Debates in Macroeconomics

3 Credits.

This course covers some of the more contentious current debates in macroeconomics. Topics include: tariffs and the backlash against globalization: warranted? unprecedented? who gains/who loses?; did the fiscal stimulus of 2021 overdo it? do workers benefit from a cut in the corporate tax?; have unconventional monetary policies helped?; why did interest rates trend lower for decades?; is immigration an economic bane or boon?; how pervasive is rising income inequality, and what are its causes and consequences?; has competition waned in US markets? what’s behind declining housing affordability? Students will use the tools of economics to analyze these and other pressing issues. Though definitive answers may prove elusive, sound economic analysis can shed considerable light, not least by unmasking the political biases that often drive protagonists on both sides of these debates.