Economic Theory

Program Director(s)
Larry Samuelson

Overview

Microeconomic Theory at Yale is characterized by a large faculty and comprehensive course offerings across all specializations, foremost among them decision theory, game theory, and general equilibrium theory. The Cowles Foundation is supporting a Research Program in Microeconomic Theory which hosts every year a number of long-term visitors.

Overview of Courses

Microeconomic Theory I (Econ 500a) and II (Econ 501b) is a two course core sequence for all students in the Ph.D. program. Material covered includes consumer and producer theory, choice under uncertainty, general equilibrium theory, game theory, information economics and mechanism design. The sequence is designed to provide a thorough overview of microeconomic tools that will be used by Ph.D. students in all fields; it also prepares students for the comprehensive exams taken at the end of the first year in the program.
 
Advanced Microeconomics I (Econ 520a) and II (Econ 521b) is a two course sequence examining in more depth foundational issues in game theory, information economics, mechanism design and social choice.
 
Mathematical Economics I (Econ 530a) and II (Econ 531b) is a two course sequence focussed on issues in general equilibrium theory. Typically, these sequences are taken by Ph.D. students in the second year, including both those who will end up specializing in microeconomic theory and those who will do applied research using advanced tools of microeconomic analysis.
 

Requirements

The first year sequence (Econ 500a and 501b) is designed for first year students in the Economics Ph.D. program. Other students should seek the permission of the instructor. The first year sequence is a prerequisite for the second year courses (Econ 520a, 521b, 530a, 531b).
  • ECON 500a: Microeconomic Theory I
  • ECON 501b: Microeconomic Theory II
  • ECON 520a: Advanced Microeconomics I
  • ECON 521b: Advanced Microeconomics II
  • ECON 530a: Mathematical Economics I
  • ECON 531b: Mathematical Economics II

Other Recommended Courses

In microeconomic theory, mathematics and statistics represent important languages and techniques to express our ideas. We therefore recommend that graduate students in economic theory at Yale take or audit a stream of mathematics and statistics classes. If you take one course a term starting in the second year on, then by the end of the fifth year you will have at least eight important courses to support your ability to develop, analyze, and solve mathematical models. At Yale, there are a number of courses we can recommend and a partial list is the following:
  • AMTH 237a: Optimization and Complexity
  • AMTH 462a: Graphs and Networks
     
  • MATH 250a: Vector Analysis
  • MATH 260a: Basic Analysis in Function Spaces
  • MATH 301a: Introduction to Analysis
  • MATH 305b: Real Analysis MATH
  • MATH 320a: Measure Theory and Integration MATH
  • MATH 325b: Introduction to Functional Analysis
     
  • STAT 251b: Stochastic Processes
  • STAT 330b: Advanced Probability
  • STAT 637a: Deterministic and Stochastic Optimization

Seminars

A central element of the research environment in microeconomic theory are the:
  • Micro Theory Lunch (Tuesday, 12:00 - 1:00 pm)
  • Microeonomic Theory Workshop (Wednesday, 2:30 - 4:00 pm)
both of which are an integral and indispensable part of the intellectual communication in microeconomic theory.

Activities during the academic year

Recent Conferences

Visitors

(for contact info, see Visiting Faculty page)

2019-2020

2018-2019

2017-2018

2016-2017

  • Budish, Eric, University of Chicago, Booth School of Business
  • Lu, Jay, University of California, Los Angeles

