This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)
Module ECON2261: Microeconomic applications and policy
Department: Economics
ECON2261: Microeconomic applications and policy
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 2 | 20 | Available in 2025/2026 | None. | Durham |
Tied To
- CFC0: Natural Sciences (Psychology pathway)
- CFG0: Natural Sciences
- FGC0: Natural Sciences
- L100: Economics
- L103: Economics with Management
- L104: Economics with Management with Placement Year
- L105: Economics with Management with Study Abroad
- L106: Economics with Placement Year
- L109: Economics with Study Abroad
- L125: Economics and Mathematics
- LA01: Liberal Arts
- LA02: Liberal Arts (with Year Abroad)
- LA03: Liberal Arts (with Placement Year)
- LL01: Economics and Politics with Study Abroad
- LL02: Economics and Politics with Placement Year
- LL12: Economics and Politics
- LMV0: Combined Honours in Social Sciences
- LMVA: Combined Honours in Social Sciences (with Year Abroad)
- VL52: Philosophy, Politics and Economics
- VLL6: Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Placement Year
- VLLA: Philosophy, Politics and Economics with Study Abroad
Pre-requisites
- Principles of Economics (ECON1011) and EITHER Economic Methods (ECON1021) OR Calculus I (MATH1061) AND Linear Algebra I (MATH1071) AND Probability I (MATH1597) AND Statistics I (MATH1617)
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combinations
- None
Aims
- To develop students' awareness and understanding of the contribution which economic analysis can make to discussions of issues in microeconomics
- To provide an understanding of theories and methods used in the analysis of microeconomic problems
- To provide students with a good grounding for undertaking a dissertation in applied microeconomics
Content
- The content will be topics of contemporary interest such as:
- Education
- Health
- Sport
- Culture
- Inequality/Poverty
- Charity
- Crime/Conflict
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- Knowledge and understanding of the theories and methods used in the analysis of microeconomics issues
- Knowledge and understanding of market failure and the limitations of government intervention to combat it.
Subject-specific Skills
- The application of economic theories to microeconomic problems
- The ability to critically evaluate microeconomic policies and their consequences
Key Skills
- Critical and analytical thinking
- Problem solving
- Written communication
- Own learning
- Library skills
- Information retrieval
- Written communication - summative assessment is a written examination
- Planning and Organisation and time management - students plan their work to meet set deadlines
- Adaptability - students perform under the pressure of written examinations
- Oral communication - presenting of papers and participating in seminars.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Teaching is by lectures and seminars. Learning takes place through attendance at lectures, preparation for and participation in seminar classes, and private study. Seminar questions give students the opportunity to apply the theoretical analysis presented in lectures.
- Formative assessment to help prepare for the examination. Summative assessment is by means of an in-person examination to test students' knowledge and understanding of the subject-matter worth 100% of the module mark.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 20 | 1 per week | 1 hour | 20 | |
| Seminars | 8 | 4 in term 1 and 4 in term 2 | 1 hour | 8 | Yes |
| Revision Classes | 2 | 1 hour | 2 | ||
| Preparation and Reading | 170 | ||||
| Total | 200 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 100% | On Campus Written Examination | 2 hours | 100% |
Formative Assessment
One written piece of work to prepare students for the summative examination.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.