MSc Economics 2012-13

Queen Mary, University of London MSc Economics 2012-13

Welcome

Dear Applicant, Welcome to the School of Economics and Finance at Queen Mary, University of London.

You can anticipate joining one of the UK's best economics departments, ranked jointly sixth in the most recent (2008) Research Assessment Exercise. Our faculty members are distinguished research economists who publish in the profession's most influential journals and advise major institutions such as the World Bank and the Bank of England.

Postgraduate study at the School is excellent preparation for a variety of career paths. Past students have gone on to have success in the financial sector, industry, government service, academia, and international organisations such as the IMF. The MSc Economics curriculum provides rigorous training in the theories, applications, and methods of modern economics. Upon completion of the degree you will have the knowledge base needed to understand and evaluate published work in the field, as well as the skills required to conduct research of your own.

For students entering the programme, the year ahead will be a challenging one. We look forward to welcoming you to Queen Mary in September and hope that your time with us will be both rewarding and enjoyable.

Dr Christopher Tyson Director of MSc Economics

Contents

Alternative MSc programmes

2 5 9 16 19 20 22

Accommodation and application procedure

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The programme The modules Staff Sample publications Graduates Graduate employment

The information given in this brochure is correct at the time of going to press.

The College reserves the right to modify or cancel any statement in it and accepts no responsibility for the consequences of any such changes.

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The programme

Programme description The MSc in Economics is a well-established specialist programme which aims to provide graduate students and professionals with a rigorous training and strong analytical background in both theoretical and applied economics.

This intensive programme covers the analytical tools and advanced methods in macroeconomics, microeconomics, econometrics, and mathematics for economic research. You will also study areas of specialisation such as labour economics, financial econometrics, empirical macroeconomics, and asset pricing.

You will gain up-to-date insights in to how markets and economic players behave, along with a solid grounding in a range of analytical tools and rigorous methodologies. This will enable you to undertake, assess and supervise independent research in both theoretical and applied economics.

The MSc in Economics is ideal for students and professionals aiming to follow careers as economists, analysts and consultants in a variety of settings, including: academic institutions, research centres, think tanks, economic analysis departments in the public sector, private companies and international institutions.

This programme is recognised as a Research Training degree by the ESRC under their “1+3� scheme.

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You will take four modules per semester, followed by a 10,000 word dissertation. There are also pre-sessional modules in mathematics and statistics, providing a good opportunity for students to refresh their knowledge of these areas. For more detailed module information, see page 5.

Research strength The School of Economics and Finance is committed to excellence in research and teaching. Our expertise covers three key areas: economic theory, econometrics and finance, and applied economics. We regularly publish the results of our research in leading economics journals. We combine an excellent international reputation with a friendly and informal atmosphere. Economics at Queen Mary was ranked jointly sixth in the UK in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) – the nation-wide assessment of the quality of research across all Schools in all British universities.

Many members of our School have recently received academic grants, and provided consultancy and advisory services to primary financial institutions such as the UK and Italian Treasury, the ONS, the Bank of England and many others.

Applied learning The School has developed and nurtured collaborations with a number of public and private institutions. This provides plenty of opportunity for student placements and research co-operation.

We also organise a number of additional, optional modules, the topics of which vary from year to year. These modules are taught by City professionals, who are well-placed to give an insider’s view on issues of interest to the financial community.

Postgraduate resources You will have access to excellent computing facilities, offering an ideal environment in which to practise applied analysis. Standard software packages for data analysis, simulation, and word processing are available, including GAUSS, Eviews, PCgive, RATS, Microfit, and Stata. We also provide full subscription access to Data stream.

Financial support Applicants to the MSc Economics programme are automatically considered for a number of merit-based scholarships offered by the School that cover all or part of the tuition fee. In addition, the School awards cash prizes to students with outstanding performance in individual course modules. For more information about postgraduate funding, please see: www.econ.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/ fees-and-funding

Teaching style Modules are taught in a three hour block format.

The first two hours deliver the core theoretical and technical concepts; these are then applied in the remaining hour. You will be assigned a personal tutor who will support you throughout your studies.

Dissertation Over the summer term, you will write a 10,000 word dissertation. Under supervision, you will learn how to undertake applied analysis, run estimations and formulate and test hypotheses.

Recent examples of student dissertation topics include: "Quantile regression specification for procurement auctions", "Leverage, macroeconomics, and asset prices", "Earnings inequality and fixed-term contracts in Italy", and "Forecasting exchange rates: A Bayesian VAR application and interval forecasting extension".

Assessment The grade for each module is assessed through coursework, which counts for 20-25 per cent of the final marks, along with a written exam in May. The 10,000 word dissertation written over the summer carries a weight equivalent to four modules.

Pre-semester modules Pre-semester modules in mathematics and statistics take place over two weeks in September. They are especially designed for students who want to review concepts such as statistical distributions and matrix algebra. You will sit exams at the end of these modules.

