14.06 | Spring 2004 | Undergraduate

Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory

Readings

The main text for the course is Romer, David. Advanced Macroeconomics , 2nd ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2001. ISBN: 0072318554. Supplementary readings include lecture notes, as well as journal articles and selections from other books. The other items are recommended but are not required.

LEC # TOPICS READINGS
1 Introduction to Growth Facts and    
Growth Models

Required Readings

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap. 1. ISBN: 0072318554.

Solow, R. M. “A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 70 (1956): 65-94.

Recommended Readings

Barro, R. J., and X. Sala-i-Martin. Economic Growth. 1995, chap. 1 and 12.

2 The Neoclassical Growth Model

Required Readings

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap. 2. ISBN: 0072318554.

Mankiw, N. G., D. Romer, and D. Weil. “A Contribution to the Empirics of Economic Growth.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 107 (1992): 401-437.

Recommended Readings   
Barro, R. J., and X. Sala-i-Martin. Economic Growth. 1995, chap. 2 and 3.

Blanchard, O., and S. Fischer. Lectures on Macroeconomics. 1989, chap. 3.

3 Overlapping Generations

Required Readings

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap. 2. ISBN: 0072318554.

Barro, R. J. “Are Government Bonds Net Wealth?” Journal of Political Economy 82 (1974): 1095-1117.

Diamond, P. “National Debt in a Neoclassical Growth Model.” American Economic Review 55 (1965): 1126-1150.

Recommended Readings

Blanchard, O. “Debt, Deficits and Finite Horizons.” Journal of Political Economy 93 (1985): 223-247.

4 Applications: Fluctuations, Investment, Asset Pricing, Public Finance, Behavioral

Required Readings

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap. 7 and 8. ISBN: 0072318554.

Barro, R. J., “On the Determination of the Public Debt.” Journal of Political Economy 87 (1979): 940-71.

Recommended Readings

Barro, R. “Ramsey Meets Laibson in the Neoclassical Growth Model.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 114 (1999): 1125-1152.

Laibson, D. “Golden Eggs and Hyperbolic Discounting.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 112 (1997): 443-478.

Lucas, R. E, Jr. “Asset Prices in an Exchange Economy.” Econometrica 46 (1978): 1429-1445.

5 Endogenous Growth: Externalities, R&D, Innovation

Required Readings

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap 3. ISBN: 0072318554.

Romer, P. M. “Increasing Returns and Long-Run Growth.” Journal of Political Economy 94 (1986): S1002-S1037.

Lucas, R. E., Jr. “On the Mechanics of Economic Development.” Journal of Monetary Economics 22 (1988): 3-42.

Romer, P. M. “Endogenous Technological Change.” Journal of Political Economy 98 (1990): 71-102.

Recommended Readings   
Barro, R. J., and X. Sala-i-Martin. Economic Growth. 1995, chap. 4-7.

Lucas, R. E., Jr. “Making a Miracle.” Econometrica 61 (1993): 251-272.

Aghion, P., and P. Howitt. “A Model of Growth Through Creative Destruction.” Econometrica 60 (1992): 323-351. 

6 Real Business Cycles

Required Readings

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap. 4. ISBN: 0072318554.

Kydland, F., and Prescott, E. C. “Time to Build and Aggregate Fluctuations.” Econometrica 50 (1982): 1345-1370.

Lucas, R. E., Jr. “An Equilibrium Model of the Business Cycle.” Journal of Political Economy 81 (1975): 1113-1144.

Recommended Readings

Barro, R. Macroeconomics. Chap. 9. MIT Press, 1998. ISBN: 0262024365.

Prescott, E. C. “Theory Ahead of Business Cycle Measurement.” Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. 1986, pp. 9-22.

Lucas, R. E., Jr. Models of Business Cycles. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1987.

7 The IS-LM Model

Required Readings

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap. 5. ISBN: 0072318554.

Recommended Readings   
Blanchard, O. “Why Does Money Affect Output? A Survey.” In Handbook of Monetary Economics. Edited by B. Friedman and F. Hahn. North Holland: 1990, pp. 779-835.

8 Incomplete Nominal Adjustment

Required Readings

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap. 6. ISBN: 0072318554.

Mankiw, N. G. “Small Menu Costs and Large Business Cycles: A Macroeconomic Model of Monopoly.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 100 (1985): 529-539.

Recommended Readings

Calvo, G. “Staggered Prices in a Utility-Maximizing Framework.” Journal of Monetary Economics 12 (1983): 383-398.

9 Incomplete Financial Markets

Required Readings  

Obstfeld, M. “Risk-Taking, Global Diversification, and Growth.” American Economic Review 84 (1994): 1310-1329.

Bernanke, B., and M. Gertler. “Agency Costs, Collateral, and Business Fluctuations.” American Economic Review 79 (1989): 87-114.

Recommended Readings

Greenwood, J., and B. Jovanovic. “Financial Development, Growth, and the Distribution of Income.” Journal of Political Economy 98 (1990): 219-240.

Banarjee, A., and A. Newman. “Occupational Choice in the Process of Development.” Journal of Political Economy 101 (1993): 274-298.

10 Unemployment

Required Readings

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap. 9 and 10. ISBN: 0072318554.

Shapiro, C. and J. Stiglitz. “Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device.” American Economic Review 74 (1984): 433-444.

Recommended Readings

Diamond, P. “Aggregate Demand Management in Search Equilibrium.” Journal of Political Economy 90 (1982): 881-894. 

11 Consumption and    
Savings

Required Readings 

Romer, D. Advanced Macroeconomics. 2001, chap. 7. ISBN: 0072318554.

Recommeded Readings

Hall, R. E. “Stochastic Implications of the Life Cycle-Permanent Income Hypothesis: Theory and Evidence.” Journal of Political Economy 86 (1978): 971-987.

Course Info

Departments
As Taught In
Spring 2004
Learning Resource Types
Problem Sets with Solutions
Exams
Lecture Notes