Instructor: Robin D. Hanson, Assoc. Professor, Economics (rhanson@gmu.edu, http://hanson.gmu.edu)
Phone: Office 703-993-2326, Cell 703-201-8129.
Office Hours: Officially Monday 10:30-11:45a, but I'm available at far more times; email or call.

Catalog Entry:

Economic problems in light of current and proposed public policies. Topics include environmental issues, international trade policies, and regulatory issues and their historical roots. Limited to three attempts. Recommended Prerequisite: ECON 100 or 103 and 104 or permission of instructor.

Assignments:

• Class Participation Please contribute to class discussions.
• Quizzes Three in-class quizzes will given. You are given 45min for each quiz. Quizzes are open book, open notes.
• Defended Opinions Three times you will write a defense of your opinions on a legal topic. The assigned topics will be unusual, in order to encourage you to think them through yourself, rather than looking up what others have said. Limit each essay to two pages. I grade on how many relevant economic arguments you make clear; we will discuss this more in class.
• Final Exam This includes both an additional quiz and an additional defended opinion.

1. Should we lower public min food quality standards to match private standards?
2. Should taxpayers be allowed to authorized creating of tax career agents?
3. Should US citizenship be transferable? If so, how exactly?

• Quizes: 12Sep,28Sep,26Oct
• Defended Opinions: 28Sep,26Oct,21Nov
• Final: Dec 12, 10:30am-1:15pm

Schedule

Week		Topic
22,24 Aug		Review of Econ, Humans
29,31 Aug		Paternalism, Talk
7 Sep		Insurance	No Class Monday
12,14 Sep		Food	Quiz Monday
19,21 Sep		Fertility
26,28 Sep		Medicine	Quiz, Paper Due Wednesday
3,5 Oct		Medicine	No Class Wednesday
11,12 Oct		School, Jobs	Note Monday class meets Tuesday
17,19 Oct		Land, Finance
24,26 Oct		Law	Quiz, Paper Wednesday.
31Oct, 1Nov		No Class Monday
7,9 Nov		Emergencies, Innovation
14,16 Nov		TBD
21,23 Nov		TBD	Paper Due Monday
28,30 Nov		World, Systems
12 Dec		Final Exam

Readings

This one text is required: The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life.

All other readings are free online at http://hanson.gmu.edu/EC309readings.html