Introduction To Economic Disparities

This course, Introduction to Economic Disparities, explores the causes of current day economic inequality and its consequences on success.

The course provides students with an intellectual foundation to further studies in economics by introducing students to the basic vocabulary, concepts, theories, and debates around economic inequality. The goal of this specialization is to introduce students to modern theories of inequality and the empirical study of those theories. Topics include early childhood sources of income inequality, discrimination in the labor market and in other institutions, segregation in housing markets, the impact of migration on the measurement of inequality, and the roles of peer effects.

The course encourages you to reflect on social experiences of inequality before looking at how the issue is approached in economics. You will study some of the different dimensions of economic inequality, and learn about global debates on its role in achieving economic success.