Faculty Contact Information:
Mr. Andreas Rambow
Adjunct Associate Professor
University of Maryland University College
European Division
Email: arambow@faculty.ed.umuc.edu | |
Consultation:
Email anytime: arambow@faculty.ed.umuc.edu. I check my email daily, but you should allow adequate time for responses.
Fax/Voicemail: +32-2-706-5194. Please reserve this number for emergencies. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
Text used exclusively for this course--
Hyman, D.N. (2005). Public Finance: A Contemporary Application of Theory to Policy (8th ed.). Mason, OH: SouthWestern Publishing.
Text used in multiple courses--
American Pyschological Association. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington D.C.: Author. | |
Supplementary Readings:
| All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
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Course Description:
| Prerequisites: ECON 201 Principles of Economics-Macro and ECON 203 Principles of Economics-Micro, or ECON 505, or equivalent, and undergraduate American political science or American government, or permission of the Program Director. An analysis of the elements, structure, functions, and processes of public finance. This course covers theory and practice of the allocation, distribution, and stabilization roles of the government at national, state, and local levels. | |
Course Goals:
Upon completion of the course, participants should have an understanding of:
- The rationale for the economic activity of the government in a capitalistic economy
- The use of visual and mathematical economic analysis
- The structure, sources, functions, and trends of U.S. public funds
- The role of government in resource allocation, distribution, and stabilization policies
- Economic policy options in a capitalistic economy
- The specific structure of the U.S. personal and corporate income tax structure
- The nature of the federal deficit and debt
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Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
- Analyze how a market system operates with government influence
- Evaluate issues of market failure such as externalities and public goods
- Critique government policies that effect the market economy
- Develop a feeling for the complex nature of the business/government environment
- Utilize government-provided data to evaluate economic performance
- Prepare a written project to discuss some aspect of the public sector
- Provide an oral presentation covering the written project information
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Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A--------------- 100 - 89.5%%
B----------------89.4 – 79.5%
C----------------79.4 – 69.5%
F----------------69.4% and less.
A curve may be applied.
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog.
Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center. | |
Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
Online Participation-----------------------------10%
Weekly End-of-Chapter Problem Sets---------------30%
Midterm Examination------------------------------20%
Final Examination (not cumulative)---------------20%
Writing a gradudate level paper------------------20% | |
Description of Course Requirements:
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Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 14-week graduate distance education courses require at least 10 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Online Participation: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Weekly End-of-Chapter Problem Sets: Each chapter concludes with a set of problems that will require you to apply the economic concepts discussed in the chapter. They are a combination of analysis, computation, and decision-making.
We will cover one chapter per week in this course. The week starts on a Monday and ends the following Monday with the problem sets being due on this day, unless the student has made arrangements with the instructor.
Midterm Examination: The midterm exam will be given in Week 7 of this course and will consist of the material discussed up to that point. The exam will consist of essay questions.
Final Examination: The final exam for this course will be given in Week 14 and is not cumulative. It covers only the material covered after the midterm. The format will be essay questions.
Writing a Graduate-Level Paper: As a graduate student, it is important to develop good and professional writing skills and to be able and present a critical analysis of issues in public policy. The writing assignment will consist of analyzing a current topic in public policy by utilizing economic theory as it applies to public finance. You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. If you have questions about the resubmission, please speak with me directly. | |
Course Schedule:
Week 1:
Chapter 1: Individuals and Government. Problem Set: page 29, Problems 1 - 5. Appendix 1: Tools of Microeconomic Analysis.
Week 2:
Chapter 2: Efficiency, Markets and Governments. Problem Set: page 76, Problems 1 - 5. Appendix 2: Welfare economics.
Week 3:
Chapter 3: Externalities and Government Policy. Problem Set: page 135, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 4:
Chapter 4: Public Goods. Problem Set: page 168, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 5:
Chapter 5: Public Choice and the Political Process. Problem Set: page 214, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 6:
Chapter 6: Cost-Benefit Analysis and Government Investments. Problem Set: page 248, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 7:
Chapter 7: Government Subsidies and Income Support for the Poor. Problem Set: page 299, Problems 1 - 5. Midterm Exam Week.
Term Break
Week 8:
Chapter 8: Social Security and Social Insurance. Problem Set: page 342, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 9:
Chapter 9: Government and Health Care. Problem Set: page 390, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 10:
Chapter 10: Introduction to Government Finance. Problem Set: page 424, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 11:
Chapter 11: Taxation, Prices, Efficiency, and the Distribution of Income. Problem Set: page 462, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 12:
Chapter 12: Budget Balance and Government Debt. Problem Set: page 500, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 13:
Chapter 13: The Theory of Income Taxation. Problem Set: page 534, Problems 1 - 5.
Week 14:
Chapter 14: Taxation of Personal Income Tax in the United States. Problem Set: page 579, Problems 1 - 5. Final Exam Week. Writing Assignment Due. | |
Academic Policies:
The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
| Professor Rambow has been a faculty member since 1995. He took his degrees from George Mason University, Marymount University, and his Doctorate of Business Administration, with an emphasis in Economics, from Newport University. | |