Stanley Reynolds
Courses
Econ 406/506 - Experimental Economics
Fall Semester - 2022
Experiments are used in economics, like they are in the natural sciences and in psychology, to learn about the world around us. In the case of experimental economics, the goal is to better understand how people make decisions in economic settings and how these translate into overall market and group outcomes. The objectives of this course are to acquaint you with the main findings from economic experiments, give you experience participating in and designing experiments, and show you how the insights gained can be used in business settings.
The textbook for the course is Markets, Games and Strategic Behavior, by Charles A. Holt, Princeton University Press.
Econ 473 - Energy Markets & Environmental Economics
Fall Semester - 2022
Energy is the lifeblood of any modern economy and a key to economic development for impoverished people around the world. We will explore the role of energy in the economy and examine the workings of major types of energy markets: coal, oil, natural gas, electricity, etc. Our exploration will utilize tools from microeconomics and statistics that you have learned about in prior classes. A key goal is for you to develop and improve your problem-solving and analytical skills by applying these tools to energy questions.
The other major part of the course is the role of energy in environmental and climate policy. Climate change may well be one of the biggest issues facing humanity during your lifetime and the decisions we collectively make about energy will drive what happens to climate. Energy policy issues will be explored throughout the class, including a series of in-class debates over policy positions, with teams of students taking opposite sides of each debate.
Economics 696P - Industrial Organization & Regulation 1
Spring Semester - 2022
This is the first course in a two-semester sequence in Industrial Organization (IO) and Regulation. This course is intended to familiarize students with research and methods at the frontiers of IO and Regulation. The focus is on theoretical and conceptual material. My main goals are (1) to provide students with a solid understanding of the structure of markets and how market structure influences the strategic behavior of firms and their customers; and (2) to help students begin their own research agenda. The second course in the sequence, Economics 696Q, focuses on empirical research. There is a huge volume of published research in Industrial Organization so the coverage of material is, by necessity, somewhat selective. Students interested in this field are strongly encouraged to take courses in advanced microeconomic theory, game theory, behavioral economics and econometrics.
IO is an important field within academic economics. In addition, IO has value for those who pursue careers in public policy analysis (e.g., in agencies dealing with utility regulation, anti-trust, or consumer protection), in management consulting (especially around IO issues on pricing, mergers, intellectual property, and competition analysis), and in fields with overlapping areas of interest such as marketing, business strategy, and information systems.