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Spring 2022 Call for Participation: Live-Streamed Courses in Economics (Deadline Extended)
The University of Central Asia's (UCA) Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA), in cooperation with the Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education's Economics Institute (CERGE-EI) Foundation, invites all master level students, faculty members, applied researchers, and other interested individuals to participate in a live-streamed economics course starting in February 2022. Courses will be delivered online from CERGE-EI’s Digital Media Center in Prague and coordinated by UCA from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to allow live streaming to multiple locations. Teaching Assistants from UCA will also provide basic assistance in course delivery.
Costs and Tuition Fees
Courses are offered free of charge to course participants.
Language
The language of instruction for all courses offered by the CERGE-EI Foundation is English. However, we allow for flexibility in using native language when delivering exercise sessions by local instructors.
Course Schedule
In Spring 2022, courses will be offered on Development Economics, Energy Economics and Climate Policy, Education Economics, Financial Markets, Introduction to Data Science. All courses will be conducted in 6-week modules, with exams scheduled in the seventh week. Each week, there will be two 90-minute sessions (20 contact hours per course). All participants who successfully complete courses will be awarded CERGE-EI Foundation certificates.
Admission Requirements
The program is intensive and rigorous, advanced BA/introductory MA level of Economics knowledge is required. Participants should expect to be challenged and should be able to demonstrate self-motivation. UCA reserves the right to select only those applicants who are believed to have the necessary qualifications and experience to succeed. All courses will require active participation of all students. Teachers will utilize modern technology to engage students, encourage their active involvement in the course work and class discussions.
Registration
The number of places is limited. To register for courses, please fill in the registration form by February 11, 2022.
Part 1: Education Economics, Financial Markets, and Energy Economics & Climate policy
Classes: February 28 – April 8, 2022
Final exam week: April 11 – 15, 2022
Make-up exam week: April 18 – 22, 2022
Education Economics
Brief description: The human capital of the population is a key determinant of labor-market success and economic growth. This brings the economics of education to the core of understanding individual and societal economic prosperity.
This course introduces students to the key concepts and major issues of economics of education, placing emphasis on current empirical research in the field. Topics include: basic theory of investments in education (human capital theory) and the role of early childhood education; returns to education and the empirical problem of disentangling the return to education from the return to innate ability; the role of class size, peer effects and school expenditure, etc. After the course, students are expected to be able to read, understand and discuss current research in economics of education, as well as to contribute to the discussion about the current challenges in education.
Prerequisites: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Econometrics at introductory level
Main instructor: Miroslava Federicova, Ph.D.
Miroslava is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at CERGE-EI and a Researcher at IDEA Think Tank. She received her Ph.D. from CERGE-EI in 2016 and also holds MA in Mathematics of economics and finance from the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. Miroslava’s research is focused on economics of education, applied microeconomics and microeconometrics, specializing in inequalities in education with a special interest in the effect of school system on inequalities in educational opportunities.
Teaching assistant: Madina Junussova, Ph.D.
Dr. Madina Junussova is a Senior Research Fellow at UCA's Institute of Public Policy and Administration and a CERGE-EI Foundation Teaching Fellow. She is a member of the International Public Policy Association and the International Society of City and Regional Planners (Isocarp). Dr. Junussova holds a PhD in Public Policy from Carleton University and degrees in architecture, urban and regional planning awarded by the Ministry of Education and Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Dates: February 28 – April 8, 2022
Time: Tuesday & Thursday, 10.30-12.00 a.m. CET. Note that after March 27, 2022, lectures will be held on Tuesday & Thursday, 9.30-11.00 a.m. due to the daylight-saving time. There will be no change in the course time slots for countries which will not be changing time.
Financial Markets
Brief description: This course aims to provide a basic understanding of today’s changing landscape of financial markets and institutions with a broad scope and emphasis on general principles. Students will study the key fundamentals of financial markets and learn how financial markets and financial institutions work. We will discuss interest rates and their role in valuation, learn about efficient market hypothesis and exchange rate determination, explore money and capital markets, identify various players in the financial institutions industry, and take a closer look at risk management in financial institutions.
Prerequisites: Microeconomics at introductory level
Main instructor: Gabriela Kuvíková, Ph.D.
