orally communicate complex topics. During their presentation, they will defend their own position. Finally, students will improve their skills to write an ambitious research proposal that may lead into their second-year paper and, perhaps, the first chapter of their thesis. Further information:
Prerequisites:
– Gali (2015): “Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle”
– Woodford (2003): “Interest and Prices – Foundations of a Theory of Monetary Policy”
Main Readings/Book:
– Reading list will be distributed at the beginning of class.
Schedule
Seminar Seminar 14.02.25 – 30.05.25 Friday 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, P044 E839: Topics in Macroeconomics (3rd+4th year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E839Credits: 5Prerequisites
First and second year Ph.D. courses
Requirements for the assignment: Presenting of Research Projects
Course Content
Research seminar where Ph.D. students, who have completed their course work, present their own research and receive feedback. Occasionally we will also have an outside speaker.
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 12.02.25 – 28.05.25 Wednesday 15:30 – 17:00 L7, 3–5, P043 E846: PhD Reading Course in Industrial Organization (3rd+4th year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E846Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700-E703, E801-E806
Requirements for the Assignment of ECTS Credits and Grades
Presentation (100 %)
Course Content
This seminar is aimed at PhD students writing their dissertation in Industrial Organization. It is intended to guide students at all stages of dissertation research. The emphasis be on presentation and discussion of material by students.
Competences acquired
Doctoral students will know how to
- identify a research question,
- put a research question into context of the relevant literature,
- present their current stage of research to their peers in a seminar environment.
Schedule
Seminar Seminar 12.02.25 – 28.05.25 Wednesday 12:00 – 13:30 L7, 3–5, P043 E854: Topics in Mechanism Design (2nd year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E854Credits: 5Prerequisites
First-year sequence in the Economics PhD program
Course Content
This course will sample various aspects of modern mechanism design. I’ll first teach the classical topic of ‘selling to one agent’ from a modern perspective. The rest of the course will cover topics on (or close to) the current research frontier, including: allocation with costly verification, with evidence acquisition, allocation without money and quota mechanisms, as well as models of incentivising proposal. Along the way, we’ll encounter a number of perspectives, tools, tricks and insights; these are just as important as the details of the models and papers themselves.
Competences acquired
On successful completion of the module, students are expected to attain the following competences
- Presentation skills
- Participation in scientific discourse
- Absorption of recent research in mechanism design
- Acquisition of a reading routine
Grading
Each student will give a 45min presentation on a recent paper in mechanism design. Papers will be chosen by the students from a given list. Students must prepare slides for the presentation. About one week prior to each student's talk, I will meet individually with the student and give them feedback regarding their slides. The grade will take into account the quality of the slides (accuracy and clarity), as well as the quality of the presentation: for the latter, I will check to what extend the student (i) understood the paper, and can (ii) convey the main results in the paper, (iii) relate them to the literature, and (iv) convey the intuition for why they are true.Schedule
Seminar Seminar 10.02.25 – 26.05.25 Monday 17:15 – 18:45 L7, 3–5, 410 E866: Research Seminar in Economic Policy (2nd-5th year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E866Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700-E703, E801-E806
This course can be attended from students in their 2nd to 5th year.
Grading
At least one presentation. Students who wish to obtain ECTS credits should sign up for the course, students who do not wish to obtain credits should not sign up for the course.
Course Content
Students present and discuss policy related economic research.
Competences acquired
Students learn to apply economic theory and quantitative methods to policy problems.
Further information: Students who would like to participate should contact Hans Grüner before the beginning of the semester.
Schedule
Seminar Seminar 10.02.25 – 26.05.25 Monday 13:45 – 15:15 L7, 3–5, 157 E873: Research Seminar in Public Economics (3rd+4th year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E873Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700-E703, E801-E806
Requirements for the assignment of ECTS-Credits and Grades
Oral presentation of own reserach, contribution to discussion of other perticipants' reserach; only pass/
fail. Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Eckhard Janeba, Prof. Arthur Seibold, Ph.D., Prof. Dr. Holger Stichnoth
Course Content
Presentation and discussion of current research in public economics (external and internal speakers)
Competences acquired
Improve presentations skills, obtain feedback to improve research paper.
Schedule
Seminar Seminar 13.02.24 – 28.05.24 Tuesday 12:00 – 13:30 L7, 3–5, P043 E878: Advanced PhD Seminar in Experimental Economics (2nd year)5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E878Credits: 5Prerequisites
E700-E703, E801-E806
Grading: Attendance and participation in discussion and presentation of own research. Grades are assigned on a pass/
non-pass basis. Course Content
In this seminar participants present and discuss their current research as well as ideas for future research. An important goal of the seminar is to provide a forum for students working on projects that use experimental methods or relate to themes in behavioral economics.
Competences acquired
Designing laboratory and/
or field experiments; Executing research projects; Presenting own research results. Further information: If you are interested in the seminar, please contact Henrik Orzen.
Contact Information: Prof. Dr. Henrik Orzen; Phone: (0621) 181 – 1890; email: henrik.orzen@uni-mannheim.de; Office: Room 4.01; Office hours: Tuesdays, 4–5pm (by appointment only).
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 11.02.25 – 27.05.25 Tuesday 13:45 – 15:15 L7, 3–5, 410 E883: Topics and projects in experimental economics (2nd year)10 ECTSLecturer(s)
Wladislaw Mill
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E883Credits: 10Prerequisites
E700-E703, E801-E806.
