NIFK14024U Advanced International Trade II

Volume 2014/2015
Education
MSc Programme in Agricultural Economics
MSc Programme in Agricultural Development
Content

As a follow-up to the course Advanced International Trade I, this course provides students the opportunities to apply the theoretical knowledge and structure acquired in that course to conduct empirical research projects in international trade, focusing on applied trade policy analysis and international agricultural trade. 

Through lectures and student presentations, students will first be introduced  to major researcheable topics, methods and models, and data used in applied and agricultural trade research.

Research topics will be drawn from the most recent academic literature in agricultural and applied trade policy analysis, with direct references to relevant and timely discussions taken place at major trade policy organizations and trade negotiation fora such as the WTO, ongoing plural or regional trade negotiations, and other national and international policy organizations. Empirical methods and models to be discussed are mainly formal quantitative/statistical tools, such as gravity trade models, partial equilibrium trade models, and computable general equilibrium trade models. Sources and availability of international trade statistics and data on trade barriers will be discussed as well.

Based on the introductions to relevant research topics, methods and models, and data, a series of workshops will be conducted for students to present their own research ideas and to formulate their research proposals and plans for their research projects. Under the supervision of the teacher, students will then implement their research projects according to the plans, which will lead to the write-up of their research papers. Before the submission of the final papers, a midterm workshop will be conducted for students to report and share their progresses on the projects, and to receive useful comments and suggestions from the teacher and their classmates. 

Learning Outcome

After completing the course the student should be able to:

Knowledge:

be well informed of the most recent academic literature in agricultural and applied international trade research, especially literature with distinct empirical and policy orientations

be aware of latest development of policy issues arisen from actual policy discussions and can relate these developments to the evovlement of the academic literature

understand the economic and mathematical structure of most popular quantitative economic tools widely used in agricultural and applied international trade research

Skills:

be able to read, understand and critically review academic literature in agricultural and applied international trade

be able to identify interesting and relevant researchable questions through studying academic literature and/or policy reports

be able to formulate research proposal and develop research plan for a concrete research project in agricultural/​applied international trade

be able to identify and search for policy information and statistical data to support the proposed research agenda

be able to analyze the collected data using descriptive statistics, econometrics or other quantitative tools according to the objectives established in the proposed research agenda

be able to draw conclusions and policy recommendations/​implications vis-a-vis the research question posed in the research project, from the evidence drawn from the data analysis

be able to present the research projects, including the analysis and findings in written and oral forms  


Competency:


Apply the theoretical knowledge, analytical skills, and quantitative methods introduced/acquired from this course and the course Advanced International Trade I, to carry out the full process of a research project in international agricultural trade, applied trade policy analysis, or empirical trade research, including literature survey, identifying research question, formulating research proposal and plan, acquiring data, implementing the proposed research project, and drafting the research report, and presenting the research finding. 

List of literature to be discussed will be annouced at the beginning of the course. Some of the readings will be proposed by students themselves, subject to approval from the teacher. Three types of literature will be used, as follows:

1. Journal articles from major international journals in the areas of international economics, agricultural economics or development economics, such as Journal of International Economics, Journal of Development Economics, Review of International Economics, The World Economy, Review of World Economics, World Trade Review, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, European Review of Agricultural Economics, Journal of Agricultural Economics, and Applied Economic Perspective and Policy, as well as articles in leading general economics journals

2. Chaters in relevant books/collected volumns on international trade and trade policy, as well as latest unpulished working papers by leading researchers

3. Documentations and technical papers on quantitative trade models

Students are strongly recommended to take the course Advanced International Trade I in Block 1 before taking this course. Similar trade theory courses taken elsewhere may be substitutable for the prerequisite, provided that they are of similar levels. Please check with the teacher.
lectures, student presentations of relevant literature, computer lab sessions, workshops, and individual studies.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Colloquia
  • 20
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Guidance
  • 10
  • Lectures
  • 12
  • Preparation
  • 40
  • Project work
  • 123
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Oral examination, 25 minutes
Oral examination based on submitted project report, with 70% weight attached to the project report and 30% to the oral examination
Exam registration requirements
submission of project report and having attended a substantial amount of the organized classroom activities
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
More than one internal examiner
Criteria for exam assesment

according to knowledge, skill and competency listed in the the learning outcome section.