Econ 705 (Part 2): Microeconomics (PhD Core)

This course is the final half-semester of the first-year PhD microeconomics sequence in the Duke Economics Department. It covers a number of advanced topics in microeconomic theory, including monotone comparative statics, games with strategic complementarities, stochastic orders, monotone comparative statics under risk, and modeling and comparing information (in the sense of Blackwell). Resources:

• Microeconomic Theory Lecture Notes (Spring 2023)

Econ 885-12: Psychology and Economics (PhD Elective)

This half-semester elective course is for second-year economics PhD students interested in topics at the intersection of decision theory and behavioral economics. It exposes students to a number of recent models of decision-making in different contexts, such as choice under risk and dynamic choice. The course also examines empirical evidence that supports (or refutes) these different models, and explores applications.

• Syllabus and Reading List (Spring 2024)

Lecture slides:

1. Puzzles and Paradoxes for Expected Utility  [Slides] [Handout]
2. Responses to Puzzles: Prospect Theory and Non-Expected-Utility Theory  [Slides] [Handout]
3. Mixture-Averse Preferences (Sarver)  [Slides] [Handout]
4. Expectation-Based Reference Points (Koszegi and Rabin)  [Slides] [Handout]
5. Present-Biased Preferences  [Slides] [Handout]
6. Temptation and Self-Control (Gul and Pesendorfer)  [Slides] [Handout]
7. Naive Quasi-Hyperbolic Discounting (O’Donoghue and Rabin)  [Slides] [Handout]
8. Behavioral Characterizations of Naivete (Ahn, Iijima, Le Yaouanq, Sarver)  [Slides] [Handout]
9. Shrouded Attributes (Gabaix and Laibson)  [Slides] [Handout]