This is a non-Booth course offered under the ECON 28620 course number. To register, Booth and non-Booth students will request interest by completing a poll, https://chicagobooth.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dg81GBgsXlHT0pg, which will open 8am on February 13, 2023. It will also act as a waitlist for the course. Enrollments for all students will be processed in timestamp order beginning February 21. Students will be emailed if they are offered a seat in the course, and will have 24 hours to respond confirming they would like to be enrolled. Due to the volume of interest, the poll for spring 2023 has now closed. The deadline for enrollment processing will be the end of week 1 of spring quarter.
The economic system prevailing in most of the world today differs greatly from the idealist version of free markets generally taught in economic classes. This course analyzes the role played by corporate governance, wealth inequality, regulation, the media, and the political process in general in producing these deviations. It will explain why crony capitalism prevails in most of the world and why it is becoming more entrenched also in the United States of America. The course, which requires only basic knowledge of economics, welcomes undergraduates.