Economics 552
Government and Business
Fall 2006
Syllabus
Instructor: Dale R Funderburk
Office: BA 228 (Economics-Finance Department)
Phone: Office:
903-886-5675
Home: 903-886-2382
Fax: 903-886-5601
E-mail: Dale_Funderburk@tamu-commerce.edu
Internet: www.tamu-commerce.edu/ecofin/courses/funderburk/funderburk.html
Office Hours: MWF
Textbook: None
Course Focus:
When, where, under what
circumstances, how, and to what degree should government involve itself in the
economy? These questions provide the
focal point for the study of public policy toward business.
Course Content and Assignments:
Among
the specific topics covered will be:
Constitutional
role of government
Market
failure
Consumer/Product
Safety
Environmental
regulation
Antitrust
policy
The
economics of bureaucracy
Global
competitiveness/Industrial policy
Economics
and the courts
Social
responsibility of business
Government
creation of jobs
Theory
of public choice
Cost/Benefit
analysis
Global
trade/trade restrictions
Role
of “junk science” in policy formulation
Reforming
government regulation
The exact topic to be covered each
class meeting and related readings will be announced orally in class and posted
on the course homepage.
Course Grades:
There will be one exam in the
course. It will be
The exam will cover the text, all
assigned readings, and material from class lectures and discussions. The exam will have a point value of 100
points (14.3% of semester grade).
Additionally, there will be short (4
to 6 page) papers assigned over approximately 8 of the major topic areas—of
which each student must complete 5.
(Note: Specific topic/question
for
each paper will be announced orally
in class and/or posted on the course homepage at least two weeks in advance of
due date.) These papers will carry a weight of 100 points per paper, thus
constituting collectively 71.4% of the semester grade.
Finally, 100 points (or 14.3% of the course
grade) will be dependent on shorter, in-class or next class, assignments.