Seminar: Public Economics

This seminar introduces current international social and political economic issues. A superordinate topic is going to be highlighted from an economic perspective such as fake news, digital tax or the climate crisis. Participants are going to analyze a topic interdisciplinary within the scope of a scientific seminar paper and thus learn the basics of scientific work and critical discussion as a training for the final bachelor thesis.

Fiscal rules in times of low interest ratesUbide, Ángel. “Fiscal Policy at the Zero Lower Bound.” Intereconomics, vol. 54, no. 5, 2019, pp. 279–285., doi:10.1007/s10272-019-0839-7.The gender pay gap in GermanyFuchs, Michaela, et al. “Why Do Women Earn More than Men in Some Regions? Explaining Regional Differences in the Gender Pay Gap in Germany.” IAB-Discussion Paper. vol. 11, 2019, pp. 7–39, ISSN 2195-2663.Ethical and economic consequences of the Chinese social credit systemFan Liang , Vishnupriya Das, Nadiya Kostyuk, and Muzammil M. Hussain. Constructing a Data-Driven Society: China’s Social Credit System as a State Surveillance Infrastructure. Policy & Internet, Vol. 10, No. 4, 2018, doi: 10.1002/poi3.183.Social media and political discourse – a market for fake newsSpohr, Dominic. Fake news and ideological polarization: Filter bubbles and selective exposure on social media. Business Information Review. 2017, Vol. 34(3) 150–160. DOI: 10.1177/0266382117722446Employment and digitization – future economic and social consequencesHirsch-Kreinsen, Hartmut. Digitization of industrial work: development paths and prospects. J Labour Market Res (2016) 49:1–14. DOI 10.1007/s12651-016-0200-6Is austerity responsible for populism?Becker, Sascha O, et al. “Who Voted for Brexit? A Comprehensive District-Level Analysis.” Economic Policy, vol. 32, no. 92, 2017, pp. 601–650., doi:10.1093/epolic/eix012.The economic consequences of a digital tax on Google, Facebook and AmazonCorkery, Jim; Forder, Jay; Svantesson, Dan; and Mercuri, Enrico (2013) "Taxes, the Internet and the Digital Economy," Revenue Law. Journal: Vol. 23 : Iss. 1 , Article 7.Internet giants like Facebook as natural monopolies – intervention and state regulation possibilitiesCrandall, R.W. Rev Ind Organ. The Dubious Antitrust Argument for Breaking Up the Internet Giants. 2019. 54: 627. doi.org/10.1007/s11151-019-09680-yHow to solve the climate crisis from a public economics perspectiveŠtreimikienė, Dalia, Bubnienė, Ruta. The Impact of Carbon Tax on Greenhouse Gases Emission Reduction and Economy. ISSN 1392-2785 ENGINEERING ECONOMICS. 2005. No 1 (41). economics of engineering decisions.Increasing the retirement age – fair or unfair?Makarski, Krzysztof, and Joanna Tyrowicz. “On Welfare Effects of Increasing Retirement Age.” Journal of Policy Modeling, vol. 41, no. 4, 2019, pp. 718–746., doi:10.1016/j.jpolmod.2018.11.002.

Presentation 20%, Written Assignment 80%

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