ECON 420 Topics in Global Political Economy

This seminar provides an intensive application of economic analysis to issues related to global political economy, pairing economic models with real world examples.  Students will study state-of-the-art empirical research and develop a sense for how economists conceptualize and test models, conduct research, and make policy recommendations.  Topics will vary each semester by instructor.  Potential topics include global integration, international trade, governance, international labor markets, and international finance.  These will be studied in relation to their effects on transnational issues such as the environment and migration, as well as on political-economic inclusion/exclusion, local economies, and multiple dimensions of human welfare, including poverty, work, health, education, and housing. This course may be repeated once for credit.

Working in a Global World: The Economics of Choosing a Career

This seminar examines questions related to what jobs Oxy students should pursue. Looking backward, what jobs (either domestic or international) have been best? Which jobs have had small recession risks and which have had large? Which jobs have been growing and which declining? Looking forward: What growth in the US economy can be expected for the next couple of decades compared to the rest of the world? How do the forces of immigration and technological change affect jobs in the US and abroad? How does globalization affect which jobs are more-or-less isolated from foreign competition, and which are constantly at risk of moving abroad?