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The University of Texas at Austin

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs

Fall 2007 Course Description

Advanced Policy Economics

Section Title: Economics of Urban and Regional Policy
Instructor(s): Robert Wilson
Course: P A 393L - Advanced Policy Economics
(previously Political Economy II)
Unique Number: 65755
Day & Time: Mondays, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room: SRH 3.109
Waitlist Information:For LBJ Students: UT Waitlist Information
For Non LBJ Students: LBJ School Waitlist Instructions
Notes: Cross list with GRG 396T-38555

This course fulfills requirements for the following specialization(s):

  • Technology, Innovation, and Information Policy
  • Public Management and Leadership
  • Urban and State Affairs

Description: Economic structure and rates of economic growth vary across space, as observed in urban-rural, center city-suburb and interregional differentials. The course will provide an understanding of the theoretical explanations and empirical analyses of the functioning of spatial economies. Students are expected to acquire knowledge of the analytical frameworks and empirical techniques needed for investigating those aspects of urban and regional economies relevant to local, state, and federal governance and policy issues.

The course is introduced through a discussion of the evolution of the spatial economy and urban form in the United States. Various dimensions of contemporary economic change, including globalization, technological change, information and telecommunications, poverty, income distribution, and race/ethnicity inequalities, will be examined as well as their effects on cities and regions.

The following segment discusses theoretical and conceptual explanations for uneven economic development across space and theories of urban and regional economic growth. The economic determinants of urban form and suburbanization are also addressed. This segment also examines various analytical techniques?including location quotients, input-output models, and regional econometric models-used in spatial analysis.

The final segment of the course is concerned with recent changes in intergovernmental relations and patterns of governance that affect cities, especially as they affect prospects for urban development. The roles of the federal, state, and local governments as well as community participation in the formation of development strategies and the relation of government, politics, and the economy are examined.

Return to Fall 2007 Course Schedule