2015-2016

2014-2015
  • Brooks, Benjamin, Princeton University
  • Che, Yeon-Koo, Columbia University
  • Deb, Rahul, University of Toronto
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook University
  • Hernandez, Penelope, Universidad de Valencia
  • Ishii, Yuhta, Harvard University
  • Lambert, Nicolas, Stanford Graduate School of Business
  • Minardi, Stefania, HEC, Paris
  • Morris, Stephen, Princeton University
  • Neeman, Zvika, Tel Aviv University
  • Öry, Aniko, UC-Berkeley
  • Postlewaite, Andrew, University of Pennsylvania
  • Reny, Philip, University of Chicago
  • Roesler, Anne-Katrin, Universität Bonn
  • Rostek, Marzena, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Sen, Arunava, Indian Statistical Institute
  • Stacchetti, Ennio, NYU
  • Tercieux, Olivier, Paris School of Economics
  • Välimäki, Juuso, Aalto School of Economics
  • Vigier, Adrien, University of Oslo
  • Vila Gisbert, José E., University of Valencia
2013-2014
  • Barron, Daniel, MIT
  • Binmore, Kenneth, University of Bristol, UK
  • Binsky, Hadar, Tel Aviv University
  • Chalioti, Evangelia (Eva), University Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
  • Dang, Chuangyin, City University of Hong Kong
  • Deb, Rahul, University of Toronto
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook University
  • Forges, François, University of Paris-Dauphine
  • Ghosh, Sambuddha, Boston University
  • Kraehmer, Daniel, Universitat Bonn
  • Krishna, Vijay, Penn State University
  • Lauermann, Stephan, University of Michigan
  • Mailath, George, University of Pennsylvania
  • Meneghel, Idione, University of Queensland
  • Morris, Stephen, Princeton University
  • Neeman, Zvika, Tel Aviv University
  • Postlewaite, Andrew, University of Pennsylvania
  • Renou, Ludovic, University of Essex
  • Rissing, Steve, Ohio State University
  • Roesler, Anne-Katrin, Universitat Bonn
  • Skrzypacz, Andrzej (Andy), Stanford University
  • Smith, Eric, Santa Fe Institute
  • Strack, Philipp, Bonn School of Economics
  • Strulovici, Bruno, Northwestern University
  • Sudderth, William, University of Minnesota
  • Välimäki, Juuso, Aalto School of Economics
  • Vasama, Suvi, Aalto University
2012-2013
  • Ben-Porath, Elchanan, Hebrew University
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook University
  • Forges, Françoise, l’Université Paris-Dauphine
  • Fostel, Ana, (George Washington University
  • Goltsman, Maria, Western Social Science
  • Kamada, Yuichiro, UC Berkeley
  • Kojima, Fuhito, Stanford University
  • Laclau, Marie, HEC Paris
  • Loerke, Petra, University of Mannheim
  • Marlats, Chantal, Université Panthéon-Assas, Paris II
  • Postlewaite, Andrew, University of Pennsylvania
  • Pavlov, Gregory, Western Social Science
  • Renou, Ludovic, University Essex
  • Robson, Arthur, Simon Fraser University
  • Rockafellar, R. Tyrrell, University of Washington
  • Sekiguchi, Tadashi, Kyoto University
  • Eric Smith, Santa Fe Institute
  • Strack, Philipp, Bonn School of Economics
  • Strazalecki, Tomasz, Harvard University
  • Sudderth, William, University of Minnesota
  • Toikka, Juuso, MIT
  • Välimäki, Juuso, Aalto School of Economics
  • Weinstein, Jonathan, Northwestern University-Kellogg
2011-2012
  • Battaglini, Marco, Princeton University
  • Bonatti, Alessandro, MIT
  • Che, Yeon-Koo, Columbia University
  • Deb, Joyee, New York University
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook University
  • Fudenberg, Drew, Harvard University
  • Gabaix, Xavier, New York University
  • Gretschko, Vitali, University of Cologne
  • Hege, Ulrich, HEC Paris
  • Hellwig, Martin, University of Bonn
  • Kartik, Navin, Columbia University
  • Klein, Nicholas, University of Bonn
  • Koessler, Frédéric, Paris School of Economics
  • Kos, Nenad, University of Bocconi
  • Loerke, Petra, Universität Mannheim
  • Manea, Mihai, MIT
  • Morris, Stephen, Princeton University
  • Nöldeke, George, University of Basel
  • Postlewaite, Andrew, University of Pennsylvania
