ECON4415 – International Trade
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Choose semester
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 outcome
Knowledge outcomes
You will learn about
- 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
You should be able to
- 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
- use and adapt economic models to address key issues in international trade
Competence
You should be able to
- read and understand project reports and journal articles that make use of the concepts and methods that are introduced in the course
- make use of the course content in your own academic work, for example in analyses that are part of the master’s thesis
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.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Apply for guest student status if you are admitted to another Master's programme, or have completed a master in Economics at UiO or another Norwegian University.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
- Bachelor's degree in Economics, or equivalent.
- ECON4200 – Microeconomics and Game Theory, ECON4215 – Microeconomics (discontinued), ECON4230 – Microeconomic Theory (discontinued) or ECON4235 – Microeconomic Theory (discontinued)
- The prerequisites are fulfilled if one of the courses mentioned above is taken during the same semester as ECON4415 – International Trade
- Students on the master’s programme in Economic Theory and Econometrics (the 5-year programme) also need ECON3010 – Anvendt økonomisk analyse.
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with SØK475 International trade
Teaching
Lectures: 2 hours per week througout the semester.
Seminars: 2 hours per week through parts of the semester.
Voluntary tuition activities:
- A term paper
Examination
A 3-hour written school exam.
Digital examination
The written examination is conducted in the digital examination system Inspera. You will need to familiarize yourself with the digital examination arrangements in Inspera.
Read more about written examinations using Inspera.
Examination support material
Students may use dictionaries at this exam. Dictionaries must be handed in before the examination. Please read regulations for dictionaries permitted at the examination.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English.You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
It is recommended to request an explanation of your grade before you decide to appeal.
Appeal
Explanation
The deadline to request an explanation is one week after the grade is published. For oral and practical examinations, the deadline is immediately after you have received your grade.
The explanation should normally be given within two weeks after you have asked for it. The examiner decides whether the explanation is to be given in writing or verbally.
Ask for an explanation about the grade in this course.
Ask for an explanation about the grade for postponed exam in this course
Resit an examination
If you are sick or have another valid reason for not attending the regular exam, we offer a postponed exam later in the same semester.
See also our information about resitting an exam.
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.