Syllabus

Title
1131 Growth, Well-Being and Development 2
Instructors
Univ.Prof. Dr. Armon Rezai, Dr. Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle, Dr. Ernest Aigner, M.Sc.
Type
PI
Weekly hours
4
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
09/14/20 to 09/30/20
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Subject(s) Master Programs
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Monday 10/05/20 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 10/06/20 02:15 PM - 03:45 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 10/12/20 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 10/13/20 02:15 PM - 03:45 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 10/19/20 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 10/20/20 02:15 PM - 03:45 PM Online-Einheit
Thursday 10/29/20 04:30 PM - 06:30 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 11/02/20 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 11/03/20 02:15 PM - 03:45 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 11/09/20 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 11/10/20 02:15 PM - 03:45 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 11/16/20 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 11/17/20 02:15 PM - 03:45 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 11/23/20 04:30 PM - 06:30 PM TC.4.27
Tuesday 11/24/20 02:15 PM - 03:45 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 11/30/20 03:15 PM - 05:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 12/01/20 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 12/14/20 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 12/15/20 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 12/21/20 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 12/22/20 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 01/11/21 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 01/12/21 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 01/18/21 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 01/19/21 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM Online-Einheit
Monday 01/25/21 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM Online-Einheit
Tuesday 01/26/21 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM Online-Einheit
Procedure for the course when limited activity on campus

Distance Mode (online teaching)

Contents

This course is separated into three parts, where the first part focuses on classical political economy taught by Armon Rezai (week 2-6) and the second and third part on selected topics in growth, well-being and development, taught by Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle (week 9-11) and Ernest Aigner (week 8 & 12-13).

The first part provides a brief introduction to the concepts of economic growth, national accounts, and sustainability. It introduces students to alternative theories of economic growth and the role of the environment in them. Social institutions and their implications for innovation and ultimately economic growth are also discussed. Students will be given opportunity to specialize in one of these topics by studying canonical texts in more detail.

Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle's part starts out with (week 9) a session on intellectual monopoly capitalism and the platform economy, followed by a unit on part on evolutionary patterns of world capitalism in historical and geographical perspective (week 10). The third unit on institutions, technology and economic evolution, with an emphasis on Veblen and Schumpeter.

Ernest Aigner's part first unit (week 8) discusses the biophysical foundations of work, dependence on work in contemporary capitalism, the role of welfare states in that relation. The second session (week 12) discusses capitalism in relation to nature with a particular focus on the role of thermodynamics as introduced by Georgescu-Roegen. Finally, the third session (week 13) introduces a pluralist conception of money, money’s role in contemporary capitalism, and money as a possible governance tool.

The course is structured in a frontal lecture for all students to be held on Mondays, three student-led ‘seminars’ of 20 people each (meeting on Tuesdays). Each student is required to attend the Monday lecture and one seminar group, for a weekly total of 3 hours.

-------------------

Week 1: Course overview and introduction

Week 2: GDP and growth: the basic concepts

Week 3: Development theory and policy

Week 4: The beginnings: Smith, Ricardo, and Malthus

Week 5: Innovation, Competition, and Growth: Schumpeter, Marx, Keynes

Week 6: Economic Growth, Sustainability, and the Environment

Week 7: Mid-term exam

Week 8: Perspectives on work (Aigner) 

Week 9: Intellectual monopoly capitalism and the platform economy (Scholz-Wäckerlen) 

Week 10: Evolutionary patterns of world capitalism (Scholz-Wäckerle)

Week 11: Institutions, technology and economic evolution: Veblen and Schumpeter (Scholz-Wäckerle) 

Week 12: Biophysical foundations of the economic process (Aigner) 

Week 13: Perspectives on money (Aigner) 

Final exam. 29-01-2021. 10.00-12.00 CET

 

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

  • Understand the process of economic growth and development in a historical and theoretical manner;
  • Connect the dynamics of this process to those of environmental processes;
  • Understand the role of space and time in capitalist production systems, discuss issues of world-ecologies and post-development;
  • Understand the role of technology and institutions for political economic evolution;
  • Identify and discuss different political economic approaches to growth, development and well-being;
  • Understand money, respective institutions, and its role in capitalism.
  • Understand work and working time, in particular in relation to society and biophysical processes.
  • Apply theories and concepts to real-world policy implementation
Attendance requirements

attendance is mandatory in all units of the course

Teaching/learning method(s)

The course will employ an innovative approach in order to present a more effective and personalised educational offer.

There will be a 1.30h frontal lecture for all SEEP students on Mondays and seminars will be held on Tuesdays.

Students will then be divided in three 'seminar' groups of 20 people each. These groups will meet separately on tuesdays. These student-led seminar group will include student group presentations, discussion of readings, group work, exercises and Q&A.

As a consequence, students will still have to choose between the two formal courses and will access the relative information on Bach and MyLearn, but the timetables will be different from what the online platforms state. Students will have to attend the common frontal lecture, plus the specific seminar to which they will be assigned before the beginning of the course.

 

Assessment

- Group presentation in seminar week 2-6 (15%)

- Quiz (5%)

- Mid-term exam week 7 (30%)

- Group presentation in seminar week 8-13 (15%)

- In-group particpiation and contribution week 8-13 (5%)

- End-term exam (30%)

 

Availability of lecturer(s)
Regular office hours (TBD) will be held by the course lecturers.


Last edited: 2021-01-22



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