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The programme (cont)

Programme timetable Pre-Semester A

Semester A

Semester B

Post-Semester B

Mathematics

Macroeconomics A

Macroeconomics B

10,000 word dissertation

Statistics

Microeconomics A

Microeconomics B

Econometrics A

Econometrics C

Mathematics for Economists

Option

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The modules

Compulsory modules: Macroeconomics A This module deals with the long-run growth of GDP and its short-run fluctuations. You will start by analysing the traditional models of economic growth theory, ie the Solow-Swan model and the Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans model. Within the framework of these models you will study the central questions of growth theory as well as the effects of government expenditure on macroeconomic variables. You will then discuss the most important ideas of endogenous growth theory, including research and development, human capital formation, and knowledge creation.

The second part of the module deals with two classes of theories of aggregate fluctuations, ie, real-business-cycle theories and Keynesian theories. Whereas real-business-cycle theories assume flexible prices and market clearing, Keynesian theories proceed from the assumption of nominal stickiness and market failure. We discuss possible reasons why prices and wages are sticky and analyse the implications of this fact.

Microeconomics A Together with Microeconomics B, this module will give you a firm grounding in modern microeconomic theory.

Topics to be covered in the first term include: choice, preference, and utility; classical consumer and producer theory; choice under uncertainty; Walrasian (competitive) equilibrium and the fundamental welfare theorems; general equilibrium over time and under uncertainty; and market failure.

Econometrics A The purpose of this module is to provide you with the necessary tools for formalising a hypothesis of interest and testing it, writing a simple econometric model, estimating it and conducting inference.

You will start with a review of the classical linear model, and then analyse finite sample and asymptotic properties of ordinary least squares, instrumental variables and feasible generalised least squares, under general conditions. Classical tests, as well as general Hausman tests, and moment’s tests are covered.

The case of dependent stationary observations is also covered. You will also study nonlinear estimation methods, and in particular the generalised method of moments.

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The modules (cont)

Mathematics for Economists The purpose of this module is to equip students with the mathematical tools needed to study economics and related fields at the postgraduate level and to work in these areas as a researcher or practitioner. The emphasis is on both (1) mastering specific techniques that are widely used in economic theory and finance, and (2) developing a language, a conceptual framework, and a standard of argument appropriate for analysing economic questions mathematically.

The module complements the School’s postgraduate micro and macro theory sequences, and together with these modules will enable the successful student to read research papers in theoretical and applied economics.

The course will cover some or all of the following topics: logic, sets and orderings, the real number system, Euclidean space, sequences and limits, topology and convexity, functions and correspondences, continuity, differentiability, the inverse and implicit function theorems, fixed point theorems, optimisation, comparative statics, dynamic programming, and optimal control.

Macroeconomics B This module covers a number of standard topics in macroeconomics. The first part of the module deals with individual and aggregate consumption and saving behaviour as the outcome of optimal inter-temporal choice. It uses the framework to study a number of policy issues including the effect, and optimal mix, of tax versus debt financing of government expenditure.

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The second part of the module presents theories of firms' investment in physical capital and their implications for aggregate investment. Lastly you will study two ways of looking at unemployment as an equilibrium outcome. The first view highlights the role of search frictions. The second one focuses on real wage inflexibility.

Microeconomics B Together with Microeconomics A, this module will give you a firm grounding in modern microeconomic theory.

Topics to be covered in the second term include: games in strategic and extensive form; Nash equilibrium and its refinements; games with incomplete information; repeated games; adverse selection, signaling, and screening; the principal-agent problem; incentive theory and mechanism design.

Econometrics C The purpose of this module is to equip students with the probabilistic and statistical tools necessary to undertake research in econometrics and to cover a number of important topics in this field. The modules starts with a review of large sample theory, and then proceeds to analyze the asymptotic behavior of extremum estimators, including maximum likelihood and generalized methods of moments. Some important efficiency results will be covered. Finally, the module will deal with panel data, limited dependent variables, unit roots, and cointegration.

Module options include: Labour Economics

Advanced Asset Pricing and Modeling

This module will give you an understanding of some of the issues in contemporary labour economics, with an emphasis on the empirical side of the discipline.

The aim of this module is to provide students with the analytical tools of advanced finance theory. The module starts with an introduction to stochastic calculus, optimal control and martingale methods, and will cover dynamic asset pricing models, optimal consumption and portfolio theory, equilibrium models of the term structure of interest rates, option pricing of

You will cover a mix of theoretical economic, data analysis and econometric techniques. This reflects the nature of a discipline which is eclectic and constantly ‘on the move’. This illustrates how economists uncover the effect of policy reforms and changes in opportunities and constraints in the labour market using micro-data. This module is designed to appeal to both prospective researchers and those wishing to pursue a career in government, international institutions and consultation with public and private bodies.

This module is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of all of the relevant issues in labour economics. The topics chosen are selected in order to illustrate the varieties of questions labour economists ask themselves, and how they proceed to solve them. Topics covered include: introduction to empirical labour economics; human capital and returns to education; school quality; changes in the wage structure; changes in employment structure; US vs. Europe; the employment effect of minimum wages; labour supply; immigration; crime; neighbourhood effects.

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The modules (cont)

interest rates and stocks based on arbitrage and general equilibrium models, incomplete markets and portfolio optimisation in incomplete markets.

