Welcome to... Econ 101b: Fall 1999

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(The Constantly Updated) Schedule

• Pre-Midterm Schedule

Mon. Oct. 18: Short-run Macroeconomics (I)

• Sticky prices and why we think they arise
• The Keynesian Cross and the multiplier
• Rational Expectations vs. unexpected policy changes

Wed 20: Short-run Macroeconomics (II)

• An intuitive explanation of the multiplier
• The derivation of the I.S. curve
  
• Lutfi Latif, one of our students, has been kind enough to provide us with some animated graphic of how to derive the IS curve using the Keynesian cross. It looks great and is very didactic.
  

Mon. Oct. 25: Short-run Macroeconomics (III)

• A loanable-funds interpretation of the I.S. curve
• A loanable-funds interpretation of an increase in government spending
• A loanable-funds interpretation of an increase in businesses' optimism
• A loanable-funds interpretation of an increase in consumer optimism
• A loanable-funds interpretation of an increase of the tax rate

Wed. Oct. 27: Short-run Macroeconomics (IV)

The LM Curve:

• How to derive it
• What happens when there is an increase of the money supply?
• What happens when there is an increase of the velocity of money?
• What happens when there is an increase of government expenditure?
• What happens when we have a fixed exchange rate?

Mon. Nov. 1: Economic Stabilization (I)

• Open-market operations:
  • monetary expension
  • monetary contraction
• The money multiplier
• The many different interest rates

Wed. Nov. 3: Economic Stabilization (II)

• What the Fed controls vs. what matters to the IS curve.
• Bonds and interest rates:
  • discount bonds
  • consols
• The yield curve and the term premium

Mon. Nov. 8: ???

Is anyone holding onto my section notes by mistake? Please turn them back to me ASAP or slip them into my mailbox accross the office where you turned in the RCA forms.

Wed. Nov. 10: Short-run Macroeconomics (V)

Discussion of the Answer Key to Problem Set 5.
You can also view them as a Mathematica notebook if you have access to Mathematica or if you have downloaded the Mathematica Notebook Reader.

There is now a PDF version of this answer key. You will need the (free) Acrobat reader to view PDF files.

Mon. Nov. 15: Mid-run economics / Price adjustment (I)

• The aggregate supply curve and the Philips curve
• The aggregate demand curve
• Expectations and the AD-AS diagram

Wed. Nov. 17: Mid-run economics / Price adjustment (II)

• Dynamic inconsistency
• The Paul Volker Desinflation

Mon. Nov. 22: Monetary and Fiscal Policy (I)

Extra Offices Hours regarding the Answer Key to Problem Set 6.
You can also view them as a Mathematica notebook if you have access to Mathematica or if you have downloaded the Mathematica Notebook Reader.

There is now a PDF version of this answer key. You will need the (free) Acrobat reader to view PDF files.

Wed. Nov. 24: Miderm Review and Regrades

Extra Offices Hours regarding the Answer Key to the midterm.
You can also view them as a Mathematica notebook if you have access to Mathematica or if you have downloaded the Mathematica Notebook Reader.

There is now a PDF version of this answer key. You will need the (free) Acrobat reader to view PDF files.

To be written...

Jean-Philippe Stijns
Doctoral Student in Economics
Teaching Assistant in Macroeconomic Theory
University of California at Berkeley
Department of Economics
508-7 Evans Hall  Berkeley, CA 94720
email: stijns@econ.berkeley.edu
resume: http://www.well.com/user/jeanphi/resume.html
phone: (510)642-5952