Course # 41300 Section Number 1 Day(s) Tu- Th Time(s) 9:30am-10:50am Term Fall 2025 Course Instructor Robert Kaestner Syllabus Syllabus 9/6/24 Must have completed PPHA 32400 Principles of Microeconomics and Public Policy II or equivalent to enroll. The goals of this course include learning (1) how to read, or judge, a cost-benefit analysis; (2) how to incorporate elements of cost-benefit analysis into policy work; and (3) when CBA is a good tool to use and when it isn't. This class also presents an opportunity to reflect on big picture issues of how to treat uncertainty and risk; discount costs and benefits received in the future; value lives saved; and manage other difficult matters. In brief, this class offers a comprehensive treatment of the cost benefit analysis methodology, with attention devoted to the microeconomic underpinnings of the technique as well as applications drawn from many areas, including health, the environment, and public goods. Course Prerequisite Students must take one of the following, (PPHA 32400 or 32410 or 44200) Recent News More news New Series to Examine Shifting Powers in U.S. Government Tue., July 29, 2025 Mapping the Mortality Gap: New Evidence from Robert Kaestner on Racial Disparities in Death Rates Mon., July 28, 2025 The Lightbulb Moment That Lit a Career in Public Finance: The 2025 CC DuBois Alumni Service Award Winner Tells Her Story Mon., July 28, 2025 Upcoming Events More events Civic Leadership Academy 2026 Virtual Information Session Wed., July 30, 2025 | 12:00 PM UChicago Summer Send-Off in Tokyo Thu., July 31, 2025 | 7:30 PM DevilCraft-Hamamatsucho, Risewell Building, 1F, Minato-ku Tokyo 105-0013 Japan Harris Summer Campus Visit Mon., August 04, 2025 | 10:00 AM Harris School of Public Policy 1307 E 60th St Chicago, IL 60637 United States