Microeconomics

Micro Economics is all about how individual actors make decisions, how supply and demand determine prices, how companies think about competition and determines the prices. All in all, this course enables students to understand the basics of economics particularly how economic agents - individuals and firms make rational decision in an economy. It is not only one subject of an overall curriculum, but, it is a fundamental and rudimentary for understanding advanced and hard core economic subjects like Macro Economics, International Economics, Welfare Economics, Mathematical Economics and Econometrics.The whole syllabus of Micro Economics in this MOOC has been presented in five parts: Introduction to Economics; Demand Analysis; Consumer Behavior; Production Function and Cost Analysis; and Market Structure -Competitive & Non-Competitive Markets in total 48 modules. The first part, Introduction to Economics gives overview of major ideas of Economics comprising definitions of Economics, Principles of Economics. It also imparts nature and scope of Micro Economics, Interdependence between Micro & Macro Economics, and brief introduction about methodology of Economics. Second section covers a detailed study of Demand. It introduces the crucial assumption of Micro Economics i.e. ceteris paribus in Law of Demand. It also explores factors causing movements along the curve and shifts in the curve, and concept of various types of demand elasticity. Third part focuses on Consumer Behaviour which deals with the law of demand and consumer equilibrium with the help of utility analysis and indifference analysis. The Fourth section Production Function and Cost Analysis explicates about the most important economic agents: the producer (a company or firm)- who is responsible for creating the production function (output) and is subject to various cost measures. It also discusses how and why a firm's costs may differ in the short run and the long run. Lastly, fifth section Market Structure: Competitive & Non-Competitive Markets explains different type of market structure especially perfect (pure competition), imperfect competition (monopolistic competition and oligopoly), and monopoly. It also briefly discusses game theory, under prisoner's dilemma model and the Nash equilibrium. All in all, this course helps in better understanding of real-life situations. It will enable learners to think like an Economist.