Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Explain the different economic concepts covered in class concerning the role of institutions in the functioning of the market.
  • Present, where relevant, the formal reasoning behind these concepts.
  • Present the formal reasoning behind the approaches.
  • Present an economics article by explaining its thesis and outlining its strengths and limitations.

Goals

Content

Le cours sera construit autour de deux axes :

  1. La mise en place des questions et outils de l’économie, en particulier autour de la question de la valeur – qu’est-ce qui explique la formation des prix et salaires sur un marché, quelle est l’origine du profit, etc.
    1. Les Physiocrates, Adam Smith, Malthus, Ricardo, Marx, la théorie marginaliste du 19ème siècle.
  2. Le questionnement qui n’a cessé d’accompagner l’économie moderne, de la part d’économistes eux-mêmes, sur les dimensions humaines et sociales de l’économie de marché, et sur le jugement à porter sur ces dimensions.  

Karl Polanyi, Joseph Schumpeter, John Maynard Keynes et Friedrich Hayek. 

Teaching methods

Lectures, with significant time allocated for student questions. Course materials will include lecture content, PowerPoint presentations, and texts and articles made available. These texts will sometimes need to be read before class.

Assessment method

The assessment will be based on a 30-minute oral exam, preceded by a preparation period. 

1. The first question will relate to one of the texts or articles presented in class and will aim to ensure that the student has a thorough understanding of the text. The text in question will be provided to the student. The list of texts will be provided in advance.

2. A second question will focus on a point covered in the course.

The final grade will take into account both parts of the oral exam. 

Sources, references and any support material

Language of instruction

English