ECO 6361, Spring 2006

Public Sector Economics

Class meets Wednesday, 7-9:45pm

Instructor: Dr. Nathan Berg, Associate Professor

Email: nberg@utdallas.edu
Phone: 972.883.2088
Office: Green Hall 3.130
Office Hours: By appointment. Please email me to schedule an appointment. If you’d
like to ask a question by email, that’s fine. If you’re asking for an appointment, I’d like
you to suggest a time (or several possible times) in your email.
Texts: The Theory of Externalities, Public Goods and Club Goods (second edition) by
Cornes and Sandler; and Public Finance and Public Policy by Gruber

Course Plan
Day Month
11 Jan Gruber 1,2,3 and Cornes&Sandler 1, 2
18 Jan Gruber 4, 5, 6, Cornes&Sandler 3, 4, 5.1
25 Jan Gruber 7, 8, 9, Cornes&Sandler 6, 7
1 Feb Gruber 10, 11, Cornes&Sandler 8, 9, 10
8 Feb Gruber 12, 13, 14
15 Feb Gruber 15, 16, 17
22 Feb Gruber 18, 19, 20
1 March Gruber 21, 22, 23
8 March Spring Break, No class
15 March Gruber 24, 25
22 March Cornes&Sandler
29 March Cornes&Sandler 11, 12
5 April Cornes&Sandler 13, 14
12 April Cornes&Sandler 15, 19, test review
19 April Exam

Grades
Your grade will be determined according to the points you earn on the following
five assignments:
[15 points] Assignment 1: 30-minute presentation
Evaluation of your presentation will be broken down as follows:
5 points for accuracy (Were the presenter’s arguments logically valid?)
5 points for informativeness, contextualization, insightful presentation (Was the
lecture interesting and substantive?)
5 points for organization (Was there clear evidence of preparation? Did the
lecture adhere to the time guidelines? NOTE: You will lose points for lecturing too long
or missing the Monday advance deadline in submitting student-written test questions.)
[10 points] Assignment 2: Student-written test questions for presentation 1
 You will submit three test questions and three definitions that may be used for the
student-written question portion of the exam. The three questions should include one
empirical problem and two theoretical/numerical questions. Detailed formatting
guidelines are provided below. Points for the test questions and definitions you submit
will be evaluated for relevance, clarity and the accuracy of the solutions you provide.

[15 points] Assignment 3: 30-minute presentation 2

[10 points] Assignment 4: Student-written test questions for presentation 2
The second presentation and student-written test questions will be evaluated by the same
criteria as the first.

[50 points] Assignment 5: In-class test on Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Test points will be distributed as follows:
10 points for definitions
25 points for numerical problems drawn from student-written test
questions and those included in student presentations
10 points for empirical problems drawn from student-presented
applications and student-written empirical test questions
5 points for a one- to two-paragraph essay that applies theoretical concepts
covered in class to a contemporary policy issue NOT covered in class. You should
prepare for this by clipping newspaper articles you’re interested in throughout the
semester and composing a brief economic analysis of one specific policy issue. You will
NOT be permitted to bring the prepared composition to the classroom during the test.
You should use it to prepare so that you can write convincingly without any notes.
Semester Grades
In assigning final grades, I will begin with the following thresholds:
90-100 A
80-89 B
65-79 C
<65 F
These thresholds indicate the minimum grade you will receive. At the end of the
semester, I may adjust the grades upward by moving grade thresholds downward.

Assignments
You should sign up on the first day of class for two 30-minute timeslots. In each of these
30-minute periods, you will present highlights from one of the chapters in Gruber’s
textbook. Presenters must carefully follow the steps described below. Each presenter
must email me by 1pm on the Monday before the Wednesday presentation with a
numerical problem (and solution), an empirical fact, and three test questions for the
student-written portion of the exam (more on this below). Three definitions from the
textbook must also be submitted.

Step 1: Sign up on the first class meeting (or during the first week) for two
chapter/timeslots during which you will present

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Step 2(Monday assignment): By 1pm on the Monday before you present, email me
(nberg@utdallas.edu) the following
-1 numerical/symbolic-mathematical problem that you plan on presenting in class
-A carefully written solution to the numerical problem
-A description of an application from your chapter to be covered briefly in your
presentation (Do not spend too much time in the presentation on this. We can all read it
on our own. But don’t omit it either. The overall emphasis of your lecture should be
theoretical.)
-Two numerical test questions aimed at covering the most essential concepts from
your chapter, with solutions
-One empirical test question drawn from applications or other empirically-
oriented material in the textbooks, with solution. This question should be a
straightforward factual question such as “Roughly what percentage of the US
government’s budget was allocated to defense in the 1950s as compared to the 1990s?”
-Three definitions from your chapter

Solutions to test questions and the in-class problem should directly follow the
statement of each problem in the email you submit. When you submit your Monday
assignment, the format of your email should strictly adhere to the following list of
headings:
Empirical fact from Chapter X (from “Application” or “Empirical
Evidence” sections of Gruber) to be included in your presentation
Statement of the in-class problem
Solution to in-class problem
Test question 1
Solution to test question 1
Test question 2
Solution to test question 2
Empirical test question
Solution to the empirical test question
Definition 1
Definition 2
Definition 3

I will send you confirmation that I have received your email submission of the Monday
assignment. If you have not received confirmation from me by 9am Tuesday morning,
then pleases email again, call me or make other efforts to contact me and confirm receipt
of your assignment.

Step 3: Distribute test questions and solutions in hard copy to your classmates AT THE
VERY END OF CLASS on the Wednesday you present

Any figures or tables you wish to submit must be included in the email. Please try to
AVOID sending the Monday assignment as an attachment. I want you to paste in the
Monday assignment as regular html email text.

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Schedule Problems
If you have an emergency or a valid conflict and provide me with written documentation,
I will consider granting an extension or providing an alternative assignment. Otherwise, I
do not want to extend any deadlines or permit schedule changes. Late papers will be
penalized at least 2 points (10 percent) per day. Papers that are several days late may not
be accepted at all. I want you to succeed in this class. Please stay organized and work
well ahead of deadline.
Incompletes
There will be no grades of incomplete awarded without appropriate documentation.
Scholastic Dishonesty
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on assignments or
examinations, plagiarizing (misrepresenting as your own work any part of work done by
another), submitting the same assignment, or substantially similar assignments to meet
the requirements of more than one course without the approval of all instructors,
depriving another student of necessary course materials, or interfering with another
student's work. If in doubt about the ethics of your actions, consult the Catalog to see the
University's policy. Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students are responsible
for knowing what constitutes scholastic dishonesty and its consequences (see
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/chapter49.html). If you have any doubts, contact
me before you turn in your assignments.

Accessibility (for students with disabilities)

If you have a condition that requires accommodation in this course, please speak with me
after class or in office hours during the first week of class. I will be happy to make
appropriate accommodations provided timely notice is received and the arrangement is
consistent with any recommendations from Disability Services, when applicable.
Disability Services can be reached at 883-2098. The syllabus and other course materials
can be made available in alternative formats.
Attendance Policy
There is no explicit attendance requirement for this course. However, if students expect
to do well, regular attendance is necessary. Assignments may change, and adjustments to
the exam schedule may occur. Students who miss deadlines or fail to complete an
assignment because they did not hear scheduling announcements in class will not be
excused. Please do not ask me for notes.
Disclaimer:
This syllabus is tentative and can be changed. All changes will be announced in class.