The course introduces the concept of Local Economic and Community Development defined in a multidisciplinary and holistic perspective. The course is also based on a wide range of case studies and introduces students to the main theories of growth and economic and social development. It also describes the factor markets fostering the development process including also the relevance of public and environmental goods paying special attention to the smart governance of communities, the collective decision making mechanisms, and the sustainable management of land and environment. At the end of the course students should be able to: - apply impact evaluation tools based on the use of Social Accounting Matrices augmented to account for information on the employment structure of each economic sector, the impact on environmental sustainability, migration and worker mobility, - demonstrate that have acquired in-depth applied knowledge and understanding of relevant economic concepts, - develop solid judgment autonomy and high communication and learning skills in order to apply such knowledge to the solution of major local development problems both at national and international level.
Community Economic Development Theory.
1. Defining Community Economic Development.
2. Growth Theory.
3. Space and Community Economics.
4. Concepts of Community Markets.
Community Factor Markets.
5. Land Markets.
6. Labor Markets.
7. Financial Capital Markets.
8. Technology and Innovation.
9. Nonmarket Goods and Services: Amenities.
10. Local Government and Public Goods.
Institutions and the Art of Community Economics.
11. Institutions and Society.
12. Policy Modeling and Decision-Making.
13. The Practice of Community Economic Development.
Tools of Community Economics.
14. Descriptive Tools of Community Economic Analysis.
15. Inferential Tools of Community Economic Analysis: fixed-Price Models.
16. Inferential Tools of Community Economic Analysis: Price: Endogenous Models.
17. Looking to the Future.
| Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN | Note |
| Phillips, R. and R.M. Pittman | An Introduction to Community Development | Routledge: New York | 2009 | ||
| Shaffer, R., S. Deller and D. Marcouiller | Community Economics: Linking Theory and Practice | Blackwell: Oxford England | 2004 | ||
| Bendavid-Val, A. | Regional and Local Economic Analysis for Practitioners | Prager Publisher, London | 1991 | ||
| Taylor, Ed. and I. Alderman | Village Economies. The Design, Estimation and Use of Villagewide Economic Models | Cambridge University Press, UK. | 2006 |
50% scientific work in English, 30% exercises, 20% participation in class
Objectives of the assessment tests
The written test is intended to ascertain the knowledge of the topics discussed in class and the ability to apply the logical schemes to the various themes proposed.
Participation in the classroom is verified through the student's active presence and the quality of the argument placing special attention to the scientific readings proposed during the course.
The analytical capacity is verified through the exercises done at home either in pencil or using the Gams or Stata language. The approach is "learning by doing."
Content and method of carrying out the assessment tests
The written exam is about the writing of an applied scientific work chosen by the student in concert with the teacher on a subject related to the materials presented in the course as they are shown in the syllabus delivered to the student at the opening of the course and can be consulted on the dedicated e-learning site. The scientific work is discussed at the end of the course with a professional presentation in the presence of all the students who are required to take an active and critical participation to the work presented.
Non attending and ERASMUS students are requested to contact the teacher at the beginning of the course to agree on the procedures for the assessment tests.
