Semester	Spring
Course Credit:	1.0

	Day	Time	Room
1st Day	2\2
Meet Time	T\Th	10:10 - 11:30	T401
Review

This course provides an overview of the rationale for and complications that arise from government involvement in a market economy. The class will be structured around case studies of business-government relations. The first set of cases focuses on the justifications and rationalizations commonly advanced for government interventions in the private sector, such as natural monopoly, public goods, externalities, and asymmetric information. The cases in this section of the class revolve around “traditional” approaches to government intervention, such as command and control regulation, government ownership, price regulation, and regulation of property rights. These interventions are evaluated on the basis of the incentives they create for the private sector and their consequences for the economy. The second section of the course evaluates some alternatives to direct government intervention (such as privatization, market-based instruments, and self regulation). The third section of the course examines alternative models of engaging the public and private interests involved in regulation.

Syllabus