Gabriela is a Senior Risk Manager at Generali CEE Holding’s Financial & Credit Risk Department. She received her Ph.D. from CERGE-EI in 2015 and holds also an M.SC. in Economics and Corporate Management from the University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovakia. Gabriela’s research is focused on credit risk and the screening devices that lenders utilize in alleviating adverse selection present on the credit market.
Teaching assistant: Zalina Enikeeva
Zalina Enikeeva is a Research Fellow at UCA's Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA). She holds MA in Economic Governance and Development from the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. Her expertise includes integration of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), international trade, food security, agricultural policies, tourism etc.
Dates: February 28 – April 8, 2022
Time: Tuesday & Friday, 8.00-9.30 a.m. CET. Note that after March 27, 2022, lectures will be held on Tuesday & Friday, 7.00-8.30 a.m. due to the daylight-saving time. There will be no change in the course time slots for countries which will not be changing time.
Energy Economics & Climate Policy
Brief description: Energy is a basic necessity of daily life and a vital input to industry in any society around the world. New technologies, especially renewable power generators such as wind and solar are changing the industry. Also, new climate policies have a growing influence on the economics and practical functioning of energy systems , especially the electricity industry.
Firstly, the course aims to give a deeper theoretical insight regarding economic externalities (such as global warming). A number of the classical economic instruments are presented, such as Pigovean taxes, capand-trade programs, subsidies and mandates. The theory addressed has broad applications, also in the field of public finance and public policy.
Secondly, the course addresses the experiences so far in the electricity industry that have been affected
by the new technologies and climate policies, especially in the EU and California. It will focus on new empirical data and new theories to explain them. Students will also gain knowledge to appraise the effects (the challenges and opportunities) climate policy will have on the electricity industry.
Prerequisites: Microeconomics, specifically the topics of consumption, production, supply & demand to at least at the level of any of the following books (any editions):
Besanko, D., & Braeutigam, R. (2020).
Microeconomics. Wiley Global Education. Krugman, P., Wells, R., Ray, M., & Anderson, D. A. (2013).
Microeconomics in Modules. Macmillan Higher Education.Perloff, J. M. (2018).
Microeconomics, Global Edition. Pearson Education Canada. Pindyck, R. S., Rubinfeld, D. L., & Microeconomics, F. E. (2001). by Prentice-Hall. Madrid, Varian, H. R. (2014).
Intermediate microeconomics with calculus: a modern approach. WW Norton & Company.
Main instructor: Silvester van Koten, Ph.D.
Silvester is an economist specializing in Economics Experiments and Energy Economics with a special interest in the economics of regulation, market design and energy markets. He holds a Ph.D. in economics (from CERGE-EI) and a MA in Psychology (Utrecht University). Presently, Silvester is a senior researcher at the Department of Economics at the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University, and a research associate at CERGE-EI in Prague.
Silvester’s current research appraises the effect of the structure of spot market prices on the forward premium in electricity markets and the effectiveness of self-regulating organizations using theory, computer simulations and economics experiments. In previous research, Silvester analyzed the effects of more transparent financial markets on competition and prices in the EU electricity markets. His work was published in journals such as Energy Economics, Energy Policy, European Economic Review and the Journal of Regulatory Economics.
Teaching assistant: Madina Junussova, Ph.D.
Dr. Madina Junussova is a Senior Research Fellow at UCA's Institute of Public Policy and Administration and a CERGE-EI Foundation Teaching Fellow. She is a member of the International Public Policy Association and the International Society of City and Regional Planners (Isocarp). Dr. Junussova holds a PhD in Public Policy from Carleton University and degrees in architecture, urban and regional planning awarded by the Ministry of Education and Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Dates: February 28 – April 8, 2022
Time: Wednesday & Friday, 10.30-12.00 a.m. CEST
Part 2: Development Economics, Energy Economics & Climate policy, Introduction to Data Science
Classes: April 25 – June 3, 2022
Final exam week: June 6 – 10, 2022
Make-up exam week: June 13 – 17, 2022
Development Economics
Brief description: The goal of this course is to expose students to the newest developments in applied microeconomic research in development economics, particularly policy-oriented research. The topics covered will be especially close to the research agenda of the recent Nobel Prize Winners in Economics: Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer. A further focus of the course is on the study of infrastructure, firms and labor markets in developing countries. Overall, the course offers a thorough understanding of current-day research in development, with a special angle on poverty reduction and private market policies. The goal is to enable students to identify promising research questions in these fields (e.g. for future studies), and to help students prepare for a career as a practitioner in government and nongovernment development organizations.
