| REGULATIONS
FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ECONOMICS(BEcon) (See also General Regulations, pp. 1 to 16) |
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The degree of Bachelor of Economics is an
undergraduate degree, awarded for the satisfactory
completion of a prescribed course of specialist training
in economics. This degree programme is offered by the
School of Economics and Finance. BE 1 In these Regulations, and in the Syllabuses for the degree of BEcon, unless the context otherwise requires ¡X
BE 2 To be eligible for admission to the degree of Bachelor of Economics candidates shall
BE 3 The curriculum for the degree of Bachelor of Economics shall extend over not less than three academic years, and shall include the Final Examination Part I, Part II and Part III held annually, at the end of the first, second and third years respectively. Candidates shall select courses in accordance with Regulations BE 7 and BE 10 below, and such selection shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Studies of the School of Economics and Finance. BE 4 In the Final Examination Part I, Part II and Part III, an assessment of the candidates' coursework during the year, including the completion of written assignments, quizzes, term tests, and participation in fieldwork or laboratory work, as the case may be, shall be taken into account in determining their results in each paper. Except where prescribed in the syllabuses, the weight of coursework is set at 40% of the total marks. BE 5 Subject to the conditions prescribed in the syllabuses, candidates may offer a project paper or dissertation in lieu of one or two written papers in the Final Examination. BE 6 Candidates who are unable because of illness to be present for any paper or papers in the Final Examination Part I and Part II may apply for permission to present themselves for a supplementary examination to be held before the beginning of the first semester of the following academic year. Any such application shall be made on the form prescribed within two weeks of the first day of absence from any examination. Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in one or more papers in such a supplementary examination shall be considered under the provisions made in these regulations for failure at the first attempt at the examination, except that a further supplementary examination shall not be permitted. BE 7 To complete the first year of the curriculum, candidates shall follow seven courses plus the compulsory English course and satisfy the examiners at the Final Examination Part I which shall consist of one paper in each of the courses selected, together with any fieldwork, oral and practical tests prescribed in the syllabus; provided that the candidates select each course subject to the special requirements listed with it. BE 8 Candidates in the Final Examination Part I who have failed to satisfy the examiners in one paper only (other than the prerequisite paper for compulsory courses to be taken in the second and third years of study) but have achieved in their opinion a sufficiently high standard in other papers to compensate for that failure, may be deemed to have satisfied the examiners but shall not be permitted to select a second- or third-year course for which the failed paper forms a prerequisite, unless they are given permission by the department concerned to sit a qualifying examination in the failed paper and satisfy the examiners in this. BE 9
BE 10
BE 11 Subject to the provisions under Regulation BE 5, the title of the dissertation shall be submitted for approval by the Head of the School not later than January 1 of the third year of the curriculum, and the dissertation must be presented by a date prescribed in the syllabuses. Candidates shall submit a statement that the dissertations represent their own work (or in the case of joint work, a statement countersigned by their co-worker(s), which shows the degree of their work) undertaken after registration in the course. BE 12 An alphabetical list shall be published of candidates successful in the Final Examination Parts I and II, while the list of candidates successful in the whole of the Final Examination shall be published in five divisions: First Class Honours, Second Class Honours Division One, Second Class Honours Division Two, Third Class Honours, Pass. The standard attained in each of the three Parts of the Final Examination shall be taken into account in determining the candidates' classifications. BE 13
BE 14
SYLLABUSES FOR THE DEGREE
OF First Year
Courses 11001. Introduction to economics I (Compulsory and prerequisite for all second- and third-year courses.) An introduction to the basic concepts and principles of economics, with emphasis on the theoretical framework of choice theory, the nature of constraints, the measure of value, the laws of demand and productivity, and the implications for resource use and employment. 11002. Introduction to economics II (Compulsory for BEcon students.) Further discussion of demand and supply and multi-market equilibrium, especially in an aggregative context. An introduction to money, banking, financial markets, and open economies. 24118. Mathematics for social sciences: course I.1 (Compulsory for candidates without a pass or above in Advanced Supplementary Level Mathematics and Statistics or Advanced Level Pure Mathematics and not taking 24119 as an alternative. The Department of Mathematics does not allow candidates with a pass in Advanced Supplementary Level Mathematics and Statistics or Advanced Level Pure Mathematics to take this course. Such students are however eligible to take either 24119 or 24303.) The course is intended for students who wish to use mathematics as a tool and have done little mathematics since Form 5.
