The Center for Economic Policy seeks to educate students and wider audiences about economic policy and markets, providing students with training in the economic tools to analyze the regulatory and legal framework in which markets operate. Markets and government policies regulating them have always been central to economic growth, social welfare, and civil society, with policy decisions and legal frameworks inextricably tied to markets outcomes. 

Evaluating and implementing economic policy requires a deep knowledge of the structure and properties of different markets, analysis of characteristic inefficiencies of market structures, tools for welfare-improving policies, and knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of policy alternatives.

Kathryn Ierulli, Certificate Director

With this track students can prepare to work in a variety of policy areas that affect economies and markets, and to analyze the anticipated (and unanticipated) effects policy initiatives and regulations have on markets, firms, and individuals.

Application Process

The certificate is open to any Harris student. Students should contact their academic advisor to indicate intention to pursue certificate.

Planning for the Certificate

For information on which quarter(s) each course will be offered see the Harris Courses page and filter by certificate. For courses offered by other divisions the typical quarter(s) offered has been indicated.

Certificate Requirements

The certificate will be awarded to students who complete the following courses:

• PPHA 36940: Strategic Behavior and Regulation of Firms
• PPHA 46350: Economics of Regulation

And one of the following courses:

• PPHA 37110 Competition Policy: Theory and Practice
• BUS 33923 Advanced Industrial Organization III (Dennis Carlton, Booth School of Business)
• ECON 26020 Public Sector Economics 
• PPHA 42535 Banking Regulation and Management
• PPHA 36930 Environmental Economics: Theory and Applications (accepted as a certificate substitute)
• LAW 42801 Antitrust Law (accepted as a certificate substitute) 
• BUS 42201 The Legal Infrastructure of Business (accepted as certificate substitute) 
• ECON 28620 Crony Capitalism; must apply in February, offered in spring; accepted as a certificate substitute) 
• PPHA 34241 Household Finance: Theory and Applications (accepted as certificate substitute) 
• PPHA 6000 Policy Labs (with permission of the Certificate Director)

Students must earn at least a B- in each of the courses to earn the certificate. No course required for the certificate may be taken pass/fail.