Grading: Attendance and participation in discussion and presentation of own research. Writing a research proposal. Grades are assigned on a pass/non-pass basis. Course Content
This module is intended to introduce students to current topics in experimental and behavioral economics and to familiarize them with recent advances in the field. The course will be delivered via a mix of student-led presentations, joint readings of papers, in-class discussions and project work. Selected papers from the recent relevant literature will be discussed in depth and participants will jointly work on developing research ideas. A goal of the module is that at the end of the semester students have identified some interesting research questions and are able to outline concrete plans of how they can be answered. The role of the group is not only to provide a forum for individuals to get feedback on their ideas but to become actively engaged with each project. For this to work participants have to be prepared to read papers, to do some literature research and to contribute actively to the class discussion.
Competences acquired
On completion of the module students will have gained insights into recent topics of research in experimental and behavioral economics. They will have improved their ability to present—in a clear and structured manner—their own research ideas. They will have gained practice in adequately and constructively criticizing research ideas and their implementation, and they will have acquired advanced skills in communication and team work. They will have developed an improved sense of recognizing the potentials of a research idea.
Contact Information: Prof. Dr. Henrik Orzen; Phone: (0621) 181 – 1890; email: henrik.orzen@uni-mannheim.de; Office: Room 4.01; Office hours: Tuesdays, 4–5pm (by appointment only).
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 13.02.25 – 29.05.25 Thursday 13:45 – 17:00 L9, 1–2, 002 E917: Macroeconomics of Development (2nd year)7,5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: E917Credits: 7,5Prerequisites
E700-E703, E801-E806
Grading: In-class presentation (30%), research proposal and presentation (40%), Assignment (20%) and class participation (10%)
Lecturer: Prof. Minki Kim, Ph.D.
Course Content
In this class, we will cover selected topics of frontier research at the intersection of macroeconomics and development. The class aims to set a solid basis for future research on the topic and get each student to identify and develop a viable research topic. Learning to read, evaluate, and present papers is an essential intermediate step toward generating novel research. For this reason, each student will present one paper during the course. Each student will pass in a research proposal by the end of the course as well.
Competences acquired
Students will familiarize themselves with frontier academic discussions at the intersection of macroeconomics and development economics. They will also acquire skills to assess academic articles critically.
Students will be evaluated based on:
- In-class presentation (30%)
- Research proposal and presentation (40%)
- Assignment (20%)
- Class participation (10%)
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 10.02.25 – 26.05.25 Monday 15:30 – 18:00 L9, 1–2, 002 E923: Colloquium for students interested in Political Economy (3rd+4th year)2.5 ECTSCourse Type: elective courseCourse Number: E923Credits: 2.5Prerequisites
Students interested in empirical political economy (3rd year and higher).
Grading and ECTS credits
100% weight on presentation and papers. The grade is pass or fail.
Course Content
This course will focus on empirical political economy work. Presented work may intersect with other fields like public economics, media economics, economic history, development economics, etc. Students will have the opportunity to present their own work. Similar to a reading group format, they may also choose to read and present a working paper in the field of political economy to other students.
The course seeks to (1) help students interested in political economy start on their dissertation research (2) help students in advance their research papers (3) help students in improving their skills in presenting their research.Competences acquired
Develop the ability to start, write up, and present their own research.
Responsible teacher of the module
Camille UrvoySchedule
Colloquium Colloquium 18.02.25 – 27.05.25 Tuesday (biweekly) 10:15 – 11:45 L7, 3–5, 410 MET 931: Topics in Advanced Sampling Methods: Design and Causal Inference5 ECTSLecturer(s)
Course Type: elective courseCourse Number: MET 931Credits: 5Prerequisites
The reading course is aimed at Ph.D. students in or beyond their second year to support them during their research phase. 1st year PhD students are welcomed to attend the class as well.
Recommended: Knowledge of basic statistics and prior experience with R or Stata is helpful, but not necessary.
Course Content
This reading course provides a hands-on and paper-based approach to understanding and analyzing data. For many projects, collection of new data or experimental designs are the only way to answer a research question or to provide the decisive complementary evidence. Different ways to collect data can have important implications for model estimation and evaluation, parameter inference, and policy conclusions. Standard econometric methods start from assumptions about the sampling procedure and try to cope with the limitations of a given dataset. Instead, we start at the design stage and examine the interplay between sampling and experimental methods, statistical inference and estimation of causal effects. We will use the German Business Panel as point in case and implement cutting-edge methods to gain insights into the causal mechanisms behind reported outcomes. In each session, one of the participants will present a research paper, which we will discuss in light of concrete implementation at trial scale. Participants are encouraged to present research that is valuable for their own thesis or may be assigned to present a topic.
In addition to presenting a paper and participating in the discussion, students are expected to write a short technical report that summarizes the methods and implications in a way useful for peers who want to use the newly collected data or learn about experimental results.
The course is also part of the TRR 266 Accounting for Transparency
Learning outcomes:
The specific applications cover a broad set of skills with a focus on design of questionnaires and survey experiments, data analysis and quantitative methods, classification, inference, writing of own reports, and opportunities for own research.
- Analytical Skills/
Problem-Solving:
TRR Members are welcome to join the course
Schedule
Lecture Lecture 12.02.25 – 28.05.25 Wednesday 13:45 – 17:00 tba