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          • INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS

            Shanghai Jiao Tong University
            (ECON 2404)

          • I teach this course in Fall semesters to undergraduate students. The course is based on Hal Varian's textbook (9th Edition) with added rigor by means of formal definitions and mathematical proofs. Please let me know if you find typos, thank you!

          • LECTURE

            Introduction

             

            1: Markets

            about this course; first look at rationality, equilibrium and efficiency; in-class illustration of a market (CH 1)

            Decision Theory

             

            2: Preference, Utility

            preference relations; utility representation theorem; cardinal vs ordinal utility; convex preferences (CH 3 & 4)
             

            3: Consumer Problem I

            utility maximization under budget constraints; indifference curves; marginal rate of substitutions and price ratio (CH 2 & 5)
             

            4: Consumer Problem II

            Lagrange method; well-behaved preferences and sufficient conditions; various examples (CH 5)
             

            5: Revealed Preference

            weak/strong axiom of revealed preferences; rationalizable datasets; representation theorems (CH 7)

            Demand Analysis

             

            6: Demand Functions

            Marshallian demand; price/income changes; Giffen goods; Engle curves; homothetic preferences (CH 6)
             

            7: Slutsky Equation

            Slutsky's decomposition; income effects and substitution effects (CH 8)
             

            8: Endowment

            buying and selling; ordinary income effect; endowment income effect; application in labor supply (CH 9)
             

            9: Consumer Surplus

            visualizing consumer surplus; quasi-linear utility and dollar measure; compensating and equivalent variations (CH 14)

            Partial Equilibrium

             

            10: Market Demand

            aggregate demand; representative agent; weak axiom; elasticities; revenue maximization (CH 15)
             

            11: Equilibrium

            demand, supply, and equilibrium; taxation and subsidy; tax incidence; implications on welfare (CH 16)

            Neoclassical Firms

             

            12: Technology, Profit

            production; marginal rate of technical substitution; return-to-scale; marginal revenue and marginal cost (CH 19 & 20)
             

            13: Cost Minimization

            Lagrange method; various production functions; average cost and marginal cost; convex cost (CH 21)
             

            14: Cost Curves

            visualizing cost, long-run/short-run; variable/fixed cost, various analysis using cost curves (CH 22)
             

            15: Firm & Industry Supply

            supply curve; long-run profit vs short-run profit; producer surplus; aggregate supply (CH 23 & 24)

            Market Power

             

            16: Monopoly & Monopsony

            market power and price as a decision variable; markup; dead-weight loss and inefficiency (CH 25)
             

            17: Price Discrimination

            1st degree price discrimination; 3rd degree price discrimination; two part tariffs and surplus extraction (CH 26)
             

            18: Screening

            2nd degree price discrimination; Riley Maskin screening, menu design and incentive compatibility (CH 26)

            Game Theory

             

            19: Static Games

            simultaneous move; Nash equilibrium; dominant strategy equilibrium; various applications (CH 29 & 28)
             

            20: Mixed Strategies

            randomization & expected utility; mixed strategy NE; best response correspondences; existence of NE; symmetric equilibrium (CH 30)
             

            21: Dynamic Games

            complete contingent plan; backward induction; subgame perfect NE; non-credible threat; various applications (CH 29 & 30 & 28 & 27)
             

            22: Bayesian Games

            types; adverse selection; Akerlof market for lemons; moral hazard; work or shirk; signaling; Spence education model (CH 38)

            General Equilibrium

             

            23: Exchange

            Walrasian equilibrium & existence; Pareto optimal allocations; First & Second Welfare Theorems; Edgeworth box, contract curve, core allocations (CH 32)
             

            24: Externalities

            utility functions under externalities; property rights; Coase conjecture; production externalities; tragedy of the commons (CH 35)
             

            25: Public Goods

            Pareto optimal level of public goods; uniqueness under quasi-linear preferences; provision decisions (CH 37)
          • PROBLEM SETS

            Lecture 2-5
            Homework 1 (Solutions)

            Lecture 6-9
            Homework 2 (Solutions)

            Lecture 10-11
            Homework 3 (Solutions)

            Lecture 12-15
            Homework 4 (Solutions)

            Lecture 16-22 (Part 1)
            Homework 5 (Solutions)

            Lecture 16-22 (Part 2)
            Homework 6 (Solutions)

            Lecture 23-25
            Homework 7 (Solutions)

            Blue Book
            Partial Solutions (pin on canvas)

            Black Book
            Partial Solutions (pin on canvas)

          • FAQs

            Do you have office hour?

            I am available by appointment. Please check my homepage or send me an email.

            Can you write me a letter for PhD applications?

            Every year I write at most three letters to students who apply to top 30 PhD programs. It is typically reserved for the top students in my class. This is so that letters are credible.

            Can you write me a letter for Master's or job applications?

            In general, if you receive an A in my class I am happy to write you a standard letter, If you are top three I will personalize it.

            Can I sit in this class?

            Antai students (Minors included) are welcomed to sit in. Non-Antai students should seek permission and is limited to 10.

            Is this class the same as other Intermediate Micro classes?

            Exams are the same, but my lectures emphasize rigorous introduction of concepts and the use of mathematical proofs. This approach is easier for some and harder for others, please choose wisely.

            Do you have course recordings?

            Yes for SJTUers, please send me an email.

          • Credits to TAs
             
            LU Feifei (2021), FENG Xuechun (2022), QI Rui (2022)

             
            References

            (1) Varian, Hal R. Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach (9th Edition). ‎ W. W. Norton & Company , 2014. (2) 钟根元, 陈志洪. 中级微观经济学学习指南(第四版). 上海交通大学出版社, 2012. (3) 钟根元, 陈志洪. 中级微观经济学. 上海交通大学出版社, 2020. (4) Mas-Colell, Andreu, Michael Dennis Whinston, and Jerry R. Green. Microeconomic Theory. Oxford University Press, 1995.

             

            Supported by
            Department of Economics, Antai College of Economics & Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
            Teaching Affairs Office, Antai College of Economics & Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

             

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            © 2020-2023 Xi Zhi Lim

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