Mar 29, 2024  
College Catalog 2013-2014 
    
College Catalog 2013-2014 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

ECON 252 - Economics of Not-For-Profit


This course focuses on the economics of not-for-profit institutions. The course will deal with both underlying theoretical concepts and their applicability to Macalester College. Indeed, the college will provide the framework for the course. Using the tools of economic analysis acquired in the Principles course, we will examine the mission/purpose/aims of the college and how they relate to governance (the interplay between the Board of Trustees, the President and his/her staff, the various faculty/staff committees, students, and other constituencies); planning and goal setting; resource allocation (both operating and capital budgets); the interplay between human capital, financial capital, and physical capital; agency matters and incentives; and the issues that must be confronted in deciding whether to spend more from the endowment now vs later. We will also study how not-for-profits tend to self-evaluate their progress and how external evaluating methodologies (e.g. U.S.News & World Report rankings) might influence all of the above. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119 (4 Credits)