Empirical Macroeconomics This module studies modern econometric methods to estimate, evaluate and forecast with structural macroeconomic models. It covers methods that are popular in central banks and in policy institutions. The methods covered allow us to extract cyclical information, solve and estimate structural models, evaluate the effect of monetary policy, and forecast variables such as inflation and output growth using econometric software.

Topics in Macro-Labour This module provides an overview of some of the main current topics in macro-labour. It combines typical empirical tools of labour economics with equilibrium models of the macroeconomy to interpret the main stylised facts of modern labour markets and draw policy implications. The module has a strong applied focus. For each major topic covered we will derive testable implications, provide insights into the research methodology, discuss the advantages and limitations of existing empirical work, and draw policy conclusions.

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Financial Econometrics This module discusses econometric methodology for dealing with problems in the area of financial economics and provides students with the econometric tools applied in the area. Applications are considered in the stock, bond and exchange rate markets.

You will cover the following issues: asset returns distributions; predictability of asset returns; econometric tests of capital markets efficiency and asset pricing models; inter-temporal models of time-varying risk premium; nonlinearities in financial data; value at risk; pricing derivatives with stochastic volatility (or GARCH) models; modeling non-synchronous trading; and numerical methods in finance.

Staff

Jose-Miguel Albala-Bertrand Development economics, macroeconomics and economics of disasters Jose-Miguel is an international expert in the economics and political economy of disasters, who has participated in high-powered projects with international organisations, especially the World Bank. He is currently writing a book, commissioned

by Routledge, in the area of disaster economics.

Its provisional titled is Disasters, Networks and Development. He works on development economics with a focus on macroeconomic theory and policy in three main areas of concern. Firstly, naturally/socially-induced disasters via empirical, analytical and policy-orientated approaches. His main conclusion is that as a rule "disasters are a problem OF development, but not a problem FOR development". Secondly, he has done work on structural change, especially comparing the "Washington Consensus Model" with the "Asian Model". And thirdly, he has also worked on the analysis of infrastructures, proposing a novel twogap model to assess the impact of infrastructural capital on growth. He has also proposed an optimally consistent method, via linear programming, to calculate a benchmark for the capital stock, which is both accurate and significantly cost-saving in finance and time, especially when data is scarce. It has now been applied in many countries, especially China.

Nizar Allouch Microeconomic theory Nizar's research interests are mainly in Microeconomic Theory, Public Economics and Game Theory. In addition to his work on NoArbitrage conditions in assets markets, he is

currently elaborating some work on Tiebout economies with overlapping clubs/jurisdictions and multiple memberships. His work on Tiebout/Clubs economies will have some game theoretic and pricing applications to general networks.

Richard Baillie Time series analysis, econometrics and international finance Richard divides his time between QMUL and the Michigan State University, USA, where he is the A J Pasant Professor of Economics and Finance. He works in the area of dynamic econometric methods, international finance, asset pricing and time series analysis. His current main research interests are the theory of long memory processes, modelling volatility, general issues in prediction, international finance parity conditions, modelling risk premium, and the effects of central bank intervention. He has published over seventy articles in the main professional journals and is a fellow of the Journal of Econometrics and an elected fellow of the American Statistical Association. According to Repec, he is in the top 3 per cent of all economists for citations and has an "h" statistic of 19. He is co-editor of the Journal of Empirical Finance and also serves as associate editor of a number of other journals and is visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Francis Breedon Foreign exchange and bond markets particularly in the area of market microstructure.

Francis’s main research interests are in foreign exchange and bond markets particularly in the area of market microstructure.

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Staff (cont)

He has direct experience of financial markets through his time at the Bank of England, and his consulting roles for a number of Banks, Hedge Funds, Government Departments and Central Banks. Currently, he is undertaking a project on currency allocation for the Norwegian Petroleum Fund. He has also worked at the London and Chicago Business Schools.

Andrea Carriero Applied macroeconomics and forecasting Andrea's research interests are applied macroeconometrics and forecasting. He is working on the econometric analysis of present value models, with applications on the Expectation Theory of the Term Structure of Interest Rates, the Uncovered Interest Rate Parity, and the New Keynesian Phillips Curve. He is also working on the construction and evaluation of alternative composite coincident and leading indexes for the Euro Area and the UK. Francesca Cornaglia Applied microeconomics Francesca's main interests are in labour and health economics, and applied microeconomics. Her current work agenda is related to crime, addictive behaviour and mental health issues. She's currently working on a project investigating the impact that crime has on the mental wellbeing of individuals living in communities that have been subjected to crime, but who have not themselves been victims of criminal actions. She's also working on a lifecycle model of smoking behaviour.

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Giulio Fella Macroeconomics and theoretical labour economics Giulio Fella works in macroeconomics and theoretical labour economics. He has investigated the effects of dismissal regulations on unemployment, welfare and firms' investment in workers' training. He has worked on optimal insurance contracts in models of search unemployment. His current projects concern the effectiveness of alternative policies in shaping incentives to engage in criminal activity.

Marcelo Fernandes Empirical finance, financial econometrics, and empirical market microstructure Marcelo has currently two lines of research.

