As the title suggests, Economics and Economic Change is about two things. Economic Change refers to the events that economists try to understand; Economics refers to the methods of analysis used. The materials in this introductory economics course allow you to study independently, using a mix of written and multimedia materials.
topShould monopolies be regulated? Should subsidies be abolished to enable free trade? Should the Bank of England target inflation? These are the kinds of issues considered, together with an introduction to the skills employed by practising economists. You will interpret the ideas of great economists such as Friedman and Keynes, tables and graphs found in government publications, and newspaper articles from the financial and business press. You will be shown how to capture simple economic ideas using diagrams and how to manipulate numbers using statistical software. A suite of multimedia tutorials will help you to learn these skills interactively.
topThis is an example of an assignment students undertook in 2006.
TMA01 from 2006 assignment booklet
Below is an introduction to a basic economic model used in the second part of the course.
Section 12.2 from Macroeconomics text
The following document gives an example, at a more advanced stage of the course, of how economic analysis is combined with a consideration of economic change.
Chapter 15 from Macroeconomics text
topOnce you have registered on a course you will have access to Learning with the OU at www.open.ac.uk/learning. This link provides information on topics such as getting started, study strategies, personal and career development, planning studies and moving on.
