ECON4215 – Microeconomics
Course description
Course content
- Production and consumer theory
- Partial and general equilibrium analysis; main welfare theorems
- Decisions under uncertainty
- Game theory, including theory and concepts for non-cooperative games
- Elements of the economics of information
Learning outcome
Knowledge outcomes:
The students must be acquainted with the basics of microeconomic analysis, that is, the main results in production and consumer theory and the intuition underlying the main welfare theorems. Moreover, the student shall learn the basic concepts and results of decisions under uncertainty and non-cooperative game theory. Finally, the student is expected to learn the basic concepts and results of the economics of information, including the concept of moral hazard and adverse selection.
Skills:
The students should be able to formulate and solve simple economic problems involving consumers and producers and the interaction between them. Moreover, the student should be able to handle models that involve strategic interaction as non-cooperative games, and should be able to solve such games. The students must realize that many forms of economic interaction involve problems of asymmetric information, and should be able to handle simple models that capture various kinds of informational asymmetry.
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.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Bachelor’s degree in Economics, or equivalent. Students must have completed ECON2200 – Matematikk 1/Mikro 1 (MM1) (discontinued) or MAT1100 – Calculus and MAT1700 – Introduction to micro and macro economics (discontinued) in order to attend this course.
Overlapping courses
10 credits against ECON3215 - Microeconomics. 10 credits against ECON 3210/4210 - Decisions, markets and incentives . 5 credits against ECON 4230 - Microeconomic theory . 5 credits against ECON 4240 - Game theory and economics of information .
10 credits against S?KMTL Samfunns?konomi mellomfagstillegg. 10 credits against SO?MTL / SO?MTL95 / SO?MTL99 Sosial?konomi mellomfagstillegg.
Teaching
Lectures: 2 hours per week throughout the semester.
Seminars: 2 hours per week through parts of the semester.
At least two times during the semester the students will use the lectures and the seminars for solving problems in groups with the teacher present.
Access to teaching
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.
Examination
A 3-hour written school exam.
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Language of examination
The problem set will be given in English. Answers can be given in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or in English. See § 5.4 in Regulations governing studies and examinations at the University of Oslo.
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
Resit an examination
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.
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.