Exercises in Economic Growth

Spring 2011, Mondays 8-10, CSS 2.1.18

Generally, the problem set for class exercises will be normally announced here Wednesday at 14:00 the week before. You are supposed to try solving the problems before meeting in class. Instructor is Niklas Brønager, who uses the class site under Economic Growth in Absalon for electronic communication with the participants.

Week Topic Solve                                    Comments
        before        after
6 Conceptual issues. Catching-up. Technology, CRS or? Solow in continuous time Problem I.1, I.3, I.4, and as much as possible from I.5 in Problem Set I.
 		 In addition to preparing the problems, reading Lecture Note 1 is recommended. For the conceptual issues around technology you may consult your earlier textbooks or my Lecture Notes in Macroeconomics, Ch. 1 and 2. I.3 was postponed.
 
7 Solow in continuous time (cont.), stocks versus flows, the key role of diminishing marginal productivity (asymptotic AK model). Finish I.5 (from g)), solve I.6, I.3, and if time allows I.7 See corrections here.
As a follow-up on Acemoglu's misleading Fig. 2.10, p. 56, to Problem I.7 we add the question: For B = 0, draw a correct phase diagram,  both in the same form as Fig. 2.9, p. 52, and in the (k, y) plane.
8 Speed of convergence. Growth accounting vs. sources of growth. Finish I.6 (from d)), solve I.9, II.1, II.2, and if time allows, II.3. The exercise problems are at the same time illuminating and brief. A small correction to II.3.  
9 Winter break      
10 Speed of (within-country) speed of convergence. Barro growth regression. Population breeds ideas. Solve III.1, III.2, III.3, and, if time allows, III.4.   Most of III.3 and all of III.4 were postponed to Week 11.
11 Population breeds ideas, cnt'd. The Ramsey model and conditional convergence. Finsh III.3, solve III.4, II.4, and, if time allows, II.5   II.5 postponed to Week 13.
12 Workshop teaching Homework 1, see time table. Bring a laptop. The MATLAB code package is named "Ramsey model with public sector".  
13 The Ramsey model, Kaldor's stylized facts, a positive technology shock, technology catching-up under perfect capital mobility. II.5, II.8, and IV.1. As to IV.1, refresh your memory of Bernard and Jones (1996). IV.1 was postponed to Week 14.
14 Catching-up cont'ed. The formation and role of human capital. IV.1 and IV.2. As to IV.1, take a look at LN 5. Note that in IV.2, people first go to school full-time in s years, after which they work full-time until death. So s in IV.2 is not similar to s in Acemoglu's §10.1, but similar to S in his §10.2. IV.2, e)-i) postponed to Week 15.
15 Human capital cont'd. Finish IV.2 and solve V.2 and V.3.
16 A public productive service, taxation, and growth, I. Solve VI.1 and, if time allows, VI.2. (Help to VI.1 is here). Updated help to VI.1 is here.
17 No class (Easter)      
18 Workshop teaching Homework 2, see time table. Each group should bring a laptop or pocket calculator. Clarification/correction to Problem 1f) here.  
19 A public productive service, taxation, and growth, II. Finish VI.1 and solve VI.2. If time allows, discuss g) of VI.3. See the updated help to VI.1 here.  
20 Expanding input variety Solve VII.1, VII.2, and if time allows VII.3. See LN 9 on the financing of R&D  
21 Expanding input variety continued. Finish VII.2 and solve VII.3 and VIII.1.   Solution to VIII.1