International Trade and Economic Development (2019/2020)

Learning outcomes

Il corso affronta i principali temi dell' economia dello sviluppo: le determinanti della crescita, il progresso tecnologico, la produttività, le implicazioni distributive dei processi di crescita e di accumulazione del capitale umano e i modelli duali di sviluppo. E’ analizzata l’evoluzione recente dell'economia mondiale, con particolare attenzione ai processi di integrazione regionale e al nesso tra crisi finanziarie, squilibri globali e diseguaglianze. Le lezioni sono arricchite da incontri con docenti esteri ed esperti di organizzazioni internazionali. Alla fine del corso, studenti che mirano a collocarsi in imprese/enti pubbblici attivi sui mercati internazionali: -acquisiranno i principali strumenti atti a valutare le opportunità offerte dai diversi paesi con cui le aziende italiane interagiscono, sia come potenziali mercati che come possibili sedi produttive. -saranno in grado di analizzare e interpretare criticamente sia lo scenario economico e finanziario di paesi che operano in diverse fasi del processo di sviluppo, -sapranno valutare i principali rischie e le opportunità offerte dai mercati internazionali in un contesto di crescente integrazione.

INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
1. An overview of economic development in different countries
2. Economic growth and technological progress
3. Endogenous growth, history and expectations
4. Inequality, poverty and development
5. Human capital, education and development
5. The dual model, labor mobility and migration
6. Urban Agglomerations and "New Economic Geography"
7. International trade, labor market and inequality.
8. Credit market and inequality


INTERNATIONAL TRADE
10. Globalization and development
11. Financial crisis, globalization, growth and income inequalities
12. Regional integration in the world economy
13. Case study: Institutions and policies in Africa, China and India.

Textbooks (mandatory):
- R. Fiorentini e G. Montani (2012), The New Global Political Economy, Edward Elgar, ISBN 978-0-85793-404-8, capitoli 2,3,4
- D. Ray: Development economics Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-01706-9, Chapters 2, 3,4,5,6,7,10.

Textbooks (suggested):
- P. Bardhan (2010) Awakening Giants, Feet of Clay: Assessing the Economic Rise of China and India, Princeton University Press.
- F. Bourguignon, T, Scott-Railton (2015), The Globalization of Inequality, Princeton University Press.

Further readings will be suggested during the lectures. Additional material will cover research papers as well as policy reports from international organizations (such as the World Bank 2017 CPIA results for Africa) which will help understanding of actual istitutions governing the country, and characterizing the business environement.

The exam is written and is evaluated from 0 and 30 points. It aims at assessing the knowledge of the main topics presented by the instructors. Students are required to understand ad manage the theoretical models presented during the course and also to show their ability to critically analyze and comment empirical research and reports published by major international research institutions (OECD, IMF, WB) to describe the economic scenario of single countries or to compare different countries.

Students (both attending and not-attending the lectures) are also invited to prepare a written essay on a relevant topic, agreed with the instructors and (possibly) presented to the class. This essay is optional and is assessed from 0 to 4 additional points, according to its originality, the difficulty of the subject and the student's ability in the written and oral presentation.