Courses

ECON 110
PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
An introduction to the basic concepts and methods in microeconomics and macroeconomics. Topics include the methodology of economics, supply and demand analysis, modeling the behavior of households and firms, types of markets, the role of the government, and the performance of the economy as a whole.

ECON 111
INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMIC THEORY
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 110
An analysis of the pricing processes in a market economy under varying competitive conditions, their role in the allocation of resources, and the functional distribution of national income.

ECON 112
INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMIC THEORY
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 110
An analysis of the theory of national income determination and economic growth in alternative models of the national economy and the interaction and relation of aspects of these models to empirical aggregate analysis.

ECON 113
ECONOMICS OF MONEY AND BANKING
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is a systematic treatment of the determinants of money supply, volume of credit, and monetary theory. Topics include economic analysis of credit markets and financial institutions in the Philippines such as the Central Bank, commercial banks, rural banks, insurance companies, and agricultural credit cooperatives.

ECON 114
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is an examination of open economy macroeconomics, including the concepts of balance of payments and national income, interest rate parity and purchasing power parity, exchange rate determination, finance and development, globalization, and policy.

ECON 115
INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICAL ECONOMICS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is an application of elementary mathematical techniques in economic analysis. Topics include economic models, static analysis, comparative static analysis, constrained and unconstrained optimization problems, duality theory, linear programming, and game theory.

ECON 116
STATISTICS FOR ECONOMISTS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
An introduction to mathematical statistics in economic analysis. Topics include measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability theory, random variables and special distribution functions such as the binomial, Poisson and normal distributions, hypotheses testing, correlation analysis, and simple and multiple linear regression models.

ECON 117.01
INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS I,  LECTURE
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111, ECON 112, and ECON 116 or equivalent
This is an introduction to basic empirical methods for the quantitative analysis of economic phenomena. Topics include estimation and inference using the classic linear regression model, detection and remedy of violations of the classical linear regression model assumptions, and basic time series analysis and forecasting.

ECON 117.02
INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS I,  LABORATORY
1 UNIT
Pre-requisite: ECON 111, ECON 112, and ECON 116 or equivalent
This is an introduction to software applications for multiple linear regression analysis, basic time series analysis, and forecasting.

ECON 118.01
INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS II, LECTURE
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 117 or equivalent
Further introduction to empirical methods for the quantitative analysis of economic phenomena. Topics include time series and panel regression techniques.

ECON 118.02
INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMETRICS II,  LABORATORY
1 UNIT
Pre-requisite: 117.01 or equivalent
An introduction to software applications for the analysis of time series and panel data.

ECON 121
DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 110
A study toward provoking and maintaining accelerated economic growth and equity in less developed countries. Emphasis is on competing perspectives on development, interaction of socio-cultural change and economic growth, outside participation in economic modernization, the role of the state and the role of international specialization.

ECON 122
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is an introduction to international trade theory and policy. The first part discusses the evolution of international trade theory from the classical trade theory to the new trade theory. The second part discusses international trade policy, economic integration theory, and international factor movements. The third part discusses contemporary trade, development, and global issues. The last part examines the Philippines’s trade policy and experiences in its bilateral/ regional relations.

ECON 123
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This course is an introduction to international political economy, integrating insights of economics and political science and focusing on the activities within particular states and the international arena. Topics include the ideologies of international political economy, the experience of developed and developing economies, and Philippine trade policies.

ECON 123.05
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY OF FOOD SECURITY
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111
This course examines the factors that can lead to international political tensions resulting from population growth and its economic consequences. It focuses on prevailing demographic and economic conditions of specific countries and how these influence international relations and political decision-making. This course provides an overview of issues surrounding access to food resources and investigates their social, economic, and political origins and consequences. Country issues and illustrative cases are discussed in view of globalization, political conficts, Sustainable Development Goals, and food security. This course is a PBL (Program Based Learning) Course – PBL 6. This course will focus on the problematique of “How to Feed the World by 2050”.

ECON 124.03
HISTORY OF ECONOMICS I
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This course is a survey of economic ideas from the early modern period to the early 20th century.

ECON 124.05
HISTORY OF ECONOMICS II
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This is a survey on the developments of economic ideas in the 20th century to the present. 

ECON 130
ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This course is an analysis of the colonial and contemporary economic policies and institutions of the Philippines.

ECON 131
ECONOMIC HISTORY OF MODERN JAPAN
3 UNTIS
Pre-requisite: None
This course is a study of the processes and problems of economic growth, and the evolution of economic institutions since the Tokugawa period. Focus is also on contemporary economic policy and experience after the Meiji Restoration.

