Courses

Public policy puts laws into action. The executive branch directs the combined activities of the federal government to address a multitude of problems, from the environment to the economy. The policies of the United States affect social issues, economic growth, taxes, regulation, and foreign affairs. This course will take a broad view of public policy in America but will use specific examples, such as the 2008 economic downturn and climate change, to illustrate the wide-ranging effects of those policies. We’ll address the intersection of religion and politics, and how issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage have played out in the political arena. We’ll discuss fiscal, monetary, welfare and income policy—what they are, what tools they involve, and what political divisions they create. We’ll examine partisan divisions over regulatory policy, and the basis for those divisions. Finally, we’ll trace the evolution of America’s position as a trading nation by examining trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This course will also serve as an overview of American government, concentrating on overarching tendencies such as its fragmented power structure. The importance of these tendencies will be explained by showing how thoroughly each of them affects American politics.

Similar to many other branches of applied economics, energy economics emerged with therealization that “energy” is a scarce resource. This course covers the economic principles that guide energy related behavior of both the producers and the consumers of energy and the policy regime that has emerged to govern it. The course has four building blocks: understanding energy as a scarce resource, various aspects of energy demand and supply with a focus to policies that are in place to promote renewable energy supply and finally, a much needed discussion on interaction between energy, environment and climate change. The course aims at broadening the vision of students while making any energy related decision as a technology developer, energy manager, entrepreneur, policy maker, researcher in future or simply for personal energy use in day to day activities.INTENDED AUDIENCE:Primarily the graduate students working in the area of energy economics and energy policy domain. This course will also be useful for general audiencePREREQUISITES:Any foundational course in EconomicsINDUSTRY SUPPORT: Power sector; energy consulting firms; renewable energy production units, policy makers

With renewable sources playing an increasing role in meeting global energy demand and mitigating climate change, electric power systems and the related markets are changing. To prepare for a career in the future energy landscape, industry professionals, policymakers, and academics must understand these changes and develop specific, relevant skills to drive this energy transition within the necessary timeframe. In this course, you will learn to apply economic and socio-political analysis to real-world regulatory policy questions in a set of extremely important, interrelated energy markets. Specifically, by looking at real-world case studies and emerging research, you will explore key aspects of the oil, natural gas, electricity, and nuclear power sectors, and how policies such as carbon taxes and efficiency standards can drive reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions. You will also employ systems-level analysis to predict policy outcomes not only within energy markets but across transportation, building and development, employment, and health and social sectors. Overall, you will gain insights into how applied economics and policy tools can effectively move the global energy sector toward renewable and clean energy sources to mitigate climate change, while at the same time promoting economic development. Learners who will benefit from this course include professionals, academics, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students considering careers and/or further study in energy industry, government and policy, non-governmental organizations and nonprofits, private technology and investment firms, academia, and research and development.

Learn about the relationship between health policy and social capital in this 23-minute lecture from Professor John Cairns of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, delivered at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine. Explore the summary and key conclusions from the broader discussion on whether health policy should consider social capital as a significant factor. Part of a comprehensive lecture series on Health Economics and Social Capital, this concluding chapter synthesizes the main arguments and implications for healthcare policy making and implementation.

Explore policy and research implications in health economics and social capital through a comprehensive graduate-level lecture delivered by Professor John Cairns from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine. Delve into advanced concepts and their practical applications in healthcare policy during this 86-minute session, which serves as the fourth installment in a specialized lecture series focused on the intersection of health economics and social capital. Learn from an expert in the field as he shares insights and analysis that bridge theoretical frameworks with real-world policy considerations.

Learn to evaluate the effectiveness of policies that are at the forefront of public debates with data and evidence. Use your credential to advance your career or pursue accelerated graduate studies at MIT or another pathway university.

The course gives an introduction to behavioral economics through various tools and techniques and gives a detailed perspective to understand decision making. It will help in understanding the various psychological processes that a consumer goes through while making a decision using topics like nudges, choice architectures, some notions of fairness and also some real life examples. The course will also contextualise how a simple nudge can change a person’s decisions, strategies, and choices. The course touches upon indicators like Heuristics and biases, growth biases and risk preferences. The course will also introduce the terms like Loss aversion, sunk costs, discounting. It will give a distinction between the thought processes of econs and humans. Lastly, the course also delves into the topic of discrimination and its types, evidences and consequenes and how policies have been introduced to reduce the various gaps.

Explore economic policy challenges and opportunities of the 21st century in this lecture by Professor John Quiggin, Australian Laureate Fellow in Economics at the University of Queensland. Examine how current economic policy discussions in Australia are dominated by outdated 20th-century issues, particularly the microeconomic reform agenda of the 1980s and 1990s. Discover why modern challenges like climate change and the Global Financial Crisis are often overlooked in policy debates. Analyze the implications of these contemporary issues for economic analysis and learn about proposed policy responses. Delve into topics such as mercantilism vs. libertarianism, the knowledge economy, over-obsolescence, the internet's impact, and fundamental economic difficulties including public goods and non-market activities. Gain insights into a new policy agenda focusing on post-secondary education, research, development, and communication. Participate in a Q&A session to further explore these critical economic concepts and their relevance to shaping effective policies for the future.

