Dr Kevin Sheedy, SAL.1.09

This course is compulsory on the BSc in Economic History with Economics, BSc in Economics and Economic History, BSc in International Social and Public Policy and Economics, BSc in Mathematics and Economics, BSc in Mathematics with Economics, BSc in Philosophy and Economics, BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (with a Year Abroad) and BSc in Politics and Economics. This course is available on the BSc in Accounting and Finance, BSc in Data Science, BSc in Environment and Development, BSc in Environment and Sustainable Development, BSc in Environment and Sustainable Development with Economics, BSc in Environmental Policy with Economics, BSc in Geography with Economics, BSc in Management, BSc in Mathematics with Data Science, BSc in Mathematics, Statistics and Business and Diploma in Accounting and Finance. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course is available with permission to General Course students.

Note: EC2B3 is mutually exclusive with EC210.

Students must have completed Microeconomics I (EC1A3) and Macroeconomics I (EC1B3), or equivalent. 

Students must also have completed Quantitative Methods (Mathematics) (MA107) or Mathematical Methods (MA100), or equivalent.

This an intermediate-level course in macroeconomics that builds on the material you covered in EC1B3. You will learn about money and inflation, and how central banks can use monetary policy to control inflation. You will study business cycles - booms and recessions - and the potential role for fiscal and monetary policy in stabilising the economy. You will learn about the interaction between the economy and financial markets and banks, especially in times of crisis. You will also study the international aspects of macroeconomics arising from trade in goods and financial assets with the rest of the world. We will apply the tools developed in the course to historical and contemporary events.

20 hours of lectures and 9 hours of classes in the WT. 1 hour of classes in the ST.

There will be a reading week in Week 6 of WT, during which there will be no lectures or classes.

Student learning will be supported through the EC2B3 Support Lab and through a dedicated discussion forum.

Students are expected to work on weekly problem sets ahead of classes, two of which will be marked and feedback provided.

There is no set textbook for the course. Lecture material may occasionally be complemented by supplementary readings. Students wishing to complement their study should consult the following textbook:

• S. Williamson, Macroeconomics, 6th ed., 2018, Pearson

Exam (90%, duration: 2 hours, reading time: 15 minutes) in the spring exam period.
Continuous assessment (10%) in the WT.