ECON 132
ECONOMIC HISTORY OF MODERN EUROPE
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This course is an analysis of significant processes and relationships in the economic development of Europe from the close of the Middle Ages to the present. Attention is given to reciprocal relationships between the social and political context and the behavior of the economy over time. Focus is also on the contemporary economic policy and experience in Europe.

ECON 133
ECONOMIC HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This course is an examination of the major characteristics of the American economy from the late colonial period to the present. Special emphasis is given on the functional relationship between structural changes in the economy, and political demographic and social variables. Focus is also on the contemporary economic policy and experience in the United States.

ECON 134
COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND EAST ASIA
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is a survey of economic development in Southeast Asia and East Asia in an effort to discover typologies of development. Focus is also on contemporary economic policy and experience in Southeast and East Asia.

ECON 140
INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is a study of the ‘structure-conduct-performance’ paradigm of industrial organization economics, focusing on issues such as industry concentration, economies of scale, and alternative theories of the firm. Emphasis is on firm behavior. Topics include game-theoretic reinterpretations of oligopoly theories, limit pricing, and strategic entry deterrence.

ECON 141
MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111
An application of general economic principles in the solution of business problems, with the view of developing an economic approach to management decisions. Relevant economic concepts such as imperfect competition, profits, demand, and cost are used as guiding principles in making managerial decisions.

ECON 142
FINANCIAL ECONOMICS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111
A study of corporations as economic institutions for ordering the allocation and administration of resources. Topics include short-term and capital financing, financial expansion and reorganization, emerging money and capital markets in the Philippines, and current programs for correcting dislocation in the financial structure of domestic firms.

ECON 143
OPTIONS, FUTURES, AND OTHER DERIVATIVES
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is a study of risk and its management with the use of financial instruments. The course discusses the different financial derivatives, from futures and options to more exotic instruments. Contract specifications, trading rules, pricing, and hedging strategies are discussed for each of the financial derivatives studies.

ECON 144
GAME THEORY FOR ECONOMISTS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is an introduction to game theory with emphasis on non-cooperative game theory: static and dynamic games of complete and incomplete information. Other topics include the basics of cooperative game theory, theories of bargaining, and the limits of game-theoretic economic analysis.

ECON 145
ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY OF THE PHILIPPINES
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is a spatial and economic inventory, classification, and development of the land, physical, and socioeconomic resources of the Philippines. It is an integrated assessment of the country’s patrimony and their impacts to regional and national development.

ECON 146
LAW AND ECONOMICS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course introduces the economic approach to the analysis of the law. Economic theories are used to assess the economic efficiency of laws and legal rules and to identify the best way to design rules that maximize social welfare. Economic concepts are used in examining private laws like torts, property, contracts, criminal law, and intellectual property. It would also apply economic analyses to public international law and Philippines regulatory policies.

ECON 150
ECONOMICS OF PUBLIC FINANCE
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 110
An analysis of the role of the government in allocating resources through its tax- expenditures program. Focus is on the national government and the use of fiscal policies to promote growth and maintain economic stability. Evaluation criteria are developed and applied to specific policies.

ECON 153
HEALTH ECONOMICS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is an introduction to economic analysis as applied to the health sector. Topics include the relationships between health and development, current concerns on efficiency and equity of public and private systems, evaluation of health and health care, and pricing and government regulations.

ECON 154
ECONOMICS OF POPULATION
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is an examination of the factors that lead to population growth and its economic consequences. Using household consumption and production models, the existing conditions pertaining to the country’s demography are not only analyzed but the evolution of the different methodologies used are also considered.

ECON 155
ECONOMICS OF LABOR
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is a study of the institutional organization of labor markets and the major policy questions involved. Major topics include wage and employment theory, determinants of the level and structure of wage, technological change, unemployment, poverty and income distribution, inflation and income policy, and international trade and labor policy.

ECON 156
ECONOMICS OF EDUCATION
3 UNITS
Pre-requisites: ECON 110 or ECON 111
The course teaches the economic principles that can be used to analyze the education sector of a country as an integral part of the economy. These include the production of education, demand and supply factors, market competition between educational institutions, the role of the state, and impact on sustainable development.

ECON 157
URBAN AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 110
A study of the economies of industry location, land utilization, urban structure and regional expansions, emphasizing their independence and the contribution of public policy to locational objectives, methods, stability, and balance.

ECON 159
ECONOMICS OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is an analysis of the relationship and effects of economic activities on the environment but also the conceptual and policy tools to address environmental problems. Key topics include market failure and externalities, economic functions of the environment, and meaning, conditions, and constraints of sustainable development. Other topics include culture and values in resource management, market and non-market based approaches to environmental problems, valuation techniques of non-marketed goods, property rights and concept of environmental rights and justice, and importance of environmental education in promoting positive environmental attitudes.

