Introduces the methods used to estimate the effects of existing and proposed government programs. Methods will be illustrated with applications to several areas of government policy. Students will complete an empirical policy analysis under faculty supervision. Prerequisite: ECON 3010 or 3110, ECON 3720, and ECON 4310.

Studies advanced topics in labor economics, emphasizing applications to developing countries. Cross-listed as ECON 8160.

Studies advanced topics in labor economics. Prerequisite: ECON 8150 and 7720 or instructor permission.

Explores the use of laboratory methods to study economic behavior. Topics include experimental design, laboratory technique, financial incentives, and analysis of data. Emphasizes applications: bargaining, auctions, market price competition, market failures, voting, contributions to public goods, lottery choice decisions, and the design of electronic markets for financial assets. Prerequisite: ECON 3010 or 3110 and a course in statistics, or instructor permission.

Advanced study of selected topics in macro and monetary economics, with an emphasis on empirical methods. Prerequisite: ECON 7040 or instructor permission.

The course focuses on developing research ideas into a formal paper. Students work in small groups with the instructor, completing writing assignments that form the body of a scholarly paper and offering critical evaluations of other students' assignments. Prerequisite: Third-year status or instructor permission.

The goal is to provoke discussion, with differing viewpoints put forward, and lead students to analyze major economic problems as economists might do. The course will center upon resource-scarce issues: e.g. in a low-income country that provides little public education, what would you do first, and what would you do last? There will also be discussion about current global macroeconomic trends, including inflation, debt, and economic growth.

The course will use classroom simulations and lab reports to help students discover insights about economic behavior and policies. Each weekly topic is structured around an important economic principle, which is presented in the context of an "experiment" involving a sequence of decisions in a simulated game or market. After participating in the simulation, students complete a lab report.

Independent study under the direction of a regular faculty member. Students may not use this class to obtain academic credit for a summer internship. Prerequisite: GPA of 3.300 in UVa ECON courses.

Supervised research culminating in the writing of a Distinguished Majors thesis. Restricted to members of the Distinguished Majors Program.