Market Failures and Public Policy

Market failures are the classic justification for government intervention in private markets. This course will focus on a small number of economically important markets where market failures are thought to be important: credit, health care, innovation, and insurance. For each of these markets, we will discuss theory and evidence on the existence and magnitude of market failures, and theory and evidence on the efficiency of public policy interventions designed to address those market failures. Prerequisites: ECON 202-204, ECON 270, ECON 271, or equivalent with consent of instructor.