Topics in Macroeconomics

The course will deal mainly with current topics in macroeconomic fluctuations including the history, causes and consequences of business cycles and the effectiveness of monetary and fiscal stabilization policy efforts. There will be emphasis on “real-time” understanding and analysis of current business and macroeconomic conditions. The course will also study the origins of recent severe stresses in the credit and banking markets, as well as the causes and various consequences of the “great financial crisis of 2007-2009”. The course will focus primarily on the U.S. economy but also will examine the critical issues and stresses that have emerged in the functioning and stabilization of the European Monetary System, as well as the roles of the G7, G20, IMF and central banks.