Explore a comprehensive discussion on the challenges and potential solutions for economic policy in this 53-minute talk from The Aspen Institute. Delve into the intricate relationship between a vibrant market-based economy and the need for effective government intervention. Examine the importance of principled compromise and fact-based decision-making in shaping economic policies. Analyze the critical question of whether our political system can adequately address current economic challenges. Investigate the steps needed to restore intellectual integrity in policy discussions, evaluate the current trajectory of fiscal policy, and consider the feasibility of funding crucial initiatives through increased deficit spending.

The main purpose of this course is to help students to have an objective and in-depth understanding of China's foreign economic policies. This course has three major features:(1) Systematic. This course systematically and objectively expounds China's foreign economic policies from the aspects of China's opening-up strategy, foreign trade policy, foreign investment policy, foreign financial policy, foreign-related tax policy, foreign project contracting policy, foreign development aid, relations with important international economic organizations and China's "Belt and Road" initiative.(2) Internationalization. The course team is led by Professor Wu Chaoyang, dean of the School of International Business and Economics, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, and includes many foreign experts from the United States, Pakistan, Nigeria and other countries.(3) Flexible way. The course is interspersed with a large number of videos and cases, trying to fully demonstrate the great achievements of China's reform and opening-up in an intuitive and flexible way, and effectively publicize China's foreign economic policies.

Explore the multifaceted impact of dams in this 18-minute TEDx talk by C. N. Ramachandran Nair, a distinguished legal professional and former High Court Judge. Gain insights into the social and economic benefits of dams, including their role in water management, electricity generation, and economic development. Discover a balanced perspective on dam construction, with a particular focus on their positive impact in Kerala. Learn from Nair's extensive experience in law, administration, and public service, including his roles in the Kerala Dam Safety Authority and various commissions. Understand the complexities surrounding dam projects and their potential to drive progress in communities.

Economic policy affects every citizen. And economic policymaking is best done as a collaborative process with a wide range of stakeholders. This course brings an understanding of the relevance and impacts of economic policymaking in everyday life, and the ways for citizens to be involved in shaping economic policy, in an accessible and interesting manner. Taught by Dr. Vijay Kelkar and Dr. Ajay Shah, along with Aromar Revi, Director, IIHS, the course synthesises more than one hundred years of their combined experience as professional economists and public intellectuals. This course can be covered across 5 weeks with 3-5 hours of learning per week. To get the best out of the course, learners are encouraged to view all the video lectures and conversations, go through other learning material, work on all the assignments and assessments, and participate in discussions in a constructive and respectful manner. By the end of this course, you will be able to: ~ Identify the role of the government in defining and implementing policy ~ Recognise the various objective aspects of policymaking, and appreciate the various softer / people aspects involved ~ Analyse the steps involved in the process of policymaking, and discuss various nuances and challenges in defining and implementing it Each citizen plays an important role in shaping our Republic. This course enables citizens, public servants and learners to understand the implications of various aspects of governing a Republic. If you are a student of economics, public policy, law, political science, and/or management, this course will explain the process of economic policy-making and inform you about the complex systems involved in its creation and implementation. If you are a public servant in Indian Civil Services involved in public finance and economics, this course will help you gain deeper insights into topics and practices surrounding the design of economic public policy. UPSC aspirants will likewise benefit from the insights and by participating in the discussions the course offers. Employees and leaders in the private sector who will benefit from having a more nuanced understanding of economic policy and development will also find this course very educational and informative. We look forward to having you on the course!

Learn essential concepts of fiscal policy in this 33-minute educational video designed for CFA® Level I exam preparation, covering key learning objectives in economics. Master the comparison between monetary and fiscal policy, understand the roles and objectives of fiscal policy, and analyze the significance of national debt relative to GDP. Explore various fiscal policy tools while examining their advantages and disadvantages, and gain practical knowledge about policy implementation challenges. Develop a clear understanding of how to distinguish between expansionary and contractionary fiscal policies, preparing thoroughly for the Economics section of the 2024/2025 CFA® Level I examination.

Public economics is viewed as the economic study of the public sector thereby making it a study of government policy through the lens of economic efficiency and equity. As a subject it encompasses a host of topics including market failures, externalities, structure and scope of government; taxation, subsidies and revenues; fiscal policies and behaviour of economic agents; publicly provided goods; national government expenditures and related policies; national budget, deficit and debt; state and local government; intergovernmental relations etc. It considers the role governments play in keeping markets stable and analyses the extent that government interference helps or hinders free-market activities. By focusing on analytical and scientific analysis, Public Economics provides us with a level-headed picture of the effects of these government interventions. Public economics builds on the theory of welfare economics and is ultimately used as a tool to improve social welfare.The main objectives of this course are to enable learners analyse fiscal functions, the theories on growth of public expenditures; to describe the concept of public goods and externalities and the free riding problem and market inefficiency associated with them and their remedies; to discuss the principles of taxation, taxable capacity and its measurement, to analyse deadweight loss of taxation and optimal taxation, to describe India’s tax structure, the issues and challenges and tax reforms it has undertaken; to discuss the techniques and principles of budgeting, deficits and their management, the Centre-State financial relations, finance commission and FRBM Act.