The first deals with the theory and application of nonparametric methods to high-frequency financial data. In particular, he has been working on a nonparametric framework for the analysis of volatility and jump spillovers as well as for identifying mispricings in the financial markets.

Marcelo's second line of research aims to assess performance and risk-taking behaviour in the hedge fund industry.

Ana Galvao Applied macroeconomics and forecasting Ana's research interests are macroeconometrics and forecasting. She has worked on applications of non-linear time series models to macroeconomic and financial time series, and on extensions of models with mixed data frequencies for forecasting macroeconomic variables. She is currently working on the impact of data revisions in forecasting macroeconomic aggregates.

Liudas Giraitis Time-series econometrics Liudas has completed extensive research on long memory and integrated I(d) models. He is interested in ARCH models, their properties and estimation methods. Liudas has most recently been working on testing and estimation of integrated time series models in econometrics and development of comprehensive asymptotic theory for quadratic forms of dependent variables. He has published numerous articles in the leading statistical and econometric journals.

Emmanuel Guerre Econometric theory Emmanuel's research interests concern nonparametric identification and inference for auctions, optimal nonparametric testing and inference for recurrent/unit root processes.

His main contribution in auction modelling consists in a nonparametric rate optimal estimation method that circumvents the numerical difficulties induced by the Nash equilibrium. His work in nonparametric testing deals with adaptive rate optimal tests that also have a simple limit distribution. This testing approach can be applied in various contexts and is easy to implement.

and whether gun shows in the US increase suicide and homicide rates in the geographic areas surrounding the shows. My current research focuses on racial and gender biases in jury decisions and on the role of the family and neighborhood in determining criminal behavior.

Alfonsina Iona Capital structure, corporate investment, corporate governance and financing constraints Alfonsina’s research in finance is carried out both at the theoretical and empirical level. In particular, she studies and develops models of investment where the effects of capital market imperfections contribute to shape the firm’s investment; where corporate investment is affected by the public investment and where capital market imperfections effects may be relaxed by some macroeconomic variables. In this research area she also analyses how corporate governance characteristics affect the firm financing policies and how these affect the firm value.

Alfonsina’s research in economics is focused on the main determinants of the adoption of innovations by firms and the impact of innovations on firm performance.

Randi Hjalmarsson Economics of crime My research focuses on empirical questions related to the economics of crime. In particular, I have studied the effect of incarceration on education and subsequent criminal activity; one of these papers focuses on identifying peer effects in the criminal justice system. Other research questions are policy driven, such as whether the death penalty has a deterrent effect Queen Mary, University of London 11

Staff (cont)

George Kapetanios Econometrics and macroeconomics George works in the area of econometrics and macroeconomics. In the area of econometrics he is interested in (i) the analysis of nonlinear econometric models, (ii) nonlinear unit root tests, (iii) factor models for large datasets (iv) model selection (v) tests of rank (vi) tests of nonlinearity and (vii) econometric forecasting. He has developed unit root tests that are powerful against nonlinear stationary processes for a variety of nonlinear alternative hypotheses. He has developed new tests for nonlinearity with very favourable size and power properties. He has proposed a new methodology for estimating factors from large datasets using state space models. In the area of macroeconomics he has investigated the persistence properties of a number of macroeconomics series and used state space and nonlinear models to forecast GDP for Europe and the US. Marika Karanassou Macroeconomics and empirical finance Marika's main interest is macroeconomic modelling. The analysis of dynamic macro-labour models with spillover effects, the evaluation of the inflation-unemployment tradeoff, and the identification of the factors which jointly drive these central macro variables are the focal points of her research. The theoretical and empirical models of her work draw a new line of research and her results challenge the macroeconomic consensus on two major fronts: (i) the interplay of dynamics and growth in labour market models questions the

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prevailing wisdom of the natural rate of unemployment, and (ii) the existence of a downward-sloping Phillips curve points against the classical dichotomy doctrine.

Winfried Koeniger Macroeconomics Winfried considers macroeconomic issues with a particular focus on consumption and labour markets. He has analysed the effects of labour market institutions on economic performance emphasising interactions between the structure of labour markets, financial markets and product markets. Moreover, he researches quantitative models with heterogeneous agents to understand consumption and saving patterns.

Stepana Lazarova Time-series econometrics Stepana works in the area of Time Series Econometrics. In particular she focuses on time series with long memory. She investigates linear models with breaks in parameters and examines the validity of bootstrap methods for models with strongly dependent processes.

Leone Leonida Corporate finance and growth Leone's research interests are mainly in growth and corporate finance. He is studying the effects on growth processes and convergence patterns of structural change (ie industrialisation) by means of semi-parametric stochastic kernels and ACF estimation. He also studies the effects on firm value and investment of corporate governance mechanisms, exchange rate fluctuations and spill over effects from public capital.

Yioryos Makedonis Mathematical economics, macroeconomics, and environmental economics Yioryos's main areas of research are Mathematical Economics, Macroeconomics, and Environmental Economics.

also a research associate at the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the London School of Economics, a CEPR Research Affiliate in the Public Policy and Labor Economics Programmes, and a Research Fellow at IZA (Bonn) and CESIFO (University of Munich).