ECON 160
ECONOMICS OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is an analysis of the transformation of a country’s agricultural sector to support industrial and service sectors. Topics include the problem and processes of evoking agricultural modernization, techniques of capturing gains in agricultural productivity for accelerated capital accumulation, and major policy implications involved.

ECON 161
PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND PUBLIC POLICY
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is an economic analysis of public policy in the private enterprise system. Topics include the bases for defining the public and private sectors, the role of economic nationalism through public legislation, and the economic performance of industrial organizations characterized by varying degrees of government intervention.

ECON 170
COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC SYSTEMS 
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is a comparative study of economic performance of various free and planned economies on the following major points: stability, resource utilization and growth of industrial and agricultural production, consumption, investment, foreign trade, and total output.

ECON 176
ECONOMICS OF THE PAPAL ENCYCLICALS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course is a consideration of economics and its processes in relation to people and the larger society in which they work, in light of Catholic Social Teaching.

ECON 185.05
SPECIAL TOPICS IN ECONOMICS: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This is an analysis of the agrarian situation within the framework of the logic of capitalism in relation to peripheral economies. Principles of project and resource management are also discussed as tools that can aid in the goal of rural development.

ECON 185.42
SPECIAL TOPICS IN ECONOMICS: INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN ECONOMIC INTEGRATION
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 110
This is an analysis of economic theories and empirical studies on European economic integration through the adoption of common policies and the elimination of economic frontiers. Focus is on the relevant economic theories and empirical studies to understand the integration process.

ECON 185.48
SPECIAL TOPICS IN ECONOMICS: MODERN CHINESE ECONOMY
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 110
This is an introduction to the modern Chinese economy focusing on reforms undertaken to move from a centrally-planned to a market-oriented economy, and how it has increasingly integrated itself into the global economy.

ECON 185.61
SPECIAL TOPICS IN ECONOMICS: SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 102
The Social, Political Economy, and Ecological Economics (SPEEC) course offers an interdisciplinary approach to understanding global issues such as wealth concentration, inequality, poverty, systemic injustices, authoritarianism, pandemics, environmental degradation, and climate change. It challenges traditional, monodisciplinary perspectives that focus on market equilibrium or individual rationality, advocating for a comprehensive framework that integrates diverse disciplines to address complex socio-political and ecological problems.

ECON 185.65i
ECONOMICS OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW
3 UNITS
Pre-requisites: None
The course draws from the alternative schools of economic thought (Institutional Economics/Industrial Relations vis-a-vis Neoclassical Economics) on the complex relationships arising from the labor market, especially market efficiency and government intervention. Through an integrated presentation of laws, policies, cases, data, and narratives of labor issues in a single-country/cross-country context, labor and employment law, particularly on employment relationship, security of tenure, minimum wage, and standards of work, among others, are discussed using the lens of economic analysis. The emerging trends in 21st century labor and work are also examined.

ECON 185.68i
SPECIAL TOPICS IN ECONOMICS: THE ECONOMY OF COMMUNION
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This elective course with its genesis in Catholic social doctrine and the spirituality of unity. With its focus on reciprocity and respect for human dignity, it places the human person at the center of business and goes beyond corporate social responsibility or philanthropy. It considers all possible stakeholders—management, employees, customers, competitors, and broader community--as candidates for unity. The economic and relational life of the businesses are based on Gospel principles freely adopted by entrepreneurs, who freely commit their profits to three purposes: assistance to the poor, formation of persons in the culture of giving, and reinvestment in businesses.

ECON 185.69i
LAW, ECONOMICS, AND PUBLIC POLICY
3 UNITS
Pre-requisites: None
This course introduces basic insights from the field of Law and Economics and applies them to current socio-economic problems with emphasis on the formulation of public policy. This is relevant especially in a developing country context wherein the correct implementation of the legal framework is a key institutional driver of economic growth. Economic topics include market structures, property rights, externalities, public goods, collective action, rent-seeking and the contractual nature of the state. Law topics include political law, taxation law, property law, obligations and contracts, competition policy, environmental and financial regulation, labor law, and criminal law.

ECON 185.70
SPECIAL TOPICS IN ECONOMICS: SOUTH KOREAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This course provides an overview of the economic development of South Korea from the end of World War II to the present time. It reviews South Korea’s economic development policies, culture, and social value system to explain its success and, more importantly, distill valuable learning insights for the Philippine economy.

