Introduction to Economics

Group A6 · Universitat de Barcelona · 2026/27
Mondays & Thursdays, 10:00–12:00 · Aula 2303
Prepare for the next class

Reading before Class 6 · Thursday 8 October

Last class

Class 5 · Monday 5 October

Coming up
Mon 5 OctProject: sign-up sheet for the idea meetings (in class)
Thu 8 OctProject idea meetings, 12:00–13:00, 6 minutes per group (sign up on Monday; e-mail your idea in one paragraph the day before)
Mon 12 OctNo class (Festa Nacional)
Thu 15 OctProject topic fixed: each group's question is settled by this day
Thu 22 OctProblem set 1 due — on paper, in class
Mon 2 NovProblem set 2 due — on paper, in class
Thu 5 NovPoster session (full slot)
Thu 12 NovProblem set 3 due — on paper, in class
Mon 16 NovReview for Midterm 1 (Blocks 1–4)
Thu 19 NovMidterm 1 (Blocks 1–4), in class
Mon 7 DecNo class (non-teaching day, to be confirmed)
Thu 10 DecProblem set 4 due — on paper, in class
Mon 14 DecReview for Midterm 2 in the second hour
Thu 17 DecMidterm 2 (Blocks 5–7), in class
Add these dates to your own calendar ↓

Course information

When & where
Mondays & Thursdays, 10:00–12:00 · Aula 2303, Facultat d'Economia i Empresa
Assessment
Midterm 1 (Thu 19 Nov) and Midterm 2 (Thu 17 Dec), 30 % each; in-class quizzes 10 %; four problem sets 10 %; group project with a poster session (Thu 5 Nov) 20 %.
details
ComponentWhenWeight
Midterm 1 (Blocks 1–4)Thursday 19 November, in classThursday 19 November, in class30 %
Midterm 2 (Blocks 5–7)Thursday 17 December, in classThursday 17 December, in class30 %
In-class quizzes, on paperMost classes; the three lowest scores are droppedMost classes; the three lowest scores are dropped10 %
Problem setsDue 22 October, 2 November, 12 November, 10 DecemberDue 22 October, 2 November, 12 November, 10 December10 %
Project with poster session, groups of 2–3 · project briefPoster session Thursday 5 NovemberPoster session Thursday 5 November20 %

To pass by continuous assessment: at least 40 % in every component above, and at least 50 % overall. Students who pass this way do not sit the final exam.

Otherwise: you take the final exam in January, which counts for the whole grade (not recommended). Missing either midterm also puts you on this route. The date, the format and the re-evaluation arrangements are announced by the course coordinator.

Project
Economics around you: groups of 2–3, one A2 poster, poster session Thu 5 Nov, 20 %. Topic fixed by Thu 15 Oct. Project brief (PDF)
Textbook
Mankiw & Taylor, Economics, 5th ed. (Cengage, 2020). Chapter PDFs for the reading assigned so far are posted (UB sign-in).
details

Mankiw & Taylor, Economics, 5th ed. (Cengage, 2020) — chapters posted so far (sign in with your UB e-mail address to open them):

  • Chapter 1 “What is economics?” [PDF]
  • Chapter 2 “Thinking like an economist” [PDF]
  • Chapter 17 “Interdependence and the gains from trade” [PDF]
  • Chapter 20 “Measuring a nation's well-being and the price level” [PDF]
For students of this course, for personal study only. Please do not redistribute.

CORE Econ, The Economy (free online): core-econ.org — big-picture openings for each block.

Sextant
Practice app for this course: pkocourek.com/sextant/?c=intro-econ. Not graded.
details

Sextant is a study app I built for this course. Each class has a short set of questions on the assigned reading and on what we did in class, and the reading itself is in the app, read aloud section by section. Questions you miss come back later. It works on a phone or a laptop, needs no account to start, and nothing in it is graded or reported. Signing in with your UB e-mail address is recommended, though: it unlocks some additional functionality.

Use of AI
None in quizzes and midterms. Allowed in problem sets and the project if you declare how you used it.
details

Use of AI: none in quizzes and midterms. Allowed in problem sets and in the project, as long as you declare how you used it — a few lines saying what you asked it to do and what you did with the answer. Undeclared use is treated as copying.

Contact
pkocourek@ub.edu, any time · office hours Mondays 12:00–13:00
details

Office hours: Mondays 12:00–13:00, right after class. Students who book by e-mail have priority; up to 20 minutes per student. Questions in class are welcome.

Plan by block

Tentative: topics may shift by a session; dates of midterms, the poster session and problem sets are fixed. The current block is open, the others fold. Slides appear on the class line after each class.