Rachel Male Applied macroeconomics and development economics Rachel's interests are applied macroeconomics, development economics and applied econometrics. She is currently working on the empirical analysis of a DSGE model with sticky prices and a vertical input-output structure, to model output persistence (in response to a monetary policy shock) of economies at different levels of development. She is also working on the econometric analysis of developing country business cycles; including turning point analysis of business cycle duration and timing, and statistical analysis of persistence, volatility, correlations with output, cross-country quantity correlations and real exchange rate correlations.

Xavier Mateos-Planas Xavier’s primary research interest is in quantitative macroeconomics – the combination of theory and data for measurement and policy analysis. His agenda reaches across various themes, including the determination of fiscal policies, financial frictions and consumer credit regulation, unemployment and inequality, technology and development, and fertility and economic growth.

Marco Manacorda Labour economics Marco Manacorda is a labor economist with a particular interest in developing countries. His research is empirical in nature and focuses on how incentives are shaped by public policies, with the ultimate aim of uncovering the micro-determinants of individual behavior. He has written on topics such as wage institutions, schooling, child labour, migration, family formation, social protection, political economy, unemployment, wage inequality and early child development, in both developed and developing countries. Marco Manacorda is

Xavier’s recent work on political economy introduces dynamic voting and a rich demographic structure in quantitative macroeconomic models, a necessary step for the positive analysis of fiscal policies when there is population change.

Xavier has also focused on consumer credit in order to study personal bankruptcies and the impact of banking regulation. This research develops models for the determination of credit terms – credit limits and interest rates – in continuing credit relationships across the different types of households in the economy.

Radoslawa Nikolowa Organisation theory, contract theory, industrial organisation, labour economics Radoslawa's research interests are organisational economics and corporate finance. In the area of organisational economics she has analysed from a theoretical prospective the impact of labour market Queen Mary, University of London 13

Staff (cont)

conditions on the internal organisation of the firm, in terms of organisational structure and reward schemes for the employees. More recently she is working in the field of corporate finance, investigating the questions of creation and financing of spin-offs, and CEO turnover.

Barbara Petrongolo Barbara Petrongolo's main area of interest is applied labour economics. The focus of some of her recent contributions is the performance of labour markets with job search frictions, with applications to unemployment dynamics, welfare policy and interdependencies across local labour markets. She is also carrying out research on the causes and characteristics of gender earnings inequality across countries, with emphasis on the role of employment selection mechanisms and structural transformation.

Eric Hjalmarsson Eric's expertise is in Empirical Asset Pricing and Portfolio Choice, Empirical Market Microstructure, Volatility Modeling and Estimation, Financial Econometrics and Time Series Econometrics Anne Spencer Health economics Anne's research is focused on the analysis of preferences and decision-making, with particular applications to health and safety issues.

Her research covers utility measurement, decision under uncertainty, intertemporal choice, and draws upon experimental economics techniques to try to isolate the factors that affect decision-making. She has published in the Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, as well as more specialised journals like Health Economics and Social Science and 14 MSc Economics

Medicine. She also mentors health economists to use modelling techniques to aid decision-making at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). In addition, she is involved in research to apply modelling techniques to improve the design of clinical trials and to develop guidelines for researchers on the use of modelling techniques to inform cost effective studies. Anne is also senior health economics advisor for the Pragmatic Clinical Trials Unit (PCTU) which can be found on the web at www.ihse.qmul.ac.uk/chspctu.

Christopher Tyson Microeconomic theory Christopher's primary research interests are in individual decision-making; specifically, in the areas of revealed preference analysis, bounded rationality, utility theory, and intertemporal choice.

His other interests include game theory, bargaining, choice under uncertainty, and evolutionary models.

Roberto Veneziani Microeconomic theory and political economy Roberto's research interests include topics of dynamic models of cyclical growth, egalitarian principles, and distribution of resources between generations, sustainable development, and normative principles in economics. He has focused mainly on dynamic recursive optimisation models with heterogeneous agents. He is also interested in the history of economic thought and in political economy from a mathematical perspective.

Leon Vinokur Environmental economics Environmental Economics, EU Emission Trading Scheme, Energy markets, Financial Economics.

My research is on environmental policy of the EU with an emphasis on the UK. In my thesis I conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the environmental policy in the EU. I focus on decision-making under uncertainty. I also assess econometrically the disposition effect in the carbon market using an intra-daily data. In addition, I analyse the theoretical impact of the Kyoto mechanisms on the production incentives in the market. Specifically, I analyse how the uncertainty of the Policy, after the Kyoto protocol expires, affects the current emissions rate of the producers.