24119. Mathematics for social sciences: course I.2 The course introduces students to the basic techniques of mathematics. It is intended for students who wish to use mathematics as a tool. Students may not take both 24118 and 24119.
17101. Elementary statistical methods (Not available to candidates with a pass or above in Advanced Level Pure Mathematics.) The discipline of statistics is concerned with situations involving uncertainty and variability. Variability greatly affects the interpretation of data. Thus statistics forms an important descriptive and analytical tool for economics. This elementary course, which is taught without any technical mathematics, presents many standard situations of data interpretation. The statistical tests for these situations are presented. 17103. Introductory statistics (Candidates with Advanced Supplementary Level Mathematics and Statistics or courses 24118 or 24119 are eligible for this course, but may opt for course 17101.) The discipline of statistics is concerned with situations involving uncertainty and variability. The interpretation of data is greatly affected when variability plays a role, as it usually does. Thus statistics forms an important descriptive and analytical tool for economics. Candidates with a mathematical background will find this course suitable, because the language of mathematics allows the subject of statistics to be presented with economy and clarity.
17106. Probability and statistics This course provides the basic foundations in probability and statistics for students in the Statistics Stream or BSc(ActuarSc), though the course is also suitable for mathematically-able students from other quantitative curricula. Probability theory underpins the study of statistics. The course aims firstly to develop skills in probabilistic analysis for problems involving randomness. Random variables and probability distributions are studied in depth. The concepts of statistics are then introduced, guided by motivating examples. Prerequisite: Advanced Level Pure Mathematics or equivalent. 77100. English for academic communication (Compulsory for BEcon students.) The course prepares students to respond effectively to the communicative demands of academic study in English. Through text-based activities in class and investigative project work related to language and disciplinary issues, the course develops abilities to analyse and evaluate extended texts, and to produce clear and coherent spoken and written discourses. It also emphasizes careful revision and editing of essays and project reports to ensure that lexical and grammatical choices are correct and appropriate. Assessment: 100% coursework. Second and Third Years
Compulsory Courses 11101. Microeconomic theory The laws of demand, supply, returns, and costs; price and output determination in different market situations; theory of factor pricing and income distribution; general equilibrium; interest and capital. 11102. Macroeconomic theory Theories of income, employment, and the price level; analysis of secular growth and business fluctuations; introduction to monetary and fiscal policy. (Note: Except with special permission from the Head of the School, candidates shall take courses 11101 and 11102 in the second year of the curriculum.) 11201. Money and banking Principles of money and banking; measurement of monetary aggregates; central banking and commercial banking; money supply process; instruments, effects and practices of monetary policy. 11701. Introductory econometrics This course is an elementary introduction to basic empirical techniques. Topics include: the linear regression model, model specification, properties of the linear model under alternative assumptions, dynamic and simultaneous equation models. Elective Courses Field 1. General Economic Theory 11103. The economics of human resources Investment in human capital; the economics of the family and of discrimination; wage determination and the operation of the labour market; the choice of labour contracts. 11104. Public finance Government revenue and expenditure; resource allocation between the public and private sectors; the fiscal system and internal and external stability; fiscal policy for growth and development; adjustments to budget policy; and analysis of some major forms of taxation. 11105. The economics of consumption behaviour Economic theories of consumption behaviour, from micro to macro levels. Constraints upon choice. Preference maximization and duality. Static demand analysis and demand systems. Separable preferences. Aggregation of preferences. Choice over time and the life cycle hypothesis. Integrated models of consumption and labour supply. Dynamic demand systems. Choice under uncertainty. The Euler equation approach to macroeconomic consumption behaviour. Consumption-based models of asset pricing. The problem of durables. Rational expectations. 11106. Games and decisions The course offers an introduction to the theory of games and decision making under uncertainty, illustrated by examples from specialized branches of economics. Topics may include: expected utility theory, moral hazard and adverse selection, bargaining over the division of a good, models of auctions and bidding behaviour, and the theory of repeated interaction. 11107. History of economic thought A survey of the major analytical writings of economists from Smith to immediately after the Second World War, with emphasis placed on Smith, Ricardo, Marx, Jevons, Marshall, and Keynes. 11108. Selected topics in price theory Alternative meanings of economic efficiency, the specification of constraints for hypothesis testing, the problem of social cost, the dissipation of rent, the theory of the firm and the state, and/or other topics selected by the lecturer(s). (Note: This course is available only to third-year students.) Field 2. Money and Finance 11202. European financial history A survey of the development of money, banking and financial institutions in Europe from early times to the twentieth century. Topics such as bimetallism, the silver standard, the gold standard, inflation and monetary reconstruction after the Napoleonic, First World War and Second World War will also be discussed. 