Course Syllabus

Semester & Location:	Fall 2025 - DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:	Core Course - 3 credits
Study Tours:	Short Study Tour: Visby, Gotland  Long Study Tour: Helsinki, Finland
Major Disciplines:	Economics, Finance, and Political Science
Prerequisite(s):	One course in intermediate or advanced microeconomics at university level.
Faculty Members:	Fairouz Hussien (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Time & Place:	Time: Mondays & Thursdays  14:50 - 16:10 Place: D508

 

Course Description

Markets generate wealth, but there are no guarantees of how. On the international stage, the volatility of markets contributes to many of the key global challenges of our time: climate change, widening inequality, unprecedented waves of migration, financial crises, and increasing unemployment in the wake of digitalization, automation, and AI. In this course, we consider how responses to these challenges differ between European countries, with a focus on the nature and extent of public interventions in the marketplace.

Our global economic system generates astounding wealth and unprecedented individual freedom. It also creates many problems, including inequality, financial instability, and massive environmental destruction. Some of these problems grow to become crises with international impact.

How nations respond to crises is greatly influenced by a cocktail of factors, including the economic systems in place and how they process and allocate resources, what are the ruling government forms, what kind of policies and regulations are passed (and to whose benefit), market organizing, trade agreements and alliances (with who, for what), and developmental capabilities.

To compare economic systems is to compare ways to process information and make decisions – especially when faced with challenging and uncertain circumstances. This comparison is the study of comparative economics. In comparative economics, we compare economic systems, policies and strategies, and turn towards a facet of economics that is hard to measure, hard to predict, yet vital for navigating and understanding the economy.

In this course, we will compare a selection of economies and how they respond to crises. We will take a look at a variety of policies, economic systems, resource scarcity and allocation, and how the EU has responded to some of the global crises over the past many years.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students are expected to understand:

• The complex relations between capitalist economics and democratic politics
• How different economic systems and forms of government result in different responses to crises.
• Increased familiarity with policies, how they are written and used in crisis responses.
• Market dynamicity and its interplay with policy responses.
• Resource scarcity and allocation, and the conflicts affecting the related decision-making.
• The EU, its foundations and basic operation, as well as its many institutions.
• A closer look at a variety of crises, and how they were handled.
• To further develop essential skills – in analytical thinking and in both oral and written presentation.

Faculty

Fairouz Hussien

PhD @ Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden), M.Sc. @ Hanken School of Economics (Finland). Co-founder of the SSE Methods Lab, and co-founder of SIDI (Stockholm Interdisciplinary Initiative) at DIS Stockholm. Research focus on economic regulation, market dynamics, and antitrust. Expertise from the airline industry. Coffee enthusiast and a book collector.

DIS Accommodations Statement 

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter within two weeks from the start of classes. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support acadsupport@disstockholm.se

Expectations of the Students

I expect all of you to show up to class with a good attitude, and the understanding that your laptop will remain closed unless I state otherwise.

I also expect all of you to have done your readings, homework, and assignments in a timely manner. If you encounter a situation that could cause a delay, please communicate that asap.

For work that needs to be submitted:

• 1-5 days delayed: work will be accepted, but an automatic penalty of points will be taken.
• 6< days delayed: work will no longer be accepted, and the points given will be 0.

Use of laptops or phones in class:

• No phones or laptops open unless stated otherwise. Lecture slides will be posted into Canvas afterwards, but should you need to make notes, you may do so by hand. If you physically cannot do that, please do not hesitate to share your accommodation letter and we can adapt accordingly.

Evaluation

Aside from the submitted materials, you will also be evaluated based on an abundance of in-class work. Some of it will be individual, most of it will be in groups. I do not expect perfection, but I do need to see genuine effort being put into the work you do in class.

Grading

Assignment	Percent
Classroom Submissions	40%
Course Project	30%
Long Study Tour	15%
Short Study Tour	10%
Q&A	5%

 

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

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