ECON 451
The Macroeconomics of National Saving
Last Offered Spring 2009
Division II
This course is not offered in the current catalog

This seminar provides a detailed examination of topics related to the macroeconomics of national saving (which is the sum of household, corporate, and government saving). Topics include theoretical and empirical analyses of the effects of budget deficits on economic growth; general-equilibrium effects of taxation and government spending; the efficacy of tax-favored saving vehicles, such as 401(k) plans, in promoting national saving and welfare; the effects of national saving on capital accumulation and labor supply; and the intergenerational consequences of deficits and debt. The emphasis in this seminar will be on quantifying the importance of these topics using a combination of econometrics and numerical models. Students will have an opportunity to apply these methods in a required end-of-term research paper.