ECON 456(S) Income Distribution
This course examines the distribution of income in the U.S., with particular emphasis on how it is affected by taxes, transfers, and other government programs. Most of the course will focus on the bottom of the income distribution, where the role for policy is greatest. Questions to be addressed may include the following: What are the causes and consequences of poverty? How do welfare, the minimum wage, and the EITC affect those in poverty? How does discrimination affect the incomes of various demographic groups? What are the effects of affirmative action? How much mobility is there across the income distribution? What explains the recent growth in income at the top of the distribution, and the resulting increase in inequality?
Format: seminar/discussion. Requirements: short writing assignments, computer lab exercises, oral presentations, and a final research paper.
Prerequisites: Economics 251 and 253 or 255 or equivalent. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19). Preference: senior economics majors.
Hour: LALUMIA