Guglielmo Volpe Economic education and growth theory Guglielmo's research interests lie in the areas of economic growth and economic education. He has investigated the role of imperfect capital markets in human capital accumulation and economic growth. Presently he is investigating the effects of alternative environmental policies on economic growth. In the area of economic education Guglielmo has a particular interest in student centred approaches to learning (such as PBL), the internationalisation of the curriculum and link between institutional sense of belonging and academic performance.

research focuses on the theory of markets and economic behaviour, and he is particularly interested in the dynamics of interactive processes involving bounded rational, learning agents. In relation to this, in his work he follows theoretical as well as experimental and computational tracks. He has investigated the meaning of the concept of rationality in economics, and analysed the link between, on the one hand, ideas of economies as complex adaptive systems (eg in recent Agentbased Computational Economics work), and on the other hand, much earlier views on self-organisation in economics as advanced by Adam Smith or Hayek. He has worked on models of price dispersion and consumer loyalty and of the phenomenon of information-contagion, and he has investigated the relevance and implications of a range of learning theories both in theory and in experimental setups (including various oligopolistic markets, a location game, and ultimatum games).

Recent work also includes the significance of focal points and of signalling in coordination games, and the measuring of the competitiveness of football leagues.

Andriy Zapechelnyuk Microeconomic theory, game theory Andriy's research interests are in the areas of microeconomic and game theory, with a particular focus on adaptive learning and decision making in uncertain environments, as well as bargaining theory, auctions and contracts.

Nicolaas Vriend Microeconomic and game theory, economic dynamics Nick's fields of interest are microeconomic theory, game theory, industrial organisation, evolutionary economics, and complex adaptive systems. His Queen Mary, University of London 15

Sample publications

Allouch, N. and Florenzano, M. (2004): “Edgeworth and Walrasian equilibrium of an arbitrage-free exchange economy”, Economic Theory.

Breedon, F. “An empirical study of liquidity and information effects of order flow on exchange rates” (with P. Vitale) Journal of International Money and Finance, April 2010

Baillie, R T. “Prediction from ARFIMA Models: Comparisons between MLE and Semi Parametric Procedures”, (with C. Kongchareon and G. Kapetanios), International Journal of Forecasting, forthcoming.

Carriero, A. (2008): “A simple test of the New Keynesian Phillips Curve”, Economics Letters.

Baillie, R T. “Carry Trades, Momentum Trading and the Forward Premium Anomaly”, (with S. S. Chang), Journal of Financial Markets, forthcoming, 2010.

Breedon, F. “Differences in Beliefs and Currency Risk Premia” (with A. Beber and A. Buraschi) Journal of Financial Economics, December 2010

Cornaglia, F. “The Effect of Taxes and Bans on Passive Smoking”, with Jérôme Adda, American Economic Journal – Applied Economics, vol. 2, No.1, January 2010, pp.1-32 Cornaglia, F. The Effect of Taxes and bans on Passive Smoking”, British Academy Review, issue 11, 2008.

Cornaglia, F. “Taxes, Cigarette Consumption, and Smoking Intensity”, in The Economics Of Health Behaviours, Edited by John Cawley and Donald S. Kenkel, Vol.III, part 2, 2008.

Amaro de Matos, J., and Fernandes, M., (2007): Testing the Markov property with high frequency data, Journal of Econometrics.

Fernandes, M. and Rocha, Marco Aurelio dos Santos, (2007): Are price limits on futures markets that cool? Evidence from the Brazilian Mercantile and Futures Exchange, Journal of Financial Econometrics.

Galvao, A., "Forecasting US output growth using Leading Indicators: An appraisal using MIDAS models" (with M. Clements) (2009). Journal of Applied Econometrics. Forthcoming.

Clements, M. and Galvão, A. B. (2008): “Macroeconomic Forecasting with Mixed Frequency Data: Forecasting US output growth”, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics.

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Guerre, E. and Guay, A. (2006): “A data-driven nonparametric specification test for dynamic regression models”, Econometric Theory.

Lazarova, S. (2005) "Testing for Structural Change in Regression With Long Memory Processes" Journal of Econometrics

Guerre, E. and Guay, A. (2006): “A data-driven nonparametric specification test for dynamic regression models”, Econometric Theory.

Lazarova, S. (forthcoming) "Common stochastic trends and aggregation in heterogoeneous panels" Econometric Theory (with L. Trapani and G. Urga).

Hjalmarsson, R. and Lopez, M. (2009).

“The Voting Behavior of Disenfranchised Criminals: Would They Vote if They Could?” forthcoming American Law and Economics Review.

Berlinski, S., Galiani, S. and Manacorda, M. (2008): “Giving Children a Better Start: Preschool Attendance and School-Age Profiles”, Journal of Public Economics.

Hjalmarsson, E. and Hjalmarsson, R. (2009).

“Efficiency in Housing Markets: Which Home Buyers Know How to Discount?” Journal of Banking and Finance Volume 33(11): 2150-2163.

Mateos-Planas, X. “Demographics and the Politics of Capital Taxation in a Life-cycle Economy”, The American Economic Review, 100 1, 337-363, 2010

Bayer, P., Hjalmarsson, R., and Pozen, D. (2009), “Building Criminal Capital Behind Bars: Peer Effects in Juvenile Corrections”, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 124(1): 105-147.

Mateos-Planas, X. “A Quantitative Theory of Social Security Without Commitment”, Journal of Public Economics, 62, 652-671, 2008.

Kapetanios G. (2008): “The asymptotic distribution of the cointegration rank estimator under the Akaike information criterion”, Econometric Theory.

