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ECON4415 - International trade

Facts about this course:
Credits:10
Level:Advanced course at master's level
Teaching semester:Every autumn semester
Examination semester:Every autumn semester
Language of instruction:English
Administrated by:Department of Economics
Detailed course information - Current and previous semesters:

Course content

The course aims to give students a broad training in international economics at the advanced level using mathematical techniques. The course consists of the fundamentals of trade theory and its application to policy.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge outcomes
• Comparative advantage and the gains from trade.
• Theories of comparative advantage
• Patterns and forces of international trade in a world with many goods and factors of production
• Empirical tests of trade models
• International trade and factor mobility
• Theories of trade under imperfect competition and increasing returns to scale
• New economic geography: the role of location and externalities in shaping the pattern of production and trade
• Foreign Direct Investment and Multinational corporations
• International trade and growth

Skills
By the end of this course students should be able to do the following
• Understand the general equilibrium relationship between factor endowments, the location of production, and international trade.
• Use general equilibrium techniques to analyse a variety of issues in international trade including the links between trade and wage inequality and the effects of trade policy.
• Understand the implications of imperfect competition, increasing returns to scale, and transport costs for patterns of international trade, the conduct of trade policy, and the location of economic activity in space.
• Understand the working and applications of models of Foreign Direct Investment.
• Know some of the empirical evidence relating to international trade, the geographical concentration of production, and Foreign Direct Investment.
• To use and adapt economic models to address key issues in international trade

Admission

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in StudentWeb.

Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisites

ECON4200 - Microeconomics and game theory, ECON4215 - Microeconomics, ECON4230 - Microeconomic Theory or ECON4235 - Microeconomic Theory
The prerequisites are fulfilled if one of the courses mentioned above is taken during the same semester as ECON4415 - International trade

Overlap

10 credits against SØK475 International trade.

Teaching

Lectures: 2 hours per week througout the semester.

Seminars: 2 hours per week through parts of the semester.

There might occur weeks exempt from teaching.

Exam information

A 3-hour written school exam.

Exam resources

No special exam resources are allowed.

Language of examination

The problem set will be given in English. Answers can be given in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or in English. See § 6.4 i Forskrift om studier og eksamener ved Universitetet i Oslo .

Assessment and grading

Course grades are awarded on a descending scale using alphabetic grades from A to E for passes and F for fail. Read more about the grading system .

An external auditor regularly evaluates the academic quality of the course, including the form of exam used on the course.

Explanations and appeals

Students can request an explanation of their grades, and can also appeal against their grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals

Possibility of make-up exams and re-takes

The Department of Economics has passed following resolution for ECON-courses: It will no longer be possible for candidates to register for an exam in a lower level course after having passed exams in intermediate and advanced level courses in the same subject area (also where there are no pre-requisites that apply to the intermediate course). Further information can be found here.

Students who might wish to retake the exam later, are not guaranteed that the course is ever repeated with a similar reading list, nor that the exam arrangement will be the same.

You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam .

Withdrawing from exams and limits on re-takes

A student can sit for this exam up to 3 times. If a student wishes to withdraw from the exam, s/he must do this in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the first day of the exam. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit for the exam.

Exam options for students with special needs

Students may apply for access to alternative exam resources or exam forms on the basis of chronic illness and/or special needs that create a marked disadvantage to other students in the exam situation. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.

Contact us

Department of Economics

Visiting address: 
Moltke Moes vei 31, Eilert Sundts house, 12th floor

Visiting hours: 
10.15-11.00 and 12.15-15.00

Postal address: 
P.O box 1095 Blindern
0317 Oslo

Phone: +47 22855127
Fax: +47 22855035
E-mail: 
Web: http://www.sv.uio.no/econ/english/