11203. Money and financial markets Money and asset markets; financial sector equilibrium; level and term structure of interest rates; level and growth rate of money and financial assets; transmission of money shocks; theory of monetary policy; money, assets and growth. 11204. The economics of finance A survey of the economic theory underlying corporate and investment finance models, with emphasis on financial instruments. Topics include: balance sheet management and evaluation, capital market equilibrium and efficiency, evolution of credit and money market instruments like financial swaps, stocks and bonds, financial futures and options. Eurocurrencies and the role played by banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions. 11205. Theories of investment Applications of the theory of choice over time (capital theory) to the investment decisions of individuals, firms and economies, under different assumptions regarding certainty, uncertainty, and adjustment costs. 11206. Capital theory General equilibrium theory involving time under certainty conditions. The concepts of full information, stationary state, and steady state. Assumptions about information costs, transaction costs and complete markets. Fisher's separation theorem. Theory of consumption over discrete and continuous time. Theory of production over discrete and continuous time. Determination of general equilibrium over time. Intertemporal prices and interest rates. (Note: Not open to students who have taken 38002.) 38103. International banking Nature of international banking. Comparison with domestic banking. Jurisdiction and regulatory framework: the Basle Concordat. Xeno-currency markets and international banking. International financing techniques: loan syndication, project finance, NIFs, RUFs etc. Risk exposure and control: sovereign risk, country risk, exchange risk, interest risk and credit risk. Management and strategies of international banks. 'National treatment' and financial centres. Field 3. International Economics 11301. Theory of international trade The theory of international trade; the bases, direction, terms, volume, and gains of trade. The effects of tariffs, quantitative restrictions, and international integration. 11302. International finance The interpretation of balance of payments and the adjustment to national and international equilibria, through changes in price levels, exchange rates, and national income. Other topics may include: foreign exchange market and Eurocurrency market, alternative exchange rate regimes, capital movements, exchange controls, and international monetary organizations. 11303. Open economy macroeconomics Topics in the macroeconomics of interdependent economies, which may include: asset market approach to exchange rate and balance of payments determination; rational expectations econometric analysis of exchange markets; game-theoretical analysis of interdependence; international economic policy coordination; devaluation, stabilization and developing countries; international financial integration and regulation. Field 4. Economic Institutions 11401. Comparative economic systems Alternative approaches to the understanding of the operation of economic systems, including an approach based on different structures of property rights. 11402. Industrial organization Study of the pricing and output decisions of firms under conditions of less than perfect competition or monopoly; theories of oligopoly and monopolistic competition; information costs and advertising; examination of pricing practices such as price discrimination, tie-in selling, predatory pricing and resale price maintenance. 11403. The economics of property rights Implications of different structures of property rights for economic behaviour; rights structures classified in terms of exclusivity and transferability; costs of enforcing rights and of forming contracts as main constraints in the derivation of hypotheses; the Coase Theorem and the theories associated with contracting and with the dissipation of rent. 11404. Topics in economic history This course consists of case studies from history to illustrate the development of institutions via the neoinstitutional economics approach. 11405. The economics of law Economic analysis applied to law. Topics may include: efficiency of law, rules of liability, tort rights and remedies, criminal sanction, legislative processes as resource allocating and income distributing mechanisms. 11406. The economy and the state Economic analysis is applied to the study of public choice and the relationship between the state and the economy. Topics include: social choice, collective action, voting and elections, interest groups, bureaucracy, constitutions, law and courts, property rights and institutional change. Field 5. Development and Urbanization 11501. Economic development: theory and policy Characteristics of underdevelopment; factors in economic development; theoretical and policy aspects of development. 11502. Urbanization and economic development Location decisions and agglomeration; system of cities and urban hierarchy; income and employment of cities: determination, fluctuations, and variation; economics of city size. Urban growth analysis; growth of cities, regions, and national economic development. Urbanization in the developing world; cities and growth in East Asia; urban policy in China. 11503. Urban economic problems Study of urban problems and urban economics, with emphasis on microeconomic theory using elementary calculus. Topics covered: cost-benefit analysis and urban problems, urban public finance and fiscal federalism, urban transportation economics, housing market, theory of land rent and land use, environmental economics and pollution. 