University of Minnesota, Department of Economics
Fabrizio Perri
Econ 4731, Macroeconomic Policy
Fall 2011, M, 4PM-6.30PM, Blegen 155
SYLLABUS
MESSAGE BOARD
-Assignment 1 is due October 3rd in class
-Midterm is scheduled for Monday, October 31 during class time
-Group project is due the day of the exam, Dec. 19, before the start of the exam
-Reminder, Exam is 4.00 to 6.00, Monday, Dec. 19, Blegen 155
-Regular office hours, Monday, Dec 19, 2.45-3.45
-Additional office hours, Friday, Dec 16, 2.30-4.00
INTERESTING PIECES OF NEWS
Week 1: FED unemployment Hawks, Poverty in Texas, Greek Tragedy, Reducing the US National Debt
Week 2: Operation Twist, GDP v/s GPI
Week 4: September Employment report, Falling incomes, Economics Nobel Prize: 1, 2, 3, 4,5
Week 6. Some notes on the European Debt Situations
LECTURE NOTES
1. Introduction
2. Macroeconomic measurement 1
3. Macroeconomic measurement 2
Below you can find two recent data releases that are releated to what we are discussing in class.
These are not required readings but you might find them useful/interesting
The employment situation , August 2011
Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010 (released in Sep. 2011)
4. Macroeconomic measurement 3
5. Economic growth 1
6. Economic growth 2
7. Economic growth 3
-The Myth of Asia's Miracle(required reading)
-The economist special report on growth (Oct. 2010), suggested reading
-Practice questions for the midterm -Answers to practice questions
Midterm exam with answers
8. Economic growth 4
9. International Trade
The miracle of trade (required reading)
10. Business Cycles 1: facts
11. Business Cycles 2: theories
12. Money, inflation and interest rates
13. Money and exchange rates
14. Financial Crises
HOMEWORKS
Individual project 1
Due October 3rd in class. Solutions (in excel)
Individual project 2 Due November 21st in class. Solutions: Text, Excel
Group project 1. Due December 19th in class. Data for Q1, data for Q4
DATA SOURCES
Yahoo Economic Calendar. Main US current economic indicators and their release dates
St Louis FED Fred. US macroeconomic time series
World bank World Development Indicators. Time series of economic and social indicators for every country in the world
IMF. International Finanical Statistics. Time series of financial and monetary indicators for every country in the world
(Accesible from the U only)
OECD Library. Time series of many economic, social and demographic indicators for OECD countries (Accesible from the U only)
Penn World Tables. Long run time series of comparable main economic aggregates for many countries in the world.
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