Seminar Profile
| General Details | |
|---|---|
| Seminar title | Capital Taxation and Global Inequality |
| Course code(s) | 371060 |
| Academic session | Fall term 25/26 |
| Course availability | Fall |
| Course content | Capital Taxation and Global Inequality |
| Target group / area (Zuordnung) | MSc WiWi PO 2018: area Accounting, Taxation and Public Finance MSc WiWi PO 2018: area Economic Policy and Theory |
| Number of participants | No Limit |
| Course language | English |
| Location | internal seminar |
| Industry partner | no |
| Timetable | Friday: 9:15-10:45, weekly (from October 24, 2025), main event, location: (Room 342: (I 342), Building 1501: Königsworther Platz 1) |
| Completion of term paper | Until March 1, 2026 |
| Requirements and Academic Support | |
| Objectives | Understanding measurement, sources and mechanisms of wealth and income inequality, studying the effect of tax policy on wealth and income inequality, particular focus on capital taxation |
| Prerequisites | Students should have some basic understanding of micro- and macroeconomics, be able to understand standard algebra and calculus and have basic econometric knowledge |
| Introductory course to academic research | No |
| Formal guidelines | None |
| General literature | Piketty, T., & Zucman, G. (2014) Capital is back: wealth-income ratios in rich countries 1700-2010, Quarterly Journal of Economics Saez, E., & Zucman, G. (2016) Wealth Inequality in the United States since 1913: Evidence from Capitalized Income Tax Returns, Quarterly Journal of Economics Saez, E., & Stantcheva, S. (2018). A simpler theory of optimal capital taxation. Journal of Public Economics |
| Basic literature to introduce each topic | No |
| Methodology | Theoretical and empirical research |
| Specialised software | None |
| Recommended word processing software | LATEX or MS Word |
| Length of term paper | max. 6 pages |
| Meeting(s) to discuss outline | 2 (in class) |
| Performance requirements / evaluation [indicate weighting] |
|
| Examiner(s) | Prof. Dr. Maximilian Todtenhaupt |
| Contact person | Prof. Dr. Maximilian Todtenhaupt |
| Group Assignments and Topics | |
| Group assignment | Compulsory |
| Group size | 2-3 |
| Group formation | preference-based |
| Topics | Details on the term paper are discussed in the introductory session |
| Assignment of topics | Preference-based |
| Initial registration | No pre-registration is required. For informations about the seminar, please register in the relevant Stud.IP course in good time |
| Process Schedule | |
| Initial registration / application | No pre-registration is required |
| Initial discussion / topic discussion / kick-off meeting | Friday, October 24, 2025 |
| Topic assignment | Self-organized |
| Formal (binding) registration | Until October 30, 2025 |
| Commencement of seminar paper | October 30, 2025 |
| Submission of seminar paper | March 1, 2026, 2:00 pm |
| Submission of presentation | Day before presentation date |
| Presentation | Throughout the lecture period (dates assigned in the introductory session) |
