Supplementary courses
Online
10 CATS points
Regular fees: 280 GBP
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Home/EU Fee | £280.00 |
| Non-EU Fee | £300.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £10.00 |
All of us are affected by government policies, and governments place particular emphasis on economic policies. This course covers some of the most important questions about the aims and tools of economic policy. It will equip students to evaluate the economic arguments made about public policy choices.
All of us as citizens are affected by government policies, and governments place particular emphasis on economic policies. These are therefore prominent in political debate and in the news. Yet few people have the knowledge to be able to evaluate claims and counter-claims. This course covers some of the most important questions about the aims and tools of economic policy, ranging from competition policy and regulation to industrial policy, from public spending choices to incorporating behavioural psychology 'nudges' in policy decisions. It covers the role of the state versus the market, and the government's responsibility for sustainability. It will equip students to evaluate the economic arguments made about public policy choices.
Recommended reading
To participate in this course you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following books:
Le Grand, J, Smith, S, and Propper, C., The Economics of Social Problems 4th edition (Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2008)
Coyle, D., GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History (Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 2014)
Certification
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £10 fee.
For more information on CATS point please click on the link below: http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/studentsupport/faq/cats.php
Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
Assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.
All students who successfully complete this course, whether registered for credit or not, are eligible for a Certificate of Completion. Completion consists of submitting both course assignments and actively participating in the course forums. Certificates will be available, online, for those who qualify after the course finishes.
Course aims
This course aims to:
- Explore the rationale for public policy interventions in the economy.
- Provide an overview of a wide range of areas of applied microeconomics used in public policy, including relevant historical and international experience.
- Discuss the role of economics in the political process; (iv) provide an introduction to the evaluation of economic policies. It will have some interdisciplinary elements, in touching on political economy and behavioural economics.
This course will enable participants to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the criteria for successful microeconomic public policy interventions.
- Show understanding of the reasons for the variation in policy interventions over time and in different contexts.
- Evaluate critically policy proposals, including demonstrating awareness of sources of empirical evidence.
- Demonstrate knowledge of specific topics in public policy economics.
- Contribute to public and policy debates about a range of economic issues.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course the participants will understand:
- The importance of definitions and ethics in framing policy questions and public debate.
- The limitations of both states and markets in collective action.
- The many trade-offs and choices that inevitably arise in economic policy.
By the end of this course students will be expected to have gained the following skills:
- Critically evaluate data, evidence and arguments about economic policy questions.
- Contribute to debates themselves in a more evidence based way.
- Link policy choices to social welfare, or ethical, goals.
- Connect economic trade-offs with issues of political choice and practical implementation.
Assessment methods
Assessment for this course is based on two written assignments - one short assignment of 500 words due half way through the course and one longer assignment of 1500 words due at the end of the course.
Assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.
