Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Course Overview

14.462 is the second semester of the second-year Ph.D. macroeconomics sequence.

The course is intended to introduce the students, not only to particular areas of current research, but also to some very useful analytical tools. It covers a selection of topics that varies from year to year. Recent topics include:

  • Growth and Fluctuations
  • Heterogeneity and Incomplete Markets
  • Optimal Fiscal Policy
  • Time Inconsistency
  • Reputation
  • Coordination Games and Macroeconomic Complementarities
  • Information

This year (2004) the course consists of two parts. The first, with Gilles Saint-Paul, concentrates on growth; the second, with George-Marios Angeletos, concentrates on coordination and incomplete markets. The course grade will be based on class participation, 6 or 7 problem sets to be assigned during the course, a midterm at the end of the first half-semester, and the general exam at the end of the semester.