ECON 485 - Globalization and Inequality

Credits: (3)
Prerequisite(s): ECON 308 and ECON 475
College Curriculum: COLL 400
This course will explore the effects of international trade on inequality within and across countries. Virtually all models of trade emphasize the distributional consequences of globalization - across countries, industries, firms, and individuals. This, combined with the growing empirical importance of economics inequality, has led to an explosion of recent work on the relationship between trade and inequality. We will explore approaches to measuring the relationship between the two, the channels through which they are related, and potential interventions to mitigate globalization’s negative effects.

This course fulfills the COLL 400 capstone experience. As such, it will require you to “synthesize and apply critical analysis, solve problems in an applied and/or academic setting, create original material or original scholarship, and communicate effectively with diverse audiences.” The assignments described below are designed with these requirements in mind.

After a handful of background lectures, the course will shift to a seminar style class where students will present the material and provide feedback to others. As such, it is important to prepare for and participate in class. This includes reading and thinking about assigned materials in order to discuss them. Active participation will lead to successful seminars and help suggest avenues for future research.