Economies of Post-Communist Europe From the break-up of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact through Europe’s largest war in almost eight decades, we will explore the trajectories of Europe’s former communist economies, with particular focus on Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. Though we will focus on economic developments and processes, we will also pay attention to relevant political and historical forces. Topics to be covered will include the economic legacy of communism, the region’s integration into European and global markets, the evolving balance between state and private actors in the economy, the public’s reaction to the economic transformation, and the economic consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Chinese Economy In this course we will explore the economic development of China up until the present day, giving particular attention to the socialist era and the post-1978 reforms. Specific topics to be covered will include growth and structural change, the urban-rural divide, the state’s ongoing role in the economy, demography, and the country’s integration into the global economy.

Introductory Microeconomics An introduction to the analysis of such microeconomic problems as price formation (the forces behind demand and supply), market structures from competitive to oligopolistic, distribution of income, and public policy options bearing on these problems.

Senior Research Workshop II In this second semester of the senior research workshop sequence, the focus is on the execution of the research plan developed in ECON 0701.  Most instruction is now one-on-one but the workshop will still meet as a group to discuss and practice the presentation of results in various formats (seminars, poster sessions, et cetera) to the rest of the workshop and others in the college and broader communities. Feedback and critiques from such presentations will be incorporated into the project, which will culminate in a research paper in the style of an economics journal article.

Senior Research Workshop I In this first semester, students will design and begin their projects. Emphasis will be on designing a novel research question (while making the case for its importance) and an appropriate strategy for answering it. This requires immersion in the academic literature on the topic. General research principles and tools will be taught in class, as a group, while those specific to individual projects will be covered in one-on-one meetings. By the end of the term, students will outline their plan for completing the project, including demonstrating that it is a feasible research question for which the necessary information (e.g., data or source materials) is available or can be generated by the student (e.g., lab or other experiment).

Microeconomic Theory Microeconomic theory concentrates on the study of the determination of relative prices and their importance in shaping the allocation of resources and the distribution of income in an economy. We will study the optimizing behavior of households in a variety of settings: buying goods and services, saving, and labor supply decisions. We will also examine the behavior of firms in different market structures. Together, the theories of household and firm behavior help illumine contemporary economic issues (discrimination in labor markets, mergers in the corporate world, positive and negative externalities, for example).

Will Pyle

Reviews and ratings for Will Pyle at Middlebury College.Will Pyle teaches Economies of Post-Comm Europe, The Chinese Economy, Intro Microeconomics and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Will Pyle good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

This course is not super technical in the econ sense. It focuses on the economic transformation of China through the past century, spanning from Deng Xiaoping to Xin Jinping. There is quite few writing assignment for this course ranging from book review to in class paper. Overall quite enjoyable.

I loved Professor Pyle. He is my advisor, and I feel as though he explained everything thoroughly, and the tests were pretty easy and fair. He is a very likeable, personable guy so I recommend this course.

Chinese economy is a really great class. Professor Pyle does a good job at making much of the material approachable, yet very sophisticated. Most likely there will be a very good mix of experience when it comes to studying china, and pyle understands that and ensures everyone will learn a lot. 