ECON326-26S1 (C) Semester One 2026

Macro and Monetary Economics

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 16 February 2026
End Date: Sunday, 21 June 2026
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 1 March 2026
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 10 May 2026

Description

Derivation of the demand for money. Choice of monetary policy instrument under uncertainty. Analysis of alternative monetary rules in closed and open economies. A Taylor rule in a dynamic model. Term structure of interest rates. Central bank digital currencies. Financial crises.

ECON326 is a lectures-based course. There are 12 2-hour lectures. A 1-hour tutorial follows each lecture. The tutorials allow students to hone their problem-solving skills. A guest lecture by Nick Mulligan, a Senior Policy Advisor at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, is planned for May 28th.

Learning Outcomes

The objectives of the course are:
1. To give students a solid grounding in monetary economics
2. To provide a thorough understanding of central bank behaviour
3. To explain the advantages and disadvantages of monetary policy strategies
4. To discuss central bank action in economic crises.
5. To introduce the student to the art of doing independent research.

Prerequisites

(1) ECON206; (2) MATH102 or MATH199. RP: ECON207

Recommended Preparation

Timetable 2026

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 13:00 - 15:00 Psychology - Sociology 252 Lecture Theatre
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May
Tutorial A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 16:00 - 17:00 Rehua 429
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May
02 Friday 10:00 - 11:00 Ernest Rutherford 460
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May

Course Coordinator

Alfred Guender

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Research Paper 33%
Final Exam 67%

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,003.00

International fee $4,538.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Department of Economics and Finance .

All ECON326 Occurrences

  • ECON326-26S1 (C) Semester One 2026