ECON207 - Comparative Economic and Financial Systems

3 credits
Despite the evolution of many world economies toward the market system and privatization, the major differences - formal, cultural, and informal - in the financial, legal, accounting, social and economic institutions, ownership, business practices and economic policy-making in both the transitioning economies and the world’s major economies pose major challenges for international business decision making and cause major differences in economic performance, income distribution, growth and efficiency of these economies. This course analyzes these components of an economy within a decision-making-information-motivation framework. Examples will be drawn from a number of economies including US, EU, Russia, Mexico, China and Pakistan. Of particular interest are macroeconomic institutions, monetary and fiscal policy, relationships to the world economic organizations as well as the internal political and legal frame work which influences privatization, market structures, competition and comparative internalization of social costs. Also examines the impact of systems and the political and social relationships in the behavior of economic institutions.
Prerequisites: Economics 101 or 103 and 102 or 104; English 110