  • Rady, Sven, University of Bonn
  • Roughgarden, Timothy, Stanford University
  • Smith, Eric, Santa Fe Institute
  • Strausz, Roland, Humboldt-Universität Berlin
  • Sudderth, William, University of Minnesota
  • Sugaya, Takuo, Princeton University)
  • Välimäki, Juuso, Helsinki School of Economics
  • Wambach, Achim, University of Cologne
2010-2011
  • Cerreia-Vioglio, Simone, Universita Boconi
  • Cripps, Martin, University College London
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook
  • Ekmekci, Mehmet, Northwestern University
  • Gabaix, Xavier, New York University
  • Gerardi, Donato, Collegio Carlo Alberto
  • Gossner, Olivier, London School of Economics
  • Kranz, Sebastian, University of Bonn
  • Postlewaite, Andrew, University of Pennsylvania
  • Rabin, Matthew, UC-Berkeley
  • Strulovici, Bruno, Northwestern University
  • Smith, Eric, Santa Fe Institute
  • Sudderth, William, University of Minnesota
  • Välimäki, Juuso, Helsinki School of Economics
  • Watson, Joel, University of California, San Diego
2009-2010
  • Binmore, Kenneth, University College London
  • Bloch, Francis, Ecole Polytechnique
  • Chassang, Sylvain, Princeton University
  • Dang, Tri Vi, University of Mannheim
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook University
  • Echenique, Federico, California Institute of Technology
  • Gilboa, Itzhak, Tel Aviv University
  • Kircher, Philipp, University of Oxford
  • Mariotti, Thomas, Universite Toulouse 1
  • Morris, Stephen, Princeton University
  • Polemarchakis, Herakles, University of Warwick
  • Rady, Sven, Ludwig-Maximillian University
  • Reny, Philip, University of Chicago
  • Skrzypacz, Andrzej, Stanford University
  • Smith, Eric, Santa Fe Institute
  • Sonin, Konstantin, New Economic School & Northwestern University
  • Sudderth, William, University of Minnesota
  • Välimäki, Juuso, Helsinki School of Economics
  • Vives, Xavier, University of Navarra
  • Tercieux, Olivier, CRNS & Paris School of Economics
  • Watson, Joel, UC-San Diego
  • Wiseman, Thomas, University of Texas-Austin
2008-2009
  • Biais, Bruno, Université Toulouse
  • Calsamiglia, Caterina, Universitat Autónama de Barcelona
  • Dang, Tri Vi, University of Mannheim
  • Dekel, Eddie, Tel Aviv University & Northwestern
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook University
  • Itzhak, Gilboa, Tel Aviv University
  • Hellwig, Christian, UC-Los Angeles
  • Kojima, Fuhito, Harvard University
  • Lipman, Bart, Boston University
  • Miller, David, UC-San Diego
  • Polemarchakis, Herakles, University of Warwick
  • Postlewaite, Andrew, University of Pennsylvania
  • Smith, Eric, Santa Fe Institute
  • Sudderth, William, University of Minnesota
  • Szeidl, Adam, UC-Berkeley
  • Välimäki, Jusso, Helsinki School of Economics
2007-2008
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook University
  • Ely, Jeff, Northwestern University
  • Forges, Françoise, l’Université Paris-Dauphine
  • Itzhak, Gilboa, Tel Aviv University
  • Hörner, Johannes, Northwestern University
  • Liu, Qingmin, Stanford University
  • Mongin, Philippe, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
  • Nöldeke, Georg, Abteilung Wirtschaftstheorie
2006-2007
  • Cabral, Luis, NYU
  • Copic, Jernej, UC-Los Angeles
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook University
  • Gilboa, Itzhak, Tel-Aviv University
  • Lau, Stephanie, Washington University
  • Olszewski, Wojciech, Northwestern University
  • Sudderth, William, University of Minnesota
2005-2006
  • DeMeyer, Bernard, University of Paris I
  • deVries, Sven
  • Dubey, Pradeep, Stony Brook University
  • Felli, Leonardo, London School of Economics
  • Fudenberg, Drew, Harvard University
  • Haimanko, Ori, Ben Guri University
  • Gilboa, Itzhak, Tel Aviv University
  • Lagunoff, Roger, Georgetown University
  • Alexandre Marino, University of Paris
  • Mertens, Jean-Francois, CORE
  • Neyman, Abraham, Hebrew University
  • Reny, Philip, University of Chicago
  • Smith, Lones, University of Michigan