SIPA: School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University

INAF U6069y Applied Political Economy of Policymaking The module will take a hands-on approach to the design, communication and political implementation of economic policies. Issues will include designing policy reforms; agenda-setting; choosing the timing of policy initiatives; big-bang versus gradual reforms; the use of research, expert committees and blue-ribbon commissions; agenda-setting and coalition-building; attaining and maintaining the credibility of policies and policymakers; announcing and communicating policy initiatives; the role of the ideology and beliefs of voters; and relationships with the media. With some academic literature as background, we will focus on the challenges of real-life policy reforms and the lessons they offer. Several examples will be taken from recent Latin American experiences with policy reform. SIPA: IFEP- Economic Policy. SIPA: PEPM.

PEPM U4613y International Trade 3 pts. Non-PEPM Students Must Receive Instructor Approval The first section will cover the fundamental analytical models of international trade, including most of the important concepts and theories which will be at the core of the rest of the course. The following section will focus on more realistic assumptions that consider breakdowns of the classical models, such as imperfect competition, economies of scale, dumping, and factor movements, among others. This will provide a much better understanding of the relevant trade flows observed in reality. Finally, a more empirical section will analyze the instruments of trade policy available to governments to induce changes in trade flows. We will evaluate the effects of such policies on welfare, employment, income distribution and prices, as well as alternative negotiated solutions, such as preferential trade agreements. SIPA: PEPM.

PEPM U6400y Cost Benefit Analysis for Economic Policy Management 1.5 pts. Non-PEPM Students Must Receive Instructor Approval Cost Benefit Analysis is the principal tool for project and policy evaluation in the public sector. For government, whose �products� are rarely sold, the valuation of costs and benefits by means alternative to market prices is necessary. CBA is the counterpart to cost accounting in private firms and provides guidance to avoiding wasteful projects and undertaking those that are worthwhile. Given government regulations, cost benefit evaluations are also critical for many private sector activities. Applications of CBA to the analysis of government provision of bridges, roads, transit systems, health care, job training�and regulation of natural resource protection, worker safety�will be analyzed. SIPA: PEPM.

PEPM U6420y Advanced Development Economics 1.5 pts. Non-PEPM Students Must Receive Instructor Approval Many emerging nations are attempting to broaden their economic base away from reliance on agriculture to other sectors such as manufacturing and advanced services. Only a few, largely in East Asia, have been able to effect a successful transition. The course will explore a variety of microeconomic issues that arise in such transition. The topics covered include education, technology transfer, the role of small and medium enterprise and their financing, foreign direct investment, agglomeration economies, export processing zones, and the role of international production networks. Given the analyses of these issues, the potential role of government industrial policies will be analyzed. SIPA: PEPM.

PEPM U8148y Political Economy of Development 3 pts. Open to PEPM Students Only Examines the ways in which economic and political dynamics interact in shaping development outcomes, particularly, how political interests, agents, and institutions influence economic policy choices. Examines the development strategies that developing countries have adopted and their political underpinnings. Explores why seemingly inefficient institutions and policies often survive and under what conditions structural reform typically occurs. Analyzes the concept of governance in theory and practice, focusing on topics that have dominated contemporary debates, such as corruption, managing ethnic divisions, legal systems, and creating robust systems of property rights. Considers how states may attempt to cope with the myriad challenges presented by globalization, particularly, how they can best manage their relationships with external actors. SIPA: PEPM.