Macroeconomics II

Macroeconomics II

専門教育科目

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国際商経学部

学年指定なし

KCCBG1MCA1

2単位

講義 (Lecture)

2025年度後期

(Fall semester)

坪井 美都紀

School of Economics and Management

英語

目標1

By appointment.

1◎／2〇／3〇

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【Course Objectives】
This course studies the long-run aspect of macroeconomics: economic growth. It builds upon the overview you studied in the Introductory Macroeconomics, offering a deeper focus on long-run growth.

【Learning Outcome】
By the end of the course, students should be able to understand the determinants of a country’s economic fortune: why countries are rich, why others are poor, how to accelerate economic growth in advanced economies, and how to eradicate poverty in developing countries.

【Subtitle】Long-run Macroeconomics: Introduction to Economic Growth

【Keywords】The Facts of Economic Growth; Solow Model; Fundamental Causes of Prosperity

In this course, we systematically study long-run economic growth. Beginning with a careful review of the facts of economic growth, we first study the foundations of our framework – the Solow growth model. We then analyze other determinants of economic fortune outside that framework, such as declining population growth, human capital, technological change, misallocation, openness, natural resources, the environment, and institutions. I hope you find issues and questions we encounter challenging, exciting and important. Indeed, this field has recently won the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – awarded in 2018 “for integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis” and in 2024 “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.”

Lecture 1 - The Facts of Economic Growth
Lecture 2 - The Solow Model: Physical Capital and Steady States
Lecture 3 - The Solow Model: Saving and Population Growth
Lecture 4 - The Solow Model: Technological Progress
Lecture 5 - Population Growth, the Malthusian Model, and Population Aging
Lecture 6 - Human Capital: Health and Education
Lecture 7 - Human Capital: The College Premium and Skill-Biased Technological Change
Lecture 8 - Fundamental Causes of Prosperity: Geography, Culture, and Institutions
Lecture 9 - Fundamental Causes of Prosperity: Inclusive and Extractive Institutions
Lecture 10 - Open Economy: Comparative Advantage and Openness
Lecture 11 - Open Economy: Trade as a Form of Technology
Lecture 12 - Open Economy: Conditional Convergence and Anti-Globalization
Lecture 13 - Climate Change, Resource Curse, and Resource Limitations
Lecture 14 - The Environmental Kuznets Curve and Global Warming
Lecture 15 - What the Future Holds: Will Growth Make Us Happy?

Ashraf, Q.H., Weil, D.N., 2025. Economic Growth. 4th edn. Routledge.

Acemoglu, D., Laibson, D., List, J., 2022. Macroeconomics. 3rd edn. Pearson.
Jones, C.I., 2024. Macroeconomics. 6th edn. W.W. Norton & Company.
Mankiw, N.G., 2025. Macroeconomics. 12th edn. Macmillan Learning.

Pre-learning entails reviewing class slides uploaded in advance and completing assigned readings (5 hours per week).
Post-learning involves completing problem sets (5 hours per week).

N/A

There will be occasional problem sets throughout the fall semester that collectively account for 30% of your final grade. The exact number of assignments will depend on your understanding. Also, there will be an open-book take-home final exam that accounts for 70% of your final grade. Engagement in class activities may be considered in grading.

You will be graded on a four-rank scale: S rank (above 90 points) is reserved for a small fraction of students who perform well above the average level, A rank (above 80 points) will be the most common score and indicates successful completion of the course, B rank (above 70 points) indicates satisfactory performance but a lower final exam score, and C rank (above 60) signals either a lack of understanding of the material or insufficient effort.

AI Use:
You are allowed to use AI tools such as ChatGPT. These tools will be useful in your future studies and careers, and it is important to learn how to use them wisely; for example, I extensively use these tools in my research to improve my writing and to assist with programming. At the same time, be aware that using AI tools as a crutch can hinder your own learning. You are making a significant financial and opportunity cost investment in your education. Keep in your mind that what matters is not grades but learning – an S rank without real understanding is meaningless. Bottom line: Use AI tools to support your work, but never let them do your work.

I use Google Forms for assignment submissions. After the deadline, I will notify you of your score via the form. If you want to know details on how your work was graded, please contact me.

The class can cover only essential materials from the textbook, not everything. You should read the textbook multiple times and solve the end-of-chapter problems.

N/A

Though the course uses some mathematics, you do not have to worry even if your mathematical background is weak. I only use basic operations such as addition and multiplication. Throughout, I will avoid using technical mathematics.