Eastern Connecticut State University

Syllabus for Economics 377

Public Finance

 

Instructor: 

Dr. Maryanne Clifford

Spring 2006

Office: 

451 Webb Hall

Phone: 

860-465-5512

Email: 

cliffordm@easternct.edu

Office Hours: 

Monday 10:30 am – 11:30 am, Tuesday and Thursday 9:00 am - 11:00 am,  

 

Tuesday 3:30 pm – 4:00pm, and by appointment

 

Course Objectives:    This course will provide an introduction to Public Finance. The economic tools, that we will acquire in this course, are applied by managers in the business sector, policy makers in the government sector, and economic researchers in the academic arena.  Students successfully completing this course should leave with an understanding of these basic public finance economic principles and their applicability to real world situations.  You should also be able to incorporate these tools of economic analysis into your own decision-making processes as you weigh costs and benefits to make choices.

 

Text:   The required text for the course is Public Finance in Theory and Practice, by Holley Ulbrich. (Mason, Ohio: Southwestern  Publishers, 2003). Additional require reading will be placed on Reserve at the Library. Also articles from The Wall Street Journal, other newspapers, and magazines will be assigned and discussed throughout the semester.

 

Course Outline and Readings

TOPIC

TEXT

I.        An Introduction to Public Finance and Government Activities

Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7

II.    Taxes and Tax Policy

Chapters 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14

III.   Government Spending

Chapters 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19

If extra time occurs, I may teach selected topics with remaining time

Note:  Sections from these chapters may be omitted.  Omissions will be announced in class.

 

Exam:  There will be a mid-semester exam and a final exam.   The date for the midterm exam is Thursday March 16th, while the Final is Thursday May 18th at 5 pm.  If you need to reschedule the final exam because of a conflict, university regulations require that you submit your request in writing to me two weeks in advance.  Exam Format: The mid-semester exam will consist of objective type questions along with short answer, essay, and graphical questions.  More precise details of the exam design will be given prior the exam.

 

Makeup Exams: Makeup exams are given only for excused absences or if the student has obtained the instructor's prior approval.  If you miss an exam with an unexcused absence you will receive a zero for the exam. The University defines the following as excused absences: illness of the student or serious illness of a member of the student's immediate family; death of a member of the student's immediate family; University sponsored trips; or major religious holidays.  In each foreseen case, written verification will be required at least one week before the scheduled exam and permission to miss an exam must be secured before the scheduled exam time unless the cause of the absence is unforeseen.  IF YOU MISS AN EXAM FOR AN UNFORESEEN REASON YOU SHOULD CONTACT ME AS SOON AS YOU ARE PHYSICALLY ABLE TO PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL ME.    

 

Makeups:  Makeups for missed exams or late assignments will be arranged only with written verification under conditions approved by the University.

 

Evaluation Criteria: Your final grade for the course is based on the distribution below and follows a standard 100-point scale. A: 94+, A-: 90 to 93, B+: 87-89, B: 83-86, B-: 80-83,C+: 77-79, C: 73-76, C-: 70-73, D+: 67-69, D: 64-66, D-: 60-63, E: 59 and below.   If I feel that a curve is necessary it will be determined separately for each exam. Grading in the course will be based upon class participation, writing assignments, a mid-semester exam, and a final exam.  Assignments, quizzes, and exams will include questions and problems to be solved based on both lecture material and assigned readings.  More details regarding writing assignments will be provided later during the semester.

 

Task

% of Course Grade

Class Participation

15%

 Writing Assignments

25%

Midsemester Exam

30%

Final Exam

30%

Total

100%

 

Course Expectations: Students are expected to read assigned material prior to class and participate in class discussion and projects. If you do not get an opportunity to ask your question during class, stop by during my office hours or feel free to contact me via electronic mail. 

                                                                                                       

Please note: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact the Office of Disability Services at (860) 465-5573.  To avoid any delay in the receipt of accommodations, you should contact the Office of Disability Services as soon as possible.  Please understand that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from the Office of Disability Services.  Your cooperation is appreciated.

 

Paper Assignment 1 – The Research Paper                                                    Due: April 20, 2006

Please note that this paper is 15% of your final grade.

1.)You are to choose a topic in public economics. Then get your topic approved and research your Approved topic.

2.) Use this information to write a paper that is 7- 10 pages long. The paper must be double-spaced, have approximately 1 inch margins, and use a 10 or 12 inch font. Note: Although using the writing center is not required, it is recommended as it can help you write a better paper.            The paper will be graded as follows:

Explanation of topic                                             50

Relates to class                                                     20

Applies (to world, economy, or business)       20

Graph/Diagrams                                                    10

                                                                               100

 

Paper Assignment 2 – Current Events                                                             Due: May 4, 2006

1. Find an article that relates to what we have covered in this class. The article selected must be at least one column and 5” long.  Note longer articles tend to work out better. A copy of this article must be attached to your paper when it is handed in.

2.) Use this article to write a paper that is 4 – 7 pages long. The paper must be double-spaced, have approximately 1 inch margins, and use a 10 or 12 font.

 

The first part of your paper should be a brief summary of the article. The bulk of this paper should be an explanation of how this article relates to the class. Any applicable diagrams or graphs need to be included in this paper. The last part should be how all this relates to the real world or your life.

The paper will be graded as follows:

Copy of article                       05

Summary of article                10

Relates to class                     45

Application to life                30

Graphs/Diagrams                 10

Total Points                        100