Bertola G., Hochgürtel, S. and Koeniger, W. (2005): “Dealer Pricing of Consumer Credit”, International Economic Review.

Lazarova, S. (2001) "Testing for Ongoing Convergence in Central and Eastern Europe: 1970 - 1998" Journal of Comparative Economics (with S. Estrin and G. Urga) Lazarova, S. (2003) "Are Differences in Firm Sizes Transitory or Permanent" Journal of Applied Econometrics (with P. Geroski, G. Urga and C. Walters)

Nikolowa, R. "Supply of Skilled Labour and Organizational Change", 2010, Labour Economics, vol. 17 Nikolowa, R. "Mutual Monitoring versus Incentive Pay in Teams", 2009, Annals of Economics and Statistics, vol 93/94 Petrongolo, B. Unequal pay or unequal employment? A cross-country analysis of gender gaps" (joint with Claudia Olivetti). Journal of Labor Economics 26: 621-654, 2008 Petrongolo, B. A test between stock-flow matching and the random matching function approach" (joint with Melvyn Coles). International Economic Review 49: 1113-1141, 2008.

Queen Mary, University of London 17

Sample publications (cont)

Petrongolo, B. The long-term effects of job search requirements: Evidence from the UK JSA reform". Journal of Public Economics 93: 12341253, 2009

Veneziani, R. “Objectivist versus Subjectivist Approaches to the Marxian Theory of Exploitation”, (joint with Naoki Yoshihara), Metroeconomica, forthcoming.

Petrongolo, B. The Ins and Outs of European Unemployment" (joint with Christopher Pissarides). American Economic Review, Papers & Proceedings, 98: 256-262, 2008.

Veneziani, R. “Analytical Marxism”, Journal of Economic Surveys, forthcoming.

Petrongolo, B. Job and wage mobility with minimum wages and imperfect compliance" (joint with Zvi Eckstein and Suqin Ge).

Forthcoming in Journal of Applied Econometrics, 2011.

Petrongolo, B. The part-time pay penalty for women in Britain" (joint with Alan Manning).

Economic Journal 118: F28-F51, 2008.

Tyson, C.J. (2010): “Dominance solvability of dynamic bargaining games”, Economic Theory.

Tyson, C. (2008): “Cognitive constraints, contraction consistency, and the satisficing criterion”, Journal of Economic Theory.

Tyson, C. (2008): “Management of a capital stock by Strotz's naive planner”, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control.

Veneziani, R. (forthcoming) "What We Owe Our Children, They Their Children..." Journal of Public Economic Theory (with J. E. Roemer) Veneziani, R. (forthcoming) "The Temporal Single-System Interpretation of Marx's Economics: A Critical Evaluation" Metroeconomica Veneziani, R. “Non-Interference Implies Equality” (joint with M. Mariotti), Social Choice and Welfare, vol.32, 123-128, 2009 18 MSc Economics

Pancs, R. and Vriend, N. (2007): “Schelling's Spatial Proximity Model of Segregation Revisited”, Journal of Public Economics.

Zapechelnyuk, A. (2010), with Yair Tauman “On (Non-) Monotonicity of Cooperative Solutions,” International Journal of Game Theory Zapechelnyuk, A. (2008), “Better-Reply Dynamics with Bounded Recall,” Mathematics of Operations Research Zapechelnyuk, A. (2008), with Alexander Matros, “Optimal Fees in Internet Auctions,” Review of Economic Design

Graduates

Graduate profile: Andrej Sokol Studied: MSc Economics I became interested in Economics during my study of Management Engineering. After working as a teaching assistant and then as a freelance consultant, I decided it was time to improve my knowledge of the subject and acquire a professional profile suitable for a career in economic research. I applied to Queen Mary based on personal recommendations, the College and Departmental Rankings, and of course the positive externalities due to its location in London; the offer by the School of Economics and Finance to waive my fees removed any additional doubts.

I am finding the MSc Economics course highly interesting and stimulating; lectures are often very interactive, homework assignments and their constructive discussion during classes greatly enhance understanding, and faculty members are always available for clarifications and eager to discuss any further questions. Moreover, the College provides excellent computing and library facilities, and though I personally don't live on campus, I find it a very pleasant place where to study.

Overall, after this first Semester I remain very much satisfied with my choice to come to Queen Mary, and I am convinced that I will both enjoy the remaining part of the Master and leverage the acquired knowledge and skills for my future career as an economist.

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Graduate employment

Graduate profile: Matanat Alieva Studied: MSc in Finance and Economics Currently: Working for Barclays Bank Why did you choose Queen Mary for your postgraduate study: I chose Queen Mary, because the School of Economics and Finance has a great reputation – it is considered to be one of the best in the UK. In particular, I was impressed by the School being ranked 6th in the UK for the quality of its research.

Also, I studied for my BSc in Economics at Queen Mary and decided to continue with the MSc. I had lots of positive emotions about the School, the teaching quality was very high, and I met lots of nice people.

Ultimately my aim was to work in the banking sector, and I secured a job with Barclays before graduating.

What did you gain from your time at Queen Mary?

During my time at Queen Mary, I learned how to work hard under pressure, how to deal with strict deadlines, and how to work in a group. Ultimately I started to think as a financial economist.