Prerequisites: Microeconomics and Macroeconomics at introductory level
Main instructor: Martina Miotto, Ph.D.
Martina is a postdoctoral fellow at the Economic Institute (Prague). She received her PhD in Economics from the University of Warwick in 2019. Martina holds a MRes in Economics from the University of Warwick, and a MSc in Economics and Finance from the University of Padua, cum laude. Among her main research interests are Economic History and Development Economics, with a particular focus on the interconnections between the two fields. Martina is also involved in field work in the garment sector of Bangladesh.
Teaching assistant: Elita Bakirova
Elita Bakirova is a Research Assistant at UCA's IPPA. Prior to joining UCA, Elita worked for PeaceNexus Foundation in Central Asia, where she was responsible for projects that supported government and civil society actors in their development efforts. She was also engaged in gold mining and water management research projects in southern Kyrgyzstan. She holds a BA degree in International and Comparative Politics from the American University of Central Asia.
Dates: April 25 – June 3, 2022
Time: To be determined in March 2022.
Introduction to Data Science
Brief description: This course provides an introduction to data science as a profession and focuses on the theoretical methodologies of the most widely applied machine learning models. The main topics covered include: data preparation (data mining, cleaning and exploring strategies), statistical modeling with the application of appropriate machine learning methodologies (data segmentation, predictive analytics, recommendation systems), and mathematical evaluation.
Prerequisites: Statistics and Econometrics at intermediate level, experience with at least one programming language for statistical data analysis (Python, R, Stata or others).
Main instructor: Vahan Sargsyan, Ph.D.
Vahan is a full time Data Scientist working with big data and implementing machine learning technologies in a cloud-based computer software company. He received his Ph.D. from CERGE-EI in 2019 and also holds a Master degree in Economics from the International School of Economics at TSU, Georgia, and a Master degree in marketing from the Armenian State Agrarian University, Armenia. Vahan also held a 6-month traineeship at the European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA) in 2017-2018, where he was enrolled in data analytics and scientific evaluation of research applicants. During his Ph.D. studies, his research was focused on empirical economics, migration and labor economics, specializing in work discrimination.
Teaching assistant: Mariia Iamshchikova
Mariia Iamshchikova, Junior Research Fellow at UCA's IPPA. She holds a BA in Economics from the American University of Central Asia. Her research field includes but not limited to the socio-economic development, food security and nutrition, and development economics.
Dates: April 25 – June 3, 2022
Time: Monday & Wednesday, 7.00 – 8.30 a.m.CEST
About the University of Central Asia and the Institute of Public Policy and Administration
The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000 as a private, not for profit, secular university through an International Treaty signed by the Presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, and His Highness the Aga Khan; ratified by their respective parliaments, and registered with the United Nations. As a university focused on the development of mountain societies, UCA's undergraduate programmes are located at its purpose-built world class residential campuses in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan, and Khorog, Tajikistan near the Tien Shan and Pamir mountains respectively. Established in 2011, UCA's Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA) strengthens public policy making in Central Asia. It provides in-depth analysis of current and emerging policy issues facing the region and works on improving the analytical capacity of governments and civil society to use evidence-based decision-making through professional development. IPPA is part of University of Central Asia’s Graduate School of Development.
About CERGE-EI and the CERGE-EI Foundation
The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education (CERGE) was established in 1991 in the Czech Republic to offer a western-style PhD in Economics to students from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. It subsequently formed a joint workplace with the Economics Institute (EI) of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Today, CERGE-EI offers two additional master level programs: one-year long Masters in Applied Economics and two-years long Masters in Economic Research. All faculty are western-trained and CERGE-EI graduates receive degrees that are recognized in the EU and in the US. The CERGE-EI Foundation is a major financial supporter of CERGE-EI and, through its Teaching Fellows Program, supports western-trained economists teaching at universities across the region.
