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“There is nothing as practical as a good theory” Albert Einstein (1879-1955) has been quoted to say. As a physicist, he was right. Would he have been so, also as an economist? The theories in economics suffer for having ad hoc hypotheses, where mathematical elegance and formal rigour are usually regarded more important than realism and empirical relevance. As a result, the application and practical use of models is often put in doubt. This course aims to contrast such a tendency, in two ways.
First, the course will study macroeconomic variables, by means of simulations (applications such as Excel will be used). While the introductory course of Macroeconomics remains a pre-requisite, here the model proposed will try to integrate in a coherent framework topics such as economic growth, public sector, industrial dynamics, international trade. This will be done with a balance use of theoretical and empirical material.
Second, the course will compare and contrast the trends of the main international economies. Such comparisons will adopt and use data and surveys from international institutions, such as World Bank, Ocse, IMF, etc. A comparative analysis will be attempted between a specific country, some key economic systems, and the international economy as a whole.
Written exam and participation to seminars.
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