Online Text and Notes in Economic Theory

Auctions: Theory and Practice is an online book on auction theory by Paul Klemperer one of the economists responsible for the UK's record-breaking 3rd Generation mobile licence auction, the theme of the book's final section. Avoids mathematical complication and uses practical examples wherever possible. Includes more general discussion of information economics, and the uses/abuses of economic modelling; and extends ideas of auction and bargaining strategy into such areas as corporate takeovers and stock market bubbles. Chapter 1, an extensive literature review, includes questions and answers on the Revenue Equivalence Theorem and other elements of auction theory, from the Oxford Economics M.Phil. Ends with suggestions for course outlines and a detailed reference list.

Syllabus, lecture handouts and problem sets are archived on this course site which dates from Autumn 2009.

This is the website for a course on behavioural economics as taught as an advanced course at masters level by the University of Oslo since 2006. It includes details of the syllabus / reading list, assessment methods, lecture handouts and economic problems to be discussed in the seminars. Specific topics covered by the course include behavioral decision theory, time inconsistency and self-control, social preferences and fairness.

This course web page includes a syllabus and lecture notes in .pdf. From a course on Game Theory as taught by Shachar Kariv of University of California, Berkeley in 2007.

Lecture notes in microeconomic theory: the economic agent is an online text produced by Arial Rubinstein of Tel Aviv University / New York University. It covers advanced topics in microeconomic theory including consumer preferences, expected utility, risk aversion and social choice. The text is presented as a series of PDF chapters, with notes, mathematical proofs, bibliographical notes and problem sets.

This is a set of course notes on Macroeconomic Theory and Policy, as taught by John Hillas at the University of Auckland. It is presented as a single PDF file of some 35 pages. It includes: chapters of Growth and Productivity theory (based on Cobb-Douglas production function), Overlapping Generations model and its application to savings behaviour, profit maximisation, growth, technical change and government finance. In summary form, concentrating on mathematical statements of the theories, with worked examples. Preceded by 'Mathematical Preliminaries' for an intermediate/advanced macroeconomics course, covering differentiation and its applications, optimisation, expectations and variance. These are a concentrated summary of the techniques needed to understand the course, offering statements of theorems without proofs.

Maps of bounded rationality : a perspective on intuitive judgement and choice is Daniel Kahneman's 2002 Nobel Prize lecture, reviewing psychological and behavioural perspectives on economic choice following from his pioneering work with Amos Tversky. Includes a summary of their 'prospect theory', an alternative to rational choice theory that is consistent with their empirically discovered judgement biases, and a review of evidence for the main heuristics and their associated biases. Available as text or as a video of the lecture.

Guide to the subsystem of the General Algebraic Modelling System (GAMS) that can be used to build and solve general equilibrium models. Sections (with gemoetric and algebraic explanation of the model followed by worked examples in GAMS/MPSGE) on: Introduction to Demand Theory; Constant Elasticity of Substitution functions; General Equilibrium with Phblicv Goods; Comparing the Performance of Flexible Functional Forms; Competitive General Equilibrium and Economic History; and a 'small library' of other microeconomic examples.

Modeling bounded rationality is a textbook on advanced game theoretic models of bounded rationality, written by Ariel Rubinstein in 1998. It "provides potential material for a one-term graduate course. The choice of material is highly subjective. Bibliographic notes appear at the end of each chapter. The projects that follow those notes contain speculative material and ideas that the reader should consider with caution." The book is available as a single PDF file of 220 pages to download.