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PhD Modules

First Year PhD Courses


Economic Theory

The lecture course will introduce a selection of fundamental topics in economic theory, focusing on modelling decisions, games, and knowledge. The aim is to cover a range of conceptual issues and mathematical tools that makes cutting-edge research in these areas accessible.

Applied Economic Theory

The aim of this course is to introduce students to a number of topics at the frontier of current research in applied economic theory.

The first part of the course will focus on the interaction between theory and experiments. It will present theoretical models on several key topics and examine their validity in experimental settings. Topics that will be covered are bargaining, public goods and learning.

The second part of the course will focus on the economic theory of conflict. Strategic interaction within and across nations involves conflict and cooperation. Disagreement between a country's population and its leadership can cause internal conflict, oppression and terrorism. Similarly civil disorder, violence and insecure property rights have far reaching implications for economic development.

Applied Microeconomics

Topics in Advanced Macroeconomics

Computational Methods

The aim of the course is to introduce techniques and methods for analysing macroeconomic issues, with a particular focus on computational methods for advanced macroeconomics. The topics covered in the first part include approximation of stochastic processes, function appoximation techniques, numerical integration and differentiation, linear methods, Blanchard-Kahn conditions and quasi-linear methods (2nd and 3rd order approximations). The second part will introduce students to value and policy function iterations, the parametrized expectations approach, and methods for models with heterogeneous agents (Ayiagari-Hugget, Krussel-Smith).

Topics in Advanced Econometrics

This course consists of four topics in econometrics. These are as follows:

1) Nonlinear and non-Gaussian time series models
2) Asymptotic theory and GMM
3) Multivariate statistical theory and dynamic factor models
4) Nonparametric methods

How to do Economics

The aims of this course are to introduce participants to the methods, approaches, and strategies of research in economics. The course provides an overview of the key theoretical and empirical methodological issues in undertaking economics research and relates them to the practical skills of organizing, structuring, writing, presenting and publishing research.