Explore a comprehensive lecture on developing a new economic policy paradigm that addresses contemporary challenges. Delve into the analysis of past political economy paradigms, including classical liberal, Keynesian/Social Democratic, and neo-liberal approaches. Discover the four key features contributing to successful policy paradigms, with a focus on the complementarity between normative foundations and economic models. Examine a proposed radical restructuring of economic theory that integrates research from the last four decades and incorporates ethical commitments beyond shared affluence, emphasizing sustainability and equal dignity. Investigate a dynamic and interdisciplinary model of the economy that expands the scope of policies and institutions under consideration, encompassing markets, governments, and civil society. Explore examples and conjectures on the potential success of this new paradigm in addressing pressing issues such as climate change and social injustice.

Explore the critical challenge of climate change and its global consequences in this 18-minute TEDx talk by Charles Feinstein. Gain insights into the current scientific understanding of climate change as a critical threat and learn about the progress in limiting global greenhouse gas emissions. Examine the principal economic and policy tools available to address the problem, with a focus on putting a price on carbon pollution as a key option. Benefit from Feinstein's expertise in energy, development, and environmental economics, drawing from his extensive career experience, including his role as the World Bank's Team Leader for Climate Change and Director of the Energy and Extractives Global Practice. Discover how economic and policy options can be leveraged to make polluters pay and address the climate emergency.

Discover behavioural economics with Nottingham Business School From poverty to climate change, many of the most complex societal challenges involve human decision-making. Behavioural economics is focused on supporting policy-makers and organisations to design solutions to these problems by positively influencing human behaviour. On this three-week course from Nottingham Business School, you’ll delve into the theory and practice of behavioural economics. With a focus on behavioural biases and discrimination, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of why people make the choices they do and how their behaviour can be influenced for the good of society. Get to grips with game theory and economic methods One of the most useful tools for analysing human behaviour is game theory. Throughout the course, you’ll learn how game theory can be used to predict, analyse, and influence consumer and organisational behaviour. You’ll also develop your understanding of wider economic theories, methods, and analytical concepts. Explore the ethics of behavioural economics The application of behavioural economics to influence use behaviour raises important ethical questions. You’ll discuss and debate the implications of applying behavioural insights in different contexts, from business and marketing to politics, advocacy, and beyond. With the insights you gain over the three weeks of the course, you’ll be equipped to design game-changing policies, campaigns, and business solutions. This course is designed for anyone interested in learning more about human behaviour, behavioural biases, and behavioural economics. It is particularly aimed at professionals working in the fields of public policy, marketing, finance, healthcare, and social work.

Using Public Policy for Social Change provides a comprehensive introduction to public policy and its role in addressing societal challenges, with a focus on social inequalities. You’ll explore various areas of policy work, including social welfare, public health, the environment, education, and criminal justice. Learn the fundamentals of public policy design and analysis, and how policymaking functions across all levels of government in democracies worldwide. The course offers the opportunity to delve into social issues you care about, learn from real-life policymakers and advocates, and strengthen your analytical, critical thinking, and advocacy skills to create positive social change. Using Public Policy for Social Change leads you through each step of the policymaking process and encourages you to see how your talents and passions can play a role in making the world a more equitable place.

Explore the profound social and economic impacts of open networking in this keynote address delivered by Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google. Gain insights from one of the "Fathers of the Internet" as he shares his expertise on global policy development and the continued spread of the Internet. Delve into the transformative effects of TCP/IP protocols and Internet architecture on society and the economy. Learn from Cerf's extensive experience in executive positions at major tech companies, government agencies, and academic institutions. Discover how open networking has shaped modern communication, business practices, and technological innovation. Understand the challenges and opportunities presented by the evolving landscape of Internet governance and digital infrastructure. Benefit from the perspective of a highly decorated technologist who has received numerous awards, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

In this course, IDB's Environmental and Social Policy Framework, you will learn the fundamental principles, processes, actors, and phases of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approach to promoting sustainable, inclusive, and resilient development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through a dynamic journey across different "chronicles" or development trajectories, you will explore how the 10 environmental and social performance standards of the Framework are applied in practice. This course will enable you to identify socio-environmental risks and opportunities, understand key implementation requirements, and develop skills to tackle complex challenges. By the end of the course, you will have practical tools to enhance the quality and sustainability of the projects you work on, whether in the public sector, private sector, or multilateral organizations. No prior experience in environmental or social topics is required.