In this course you will learn about modern macroeconomic models. You will learn how to use these models to explain and evaluate recent events and policy interventions. For example, the effect of uncertainty on savings, welfare and investment, the causes and nature of unemployment and inflation and the role of monetary and fiscal authorities.

In this course you will learn to understand the workings and limitations of the market. You will learn how to analyse consumer and producer behaviour and how to use basic game theory. The central question is: what can markets do and when do they fail? What determines the outcome, and how does that depend on market structure?

In this course you will learn about regression analysis. In applied economics this is a powerful tool to analyse empirical relationships. You will learn how to interpret estimation and testing results and build a satisfactory empirical model. You will follow lectures and take part in lab sessions to acquire practical econometric skills by making computer exercises.

In this course you will discuss topics related to public decision-making processes and policies with a focus on inequality and redistribution. How do individual preferences translate into collective decisions? Also you will investigate redistributive policies, with a central role for the trade-off between efficiency and equality. Throughout the course you will discuss the latest scientific results and current debates on hot topics such as a universal basic income.

In this course, we discuss methods for identifying the type and intensity of competition in a particular industry. We ask whether we can tell from market outcomes if firms pose genuine competitive constraints on each other or instead possess significant market power. In other words, we discuss methods to determine whether we can use data to discriminate between collusive outcomes, competing firms acting as oligopolies, or outcomes which sufficiently approximate perfect competition.

Choose Advanced Industrial Organisation or Policy Evaluation: Development and Public Policy.

Choose between Competition Policy, Human Development, Natural Resource Economics and Public Finance and Fiscal Policy.

The academic programme culminates in a thesis, which allows you to engage with state-of-the-art data analysis and statistical techniques. The Master’s thesis is the final requirement for your graduation. It is your chance to dive deep into a topic in your field of choice (track) that you are enthusiastic about, and allows you to do an independent research project. A professor of your track will supervise and support you in writing your thesis.