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Course specification
The current and official versions of the course specifications are available on the web at .
Please consult the web for updates that may occur during the year.

ECO3002 Economic Policy Analysis

Semester 2, 2020 Online
Short Description: Economic Policy Analysis
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts
School or Department : School of Commerce
Student contribution band : Band 3
ASCED code : 091901 - Economics
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: ECO1000

Other requisites

Recommended Pre-requisite: ECO2001 and ECO2000.

Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at .

Rationale

Students seeking careers in the business world, as well as professional economists in both the private and public sectors require current skills and knowledge of the policy making process and be able to apply their knowledge of economics in the preparation and interpretation of economic policy advice. These practical requirements of the professional and business economist and policy analysts are met in this integrative course that combines economic theory, applied analysis and policy-advising reality.

Synopsis

This course focuses on the role and work of the economist and policy analysts in the development, presentation and interpretation of economic policy advice. Apart from emphasizing applied economic analysis, the course addresses issues associated with the evaluation of a variety of micro and macro-economic policies, the nature of decision-making in the Australian and other economies, the nature, extent and use of economic power and potential conflict among policy objectives. Recurrent themes of the course include economic efficiency of government interventions, social welfare and its distributional consequences and cost-benefit analysis - concepts and practice, and sensitivity. Students are required to complete a minor essay and a major essay where they will cumulatively write their evaluation of an economic policy as part of their assessment.

Objectives

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

  1. appraise relevant theoretical public policy frameworks through a critical analysis of those frameworks to make more informed, evidence-based policy decisions and recommendations;
  2. employ in-depth knowledge gained from major economic policy debates and use systematic knowledge of the theoretical and empirical dimensions across a range of policy choices facing business and government;
  3. use skills and knowledge which allow their practical and impactful participation in the process of economic policy formulation, implementation and evaluation;
  4. apply knowledge about the current policy process in private firms and use the similarities, differences and contradictions between public policy and 'private' policy in their professional roles;
  5. suggest future directions in policy under conditions of uncertainty, and offer alternative practices aimed at improving the effectiveness of the policy process and assess distributional effects of government policies;
  6. use academic research, critical analysis and thinking skills to undertake economic policy analysis and communicate results professionally and effectively in written and other forms to relevant stakeholders.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Important concepts in economic policy 15.00
2. Techniques of economic analysis and impact assessment 25.00
3. Issues in economic policy: microeconomic policy and reform 20.00
4. Issues in economic policy: macroeconomic policy and reform 20.00
5. Public sector expenditures 10.00
6. Public sector revenues 10.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=02&subject1=ECO3002)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

Abelson, P 2018, Public economics: Principles and Practice, Online edn, McGraw Hill, Sydney, New South Wales.
(A pdf copy of the revised version of the book will be made available through course 精东传媒appDesk free of charge.)

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Bellinger, WK 2015, The economic analysis of public policy, 2nd revised edn, Routledge, New York.
Friedman, LS 2002, The microeconomics of public policy analysis, Princeton 精东传媒app Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Stiglitz, JE 2015, Economics of the public sector, 4th edn, WW Norton, New York.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Assessments 30.00
Private 精东传媒app 135.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Notes
ASSIGNMENT 1 100 10 13 Aug 2020 (see note 1)
ASSIGNMENT 2 100 40 15 Oct 2020 (see note 2)
ONLINE EXAMINATION 50 50 End S2 (see note 3)

Notes
  1. overview paper
  2. major research project - evaluation of a selected economic policy
  3. This will be an online exam. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via 精东传媒appDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the Alternate Assessment Schedule has been released.

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S2 2020 are: To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item.

    Requirements after S2, 2020:
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S2 2020 are: To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.

    Requirements after S2, 2020:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), i.e. the end of semester examination by achieving at least 40% of the weighted marks available for that assessment item.

    Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items and has passed the Primary Hurdle but failed to satisfy the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), or has satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised) but failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks.

    To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per the Assessment Procedure (point 4.4.2).

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

  6. Examination information:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S2 2020 are: An Open Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed or written material and a calculator during the examination.

    Requirements after S2, 2020:
    This is a restricted examination. The only materials that candidates may use in the examination for this course are:
    1. writing materials. These must be non-electronic and free from material which could give the student an unfair advantage in the examination.
    2. an unmarked non-electronic translation dictionary (but not technical dictionary). A student whose first language is not English may take a translation dictionary into the examination room. A translation dictionary with any handwritten notes will not be permitted. Translation dictionaries will be subject to perusal and may be removed from the candidate's possession until appropriate disciplinary action is completed if found to contain material that could give the candidate an unfair advantage.
    3. a calculator which cannot hold textual information (students must indicate on their examination paper the make and model of any calculator(s) they use during the examination).


  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S2 2020 are: The details regarding deferred/supplementary examinations will be communicated at a later date.

    Requirements after S2, 2020:
    Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period.

  8. 精东传媒app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene 精东传媒app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Assessment notes

  1. Referencing in assignments:
    Harvard (AGPS) is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use Harvard (AGPS) style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (AGPS) style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide at .

Date printed 6 November 2020