Block 1 · Introduction to economicsMon 14 Sep – Thu 1 Oct
  1. Mon 14 Sep Class 1Why economics, why now
    slides
  2. Thu 17 Sep Class 2Chapter 1: how economists think
    Ch. 1, pp. 1–14 [PDF] · slides · quiz 1 results (anonymous)
  3. Mon 21 Sep No class
  4. Thu 24 Sep No class (La Mercè)
  5. Mon 28 Sep Class 3The frontier, comparative advantage and the circular flow
    Ch. 17, pp. 367–380 [PDF] · Ch. 20, pp. 437–438 [PDF] · slides
  6. Thu 1 Oct Class 4Positive and normative economics; Block 1 wrap-up Project groups formed
    Ch. 2, pp. 26–29 [PDF] · Slides · Handout · quiz 2 results (anonymous)
Block 2 · Supply and demandMon 5 Oct – Thu 15 Oct
  1. Mon 5 Oct Class 5Competitive markets, demand and supply Project sign-up sheet
    Ch. 3, pp. 33–44 · Slides · Handout
  2. Thu 8 Oct Class 6Equilibrium, shifts and prices as signals Project idea meetings
    Ch. 3, pp. 44–52 · Slides, preview · Handout, preview Full slides and handout are posted after class.
  3. Mon 12 Oct No class (Festa Nacional)
  4. Thu 15 Oct Class 7Elasticity Project topic fixed PS1 out
    Ch. 3, pp. 53–66 · Ch. 3, pp. 67–73 (optional)
Block 3 · Efficiency and public interventionMon 19 Oct – Mon 26 Oct
  1. Mon 19 Oct Class 8Surplus, efficiency, taxes and subsidies
    Ch. 6, pp. 141–158 · Ch. 7, pp. 163–171
  2. Thu 22 Oct Class 9Price controls; international trade and tariffs PS1 due
    Ch. 7, pp. 159–163 · Ch. 7, pp. 172–178 · Ch. 17, pp. 380–390 [PDF]
  3. Mon 26 Oct Class 10Market failures, externalities and public goods PS2 out
    Ch. 9, pp. 204–216 · Ch. 8, pp. 189–197 · Ch. 8, pp. 197–199 (optional)
Block 4 · The firm and market structuresThu 29 Oct – Thu 12 Nov
  1. Thu 29 Oct Class 11Production and costs
    Ch. 5, pp. 105–122
  2. Mon 2 Nov Class 12Perfect competition; monopoly begins PS2 due PS3 out
    Ch. 5, pp. 123–137
  3. Thu 5 Nov Poster session
  4. Mon 9 Nov Class 13Monopoly; oligopoly and the prisoner's dilemma
    Ch. 11, pp. 242–261 · Ch. 13, pp. 280–296
  5. Thu 12 Nov Class 14Monopolistic competition; problems on Blocks 3–4 PS3 due
    Ch. 12, pp. 267–276
Midterm 1 · Blocks 1–4Mon 16 Nov – Thu 19 Nov
  1. Mon 16 Nov Review for Midterm 1 (Blocks 1–4)
  2. Thu 19 Nov Midterm 1 (Blocks 1–4)
Block 5 · Measuring a country's incomeMon 23 Nov – Thu 26 Nov
  1. Mon 23 Nov Class 15GDP and the three ways to measure it
    Ch. 20, pp. 436–444 [PDF]
  2. Thu 26 Nov Class 16Real and nominal GDP, the deflator, GDP and well-being
    Ch. 20, pp. 444–451 [PDF]
Block 6 · The cost of living and unemploymentMon 30 Nov – Thu 3 Dec
  1. Mon 30 Nov Class 17Inflation and the CPI
    Ch. 20, pp. 451–458 [PDF]
  2. Thu 3 Dec Class 18Unemployment and the labour market PS4 out
    Ch. 22, pp. 485–494
Block 7 · The open economy and macroeconomic objectivesThu 10 Dec – Mon 14 Dec
  1. Mon 7 Dec No class (non-teaching day, to be confirmed)
  2. Thu 10 Dec Class 19The balance of payments and exchange rates PS4 due
    Ch. 25, pp. 569–580
  3. Mon 14 Dec Class 20Macroeconomic objectives and policy; review for Midterm 2 in the second hour Review for Midterm 2 (second hour)
    Ch. 21, pp. 476–481 · Ch. 33, pp. 755–760 (optional)
Midterm 2 · Blocks 5–7Thu 17 Dec
  1. Thu 17 Dec Midterm 2 (Blocks 5–7)

In your own calendar

Every class with its reading, the deadlines, the midterms and the poster session. It is a subscription: when a date changes, your calendar updates by itself.

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