ECON 185.73
INTRODUCTION TO BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisites: ECON 111 and ECON 112
This course introduces behavioral economics as a field of inquiry that combines psychology and economics. It seeks to present a better understanding of human behavior under conditions of certainty and uncertainty. Selected topics link theory with empirical applications, including business, finance, investment, health, law and public policy. Upon completing the course, the students must be able to: understand the contributions of behavioral economics to economic theory and empirical research, gain adequate exposure on how behavioral economics can be applied to various fields, and have a working knowledge on how to design and run economic experiments. Students shall have the opportunity to apply concepts learned to analyze research or current socio-economic problems, and to draft a research proposal using an experiment as methodology.

ECON 185.77i
UNDERSTANDING MONEY BEHAVIOR THROUGH BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
3 UNITS
Pre-requisites: None
The course helps students develop a high FQ or “Financial Intelligence Quotient,” which is the focus of understanding and handling one’s personal finances. The underlying behavioral principles affecting our attitudes to money will be studied and tested by the students themselves. Selected experiments will be conducted by students. Furthermore, since these Behavioral Economics principles are not only applicable in finances but in all important aspects of life, the learnings from this course will significantly help in the students’ adulting journey (i.e., psychosocial and physiological development).

ECON 185.78i
DATA SCIENCE FOR ECONOMISTS
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 117.01 and ECON 117.02, or equivalent
This course is an introduction to techniques for compiling, visualizing, and understanding data to describe real world socioeconomic and business phenomena and to design more effective public policy. Emphasis will be on data wrangling, visualization, and modelling techniques using programming software to be introduced in the course rather than on statistical theory. Course applications may include geospatial models as applied to urban and environmental economics, time series models and machine learning as applied to macroeconomics, and other business and financial models. In addition, the course gives an overview of data ethics.

SOCSC 13
THE ECONOMY, SOCIETY, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
3 UNITS
Pre-requisites: SocSc 12
This course focuses on deepening students’ understanding of the processes of economic and social development, as well as their knowledge of concepts and skills in addressing poverty, exclusion, inequality and vulnerability in the context of the Philippines. Theories and measures of marginalization will be tackled, and alternatives to addressing the challenge of poverty discussed. The course will draw upon the concept of sustainable development as a framework for ensuring that problems related to poverty and marginalization are addressed in ways that are socially-just and environmentally sustainable. Throughout the course, and as part of their National Service Training Program (NSTP), students will be provided with opportunities to observe and participate in programs and projects that address poverty-related issues through fieldwork activities with partner government and non-government agencies, people’s organizations and other civil society groups.

SOCSC 130i
POLITICAL ECONOMY OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION 
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: None
This course provides an overview of international migration’s many aspects: from the economic to the political, social, and cultural, and unpacks the issues surrounding this important issue. All these aspects shape debates about migration’s desirability (or even objections to this). As one of the world’s notable countries of emigration, the Philippines provides an ideal background to study the interplay of migration’s “push” factors in sending countries and “pull” factors in receiving countries. This course aims to foster an integrative outlook on migration’s various promises and shortcomings.

SOCSC 130i
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
3 UNITS
Pre-requisites: None
The course provides an overview of international migration’s many aspects: from the economic to the political, social, and cultural, and unpacks the issues surrounding this important subject. All these aspects shape debates about migration’s desirability (or even objections to this). As one of the world’s notable countries of emigration, the Philippines provides an ideal background to study the interplay of migration’s “push” factors in sending countries and “pull” factors in receiving countries. This course aims to foster an integrative outlook on migration’s various promises and shortcomings, particularly in view of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on migration.

SOCSC 131i
THE RIGHT TO FOOD, FOOD SYSTEMS, AND DEVELOPMENT
3 UNITS
Pre-requisites: None
The course provides an overview of a rights-based approach to development as applied to the right to adequate food in the context of sustainability and socioeconomic development in the Philippines and other countries. It will discuss rights and obligations, recourse mechanisms, a history of the right to food and the right to food experiences. The course will provide a conceptual framework of Food Systems and Development, including food production, food security and nutrition and healthy diets, water, sanitation, social safety nets and vulnerabilities. Selected issues within this framework will be discussed and possibilities for involvement under a practicum/ service-learning scheme.

SOCSC 134i
COMPETITION POLICY AND THE LAW
3 UNITS
Pre-requisite: ECON 110
This course is an introduction to the different theories and concepts regarding the current practice underlying the promotion of market competition. It provides basic concepts in understanding the underlying laws regarding prohibiting unfair competition and anti-trust laws. It also compares different competition policies in the Philippines and across different countries, particularly in the European Union and the United States of America. It examines firm behavior and policies towards rivals and consumers.