Busi­ness and Gov­ern­ment

Course content

Access to clean water and sanitation, effective telecommunication and transport services are indispensable to individuals, firms and societies around the world. Regulatory policies affect all aspects of our lives, ranging from the quality of the air we breathe to the price we pay for a vast variety of commodities and public services.

This course explores the core economic principles that guide government regulation of businesses and industries. The course will examine areas of regulation and illustrate those using case studies from a variety of industries and businesses to explore market failures and externalities that provide the economic basis for government involvement. The course will explore how businesses are affected by various regulations and how interest groups can inform and influence the process. We will also examine markets like the airline industry or mail delivery that, though once regulated, have since been deregulated.

Course structure:

1. Oligopolies, collusion and competition policies in the new economy: digital platforms and network effects
2. Regulation of public utilities: natural monopolies in the transportation, telecommunication and energy sectors
3. Environmental regulation
4. Product safety
5. Regulation of workplace health and safety
6. Behavioral economics and regulatory policy
7. State aid