11504. Transportation economics Microeconomic theory applied to transportation, with emphasis placed on intercity freight and passenger transportation. Topics include: cost function approach to transport supply, economies of scale and traffic density, structure of demand among discrete modal choices, value of time, forecasting of demand and modal split, optimal pricing and investment in infrastructure, contestable markets and the theory of network competition, and regulation of rates, entry and exit. 11505. Project evaluation and financing This course deals with the evaluation and financing of projects using microeconomic tools. It explores the normative aspects of projects, analyses public investment criteria and techniques for performing project appraisal, and employs basic financial analysis, including present value, cost of capital, cost -benefit ratio and internal rates of return calculations. Issues on infrastructure projects such as Build -Operate-Transfer projects, toll roads and bridges, the role of public-private sector participation, cost recovery, international development banks and governmental guarantees will also be discussed. Field 6. Regional Economics 11601. Economic development of China An analytical study of the major problems in China's economic development since 1949. Topics include: economic heritage, development strategy, economic organization, planning, management, reform, and an evaluation of the Chinese experiments. 11602. Foreign trade and investment in China This course has three parts: China trade, Chinese financial markets and direct investment in China. For China trade, topics include: structure and trend of Chinese exports and imports, reform of Chinese foreign trade regime, foreign exchange rate regime and China's role in the new trade environment under the World Trade Organization. For Chinese financial markets emphasis will be placed on Chinese financial institutions and markets including: the central banking system, the commercial banking industry, government and corporate debt markets, the stock market, and the foreign exchange market. For direct investment, theories of corporate finance and corporate governance will be used to analyze the behaviour of Chinese enterprises and the implications of such behaviour for foreign joint ventures. Government regulations will also be covered. 11603. The economic system of Hong Kong Various aspects of the economic system of Hong Kong: its economic structure, the public sector, monetary system and banking, foreign trade and balance of payments, industry, labour and service sector, land and housing, and economic relations with China. 11604. The Japanese economy A survey of the contemporary Japanese economy. Field 7. Quantitative Economics Students intending to read more than one course in this field are strongly encouraged to take course 17202. 11702. Mathematical methods in economics A survey of the application of basic mathematical techniques in the analysis of economic problems. 11703. Mathematical economics Modern economic theory treated mathematically. Topics may include: applications of optimization to choice theory, applications of the implicit function theorem to comparative statics, applications of differential and difference equations to stability of equilibrium, applications of linear mathematics and fixed point theorems to Leontief and Arrow-Debreu models. 11704. Applications of econometrics A survey of empirical work in economics. Topics may vary from year to year, and include: the consumption function, the investment function, the demand for money, and simultaneous equation models. Candidates are required to offer an original project paper in lieu of a written paper in the Final Examination, and it must be presented not later than May 31 of the academic year in which the teaching programme ends. The candidate shall submit a statement that the project paper represents his own work (or in the case of joint work, a statement countersigned by his co-worker(s), which shows the degree of his work) undertaken after registration in the course. Prerequisite: 11701 or 17203 or 17262. 11705. General equilibrium theory A survey of general equilibrium theory, without advanced mathematics whenever possible. Topics include: geometry and applications of the two sector model; existence and stability of equilibrium in n -good models; efficiency properties of general equilibrium. One of the following courses offered by the Department of Statistics is deemed to satisfy the recommendation on selection of elective courses for Field 7: 17202. Statistical inference 17203. Linear statistical analysis or 17262. Linear models and forecasting 17318. Time-series analysis 17232. Statistical concepts and methods Field 8. Reading Course and Dissertation Courses Available Only to Third-Year Students 11801. Reading course This course consists of supervised reading and written work. Candidates may specialize in one topic under the supervision of a lecturer(s). Examples of topics are: the problem of social cost, investment in human capital, general equilibrium theory, empirical methods in international trade, international monetary relations, theories of saving and the East Asian economies, and current economic problems of Hong Kong. An original project paper is required in lieu of a written paper in the Final Examination. It shall not exceed 10,000 words in length, and must be completed and presented not later than May 31 of the third year of the curriculum. Candidates shall submit a statement that the project papers represent their own work (or in the case of joint work, a statement countersigned by their co-worker(s), which shows the degree of their works) undertaken after the registration in the course. 11802. Dissertation (double course) Candidates may write a dissertation under the supervision of a lecturer(s). Topics offered may vary from year to year, depending on the research interests of the staff. A satisfactory dissertation may be offered in lieu of two papers in the Final Examination. Candidates must submit the titles and outlines of their dissertations for approval by the Head of the School not later than January 1 of the third year of the curriculum, and the dissertations, which should not exceed 20,000 words in length, shall be completed and presented not later than May 31 of that academic year. |
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