ECO 3431      

Intermediate Macroeconomics 

Fall 2009  

Dr. Cem Karayalcin

Office DM, 319A

Office hrs: T-Th 2:00-3:00pm

e-mail: karayalc@fiu.edu

webpage: www.fiu.edu/~karayalc

 

This course is designed to further the understanding of macroeconomic phenomena. The course teaches how to interpret business cycles, inflation and government policies that affect the macroeconomic environment. On the theoretical side, the course introduces both the conventional Keynesian theory and monetarism as well as the more recent approaches, such as rational expectations, and real business cycle analysis.

 

The textbook for the course is Macroeconomics (6th edn) by Gregory Mankiw. It is available in the University Bookstore.

 

There will be two midterm exams (September 24 and October 22, 2009) and one final with respective weights of 25%, 30% and 35%. Class participation accounts for 10% of the grade for the course.

 

READINGS

I. Introduction

Macroeconomic phenomena; looking around and identifying macro problems in the world; aggregate output and income; the unemployment rate; inflation; deficits.

1. Chapter 1

2. Chapter 2

 

II. The Core Macroeconomic Problems

The goods market; GDP; consumption; investment; government spending; equilibrium; production and sales; financial markets; money; interest rates; the banking system; the Federal Reserve; the open economy.

1. Chapter 3

2. Chapter 4

3. Chapter 5

4. Chapter 6

 

III. The Short Run

The natural rate of unemployment; aggregate supply; aggregate demand; monetary policy; fiscal policy; changes in the price of oil; IS-LM, exchange rates, the Phillips curve.

1. Chapter 9

2. Chapter 10

3. Chapter 11

4. Chapter 12

5. Chapter 13

 

IV. Policy Debates

Stabilization policy; government debt; rules vs discretion.

1. Chapter 14

2. Chapter 15

 

V. The Long Run

Facts of growth, saving, capital accumulation and output.

1. Chapter 7

2. Chapter 8

 

Answers to Exams

Midterm 1

Midterm 2

 

Additional Readings

Stimulus

Comparing Job Losses Across Recessions

Increase in Wages During the Current Recession

Nobel Prize in Economics

China’s Exchange Rate Policy

 

PowerPoint Slides

 Chapter 1

 Chapter 2

 Chapter 3

 Chapter 4

 Chapter 5

 Chapter 6

 Chapter 9

 Chapter 10

 Chapter 11

 Chapter 12

 Chapter 13