Macro Public Finance: Inequality, Redistribution, and Insurance

This is an advanced undergraduate course on the macroeconomics of public finance, with a particular focus on the government's role in redistributing resources and providing insurance through the tax-and-transfer system and labor market policies. In the first (and longer) part we study inequality in income, wealth, and consumption as well as risks individuals face. We proceed to study how the U.S. welfare state redistributes resources and provides insurance. Most of the first part is then devoted to studying the trade-offs the government faces in the design of the welfare state. In the second part we focus specifically on imperfect labor markets and how institutions shape labor market outcomes. Prerequisites: Econ 4011 and Econ 4021.
Course Attributes: AS SSC

Macro Public Finance: Inequality, Redistribution, and Insurance

ECONOMICS 6425

Section 01