20 MSc Economics

First destinations of our graduates include some of the most prestigious universities in UK, continental Europe and Asia; several independent economic research centres and private institutions; many governmental research departments and regulatory bodies, such as the Antitrust authorities and the financial regulatory agencies; some international institutions such as the European Central Bank, the Bank of England, the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

The chart below shows student destinations, by percentage.

Destination

Others 17%

Banking 33%

Event Management 8% Research 4% International Finance 15%

Investment Banking 23%

An international outlook

Careers

The School of Economics and Finance at Queen Mary is made up of people from all over the world. In fact, international diversity of both faculty and students is a key ingredient of our success. Female students are also well represented, making up almost 50 per cent of students.

Our careers service is run by a team of dedicated and professional staff. We offer advice through drop-in sessions and in-depth interviews, and run an extensive programme of seminars covering topics such as: interview skills; how to deal with psychometric tests; and surviving assessment centres. You will also be able to use our extensive Careers Library.

The chart below shows students’ country of origin by percentage.

Country of origin

Europe 22%

Middle East 33%

UK 9% Africa 6%

Asia 30%

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Alternative MSc programmes

The School of Economics and Finance runs a number of specialist MSc degree programmes.

You can indicate on your application form a second choice of programme, for which you will be considered in the event that we are not able to offer you a place on the MSc Economics degree.

MSc Banking and Finance This MSc in Banking and Finance offers specialised, practical training in an environment of academic excellence. Students cover a variety of perspectives on how financial markets operate, grounded in economic and financial theory and practice.

This MSc programme is ideal for those aiming to pursue careers in the city private banking sector, financial institution, and financial regulatory bodies, as well as those already working in these fields. Graduates will be well placed to follow careers in investment management, financial statement, risk and portfolio management.

For more information www.econ.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/mscprogrammes/msc-banking-and-finance /

22 MSc Economics

MSc Finance and Economics MSc Finance and Econometrics These are well-established intensive programmes offering advanced study in finance and related areas of economics and econometrics. They are ideal for students who aim to train as professional economists and work in the private or public sector, or follow an academic career. Both programmes include a dissertation component.

For more information: MSc Finance and Economics www.econ.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/ programmes/msc-econ-finance-and-economics MSc Finance and Econometrics www.econ.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/programme s/msc-econ-finance-and-econometrics

MSc Investment and Finance This programme aims to train students and professionals in areas of finance which have major practical and theoretical interest, especially investment analysis and corporate finance issues such as optimal capital structure and mergers and acquisitions, banking, derivatives and finance microstructure.

This programme offers professional postgraduate training, preparing students to follow careers in finance, banks or elsewhere in the private sector.

A number of optional modules are also on offer.

These are taught by City practitioners who provide insiders’ views on issues of interest to the financial community.

For more information: www.econ.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/mscprogrammes/msc-investment-and-finance

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Application procedure

Accommodation

Entry requirements

Queen Mary students are well placed when it comes to finding suitable accommodation. The Mile End campus incorporates a Student Village with more than 2,000 rooms, many of them ensuite. Queen Mary students also have access to places in the fully catered Intercollegiate Halls in central London, which are owned by the University of London. Additionally, there is a range of private sector housing in the east London area surrounding the campus.

You should have a first class or strong upper second class honours degree, or international equivalent, normally (though not necessarily) in economics or a related field. Some background in quantitative subjects is essential. Students are also expected to attend intensive pre-sessional classes in mathematics and statistics during September.

If you prefer to live in private accommodation, the College can help you find a suitable place, by providing you with guidance notes and up-todate listings of available properties. Once you have firmly accepted your offer to study at Queen Mary, full details of how to apply for College housing will be sent to you by the Admissions Office.

All candidates should include a full academic transcript (a record of courses taken and grades achieved) and two academic references with their applications. The deadline for applications is early June, but courses generally start to fill up by the middle of March each year. The School reserves the right not to process applications which arrive later than June.

Some residences are reserved solely for postgraduates, while others may be shared with final year undergraduate students; all residences are for both male and female students. Single sex accommodation is available in the standard style of housing, subject to availability. For all enquiries about accommodation, information can be found on the following website: www.residences.qmul.ac.uk

Further information

24 MSc Economics

Application

The School welcomes informal enquiries about any aspect of its graduate programmes.

For further information please contact the Postgraduate Programme Manager: Sandra Adams School of Economics and Finance Queen Mary, University of London Mile End Road London E1 4NS email: s.adams@qmul.ac.uk Tel +44 (0)20 7882 7356 Fax +44 (0)20 8983 3580

This guide has been produced by the Creative Services for the School of Economics and Finance – Pub8427 For further information contact: School of Economics and Finance Queen Mary, University of London Mile End Road London E1 4NS Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 7356 Fax: +44 (0)20 8983 3580 email: s.adams@qmul.ac.uk www.econ.qmul.ac.uk

Any section of this publication is available upon request in accessible formats (large print, audio, etc.). For further information and assistance, please contact: Diversity Specialist, hr-equality@qmul.ac.uk, 020 7882 5585