Seminar in European Economics

Objectives

The Seminar in European Economics is an applied course, bridging the gap between basic/intermediate level economic theory models and the analysis of the reality of the European economy. The Portuguese economy will be used as a case-study whenever relevant. 


General characterization

Code

1121

Credits

7

Responsible teacher

João Amador

Hours

Weekly - Available soon

Total - Available soon

Teaching language

Portuguese | English

Prerequisites

Mandatory precedence:  Introduction to Microeconomics and Introduction to Macroeconomics

Bibliography

Baldwin R. and C. Wyplosz, The Economics of European Integration, McGraw Hill.

Online material, including Vox EU columns and documents available at EU institutions websites.

Teaching method

Classes are expository, promoting debate between students. Sometimes classes are presented by invited lecturers, with expertise in the specific topics. The presence of invited lecturers in some theoretical classes, the elaboration of a team assignment on an applied topic and with a quantitative basis, aims at motivating students autonomy for fully applied economic analysis.  




Evaluation method

The assessment consists of  i) Practical assessment (25%), ii) group work (25%) and iii) final exam (50%). The practical assessment mainly consists of an interim questionnaire to be answered in class, which aims to prepare students for the type of questions posed in the final exam, and for participation in classes. The work consists of a quantitative response to a question posed by the teaching team, also discussing policy lessons. Groups must have four students (minimum of three and maximum of five). The final exam includes all topics covered in the classes.



Subject matter

The first part of the course briefly overviews the history, institutions and decision process in the EU. The second part of the course analyses the current economic challenges in the EU, with examples from the Portuguese experience since the mid-70s. The second part of the course analyses the rationale of the different European policies and their impact on the European economy. The third part of the course puts emphasis on key topics like migration, energy and globalization.  Along the course, the economic outlook and current economic debates in the EU are discussed. 


    Programs

    Programs where the course is taught: