Study materials
1. Budget Constraint, Preferences and Utility (20/9)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 2, 3, and 4
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): budget constraint, preferences, utility
- Papers from the slides: Black, Sanders and Taylor 2003, Fenn and Crooker 2009
- Lecture of Steven Levitt on Sackler Big Data Colloquium: Thinking Differently About Big Data
2. Choice and Revealed Preference (27/9)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 5 and sections 7.1–7.7
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): choice, revealed preference
- Papers from the slides: Waldfogel 1993
3. Demand and Slutsky Equation (4/10)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 6 a 8
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.5, 6.6, 6.13, 8.1, 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.10, 8.11
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): demand, Slutsky equation
- Papers from the slides: Jensen and Miller 2008, Kagel et al. 1975, Chen et al. 2006
4. Consumer's Surplus, Market Demand and Equilibrium (11/10)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 14, 15, and 16
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 14.1, 14.3, 14.5, 14.7, 14.10, 15.0, 15.1, 15.9, 16.1, 16.3, 16.11, 16.12 (a-c)
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): consumer's surplus, market demand, equilibrium
- Papers from the slides: King 1981 (NBER version)
- Rory Sutherland, TED lecture: Brand over Brain
5. Uncertainty (18/10)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapter 12
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 12.2, 12.3, 12.5, 12.9, 12.11, 12.12, 12.13
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): uncertainty
- Papers from the slides: Kahneman and Tversky 1979, Snowberg and Wolfers 2006, Finkelstein and McKnight 2008, Becker, Murphy and Topel 2010, Weitzman 2009
6. Technology and profit maximization (25/10)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 18, 19 (without 19.2-4 a 11), 20 (without 20.2-3) a 21
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 18.0, 18.1, 18.2, 18.3, 18.4, 19.1, 19.2, 19.6, 19.8, 19.9, 19.10
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): technology, profit maximization
- Papers from the slides: Cooper and Hatiwanger 2006, Jensen 2007, Ishii 2005
7. Cost minimization and cost functions (1/11)
Literature: Varian (8e), 20 and 21
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 20.1, 20.2, 20.3, 20.5, 20.8, 20.11, 21.1, 21.2, 21.3. 21.4
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): cost minimization, cost curves
- Papers from the slides: Piacenza 2006, Acemoglu a Finkelstein 2008
8. Firm Supply and Industry Supply (8/11)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 22 a 23
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 22.1, 22.3, 22.4, 22.8, 23.4, 23.5, 23.6, 23.8, 23.11
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): firm supply, industry supply
- Papers from the slides: Hortacsu and Puller 2008
- Podcast: NPR Planet Money: "The Taxi King"
9. Monopoly and Monopoly Behavior (15/11)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 24 a 25
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 24.1, 24.3, 24.4, 24.5, 25.1, 25.2, 25.3, 25.6, 25.7 (a-h), 25.8
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): monopoly, monopoly behavior
- Papers from the slides: Dubé 2005
10. Oligopoly and Game Theory (22/11)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 27.1-9, 28.1-3, 28.7-8
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 27.4(a-c,g), 27.5, 27.6, 27.8, 28.1, 28.2, 28.3, 28.4, 28.6
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): oligopoly, game theory
- Papers from the slides: Chiappori, Groseclose a Levitt 2002, Ellison a Ellison 2009, Aghion et al. 2001
11. Cartel and Asymmetric Information (29/11)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 27.10-11, 28.4-6, 37.1-6
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 27.4(d-e), 37.2, 37.5, 37.6, 37.7
Additional materials:
- Slides (won't be used in lectures): asymmetric information
- Papers from the slides: List 2006, Hungerford and Solon 1987, Weiss 1988, Levitt and Syverson 2008, Clark and Martorell 2014
12. Exchange and Production (6/12)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapters 31, 32.7–9, 32.11–14
Slides, Slides (print)
Workouts - recommended problems: 31.1, 31.2, 31.3, 31.4, 31.5, 31.6, 31.8
Additional materials: slides (won't be used in lectures): exchange, production
13. Behavioral Economics (13/12)
Literature: Varian (8e), chapter 30 a Goolsbee, Levitt, Syverson: Microeconomics (anglicky), kapitola 17
Additional materials:
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Slides (won't be used in lectures): behavioral economics
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Papers from the slides: Tversky and Kahneman 1981, Kahneman, Knetsch and Thaler 1990, Thaler 1985, Arkes a Blumer 1985, Genesove and Mayer 2001, DellaVigna and Malmendier 2006, Bardsley 2008, Meer and Rosen 2009, DellaVigna, List and Malmendier 2012, Becker, Murphy and Topel 1988, Angrist 1990
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Steven Levitt´s lecture at Imagine 2013 General Session here
- TED lecture by Dan Ariely: "Are we in control of our decisions" here
- Podcast NPR Planet Money about A/B testing (field experiments): A or B