ECON 013. Economic Efficiency, Markets and Distributive Justice

This course investigates how we should organize economic activity in a free society. First, we will study different concepts of freedom. What is the relationship between these different concepts of freedom and organizing economic activity through markets? Do these differing concepts imply that some things should not be for sale? Second, how should we judge social outcomes? What place does cost-benefit analysis have? What concepts of distributive justice should we use? What place does economic efficiency have in all these considerations? Finally, if you believe that the market outcome is not just, how should you change it? What kinds of tax and transfer systems should you use? What are their tradeoffs in terms of economic efficiency and distributive justice?”
Prerequisite: ECON 001
Social sciences.
1 credit.
Fall 2023. Kuperberg.
Fall 2024. Kuperberg.
Fall 2025. Kuperberg.
Catalog chapter: Economics
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/economics

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