Economics

The course examines the formation process and the basic theory of population economics. It covers the object and characteristics of the discipline's research; the interrelationship between population and economy and research methods; the economic theory of fertility and mortality; the economic influencing factors; the impact of population quantity, quality, migration and investment on economic development from the perspective of population economics; the economic factors of population change and the interrelationship between demographic and economic phenomena; population and investment consumption, China's population economy and world population economy.

This course focuses on the role of the banking system in the economy and the roles played by central banks in the banking system and in implementing monetary policy. The course also examines the interaction between monetary policy and exchange rate regimes and takes a close look at European Monetary Union. There are three parts to this course: 1) Central Banks and the Banking System - how banks operate and why they are important; what central banks are and how they create money; the Federal Reserve and the ECB; how banking crises come about; policies to prevent and deal with crises; current issues in banking regulation and crisis prevention. 2) Monetary Policy - the relationship between money and inflation; how central banks control short-term interest rates; the term structure of interest rates; default risk and collateral; quantitative easing; the Phillips curve; central bank institutions; rules for setting interest rates. 3) Exchange Rate Regimes and the Euro - the trade-off between control of interest rates and exchange rates, optimal currency areas, European monetary union.

The UK’s departure from the EU is a historical event, with global political and economic implications. This course gives students a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of Brexit: Why did British people come to this unexpected decision? Will the British economy survive the shock of leaving the EU? Could this be the beginning of the end for the European Union? In the process, students learn about UK and EU politics, economics, and political economy. The course includes team work on multimedia projects, such as a hypothetical campaign for the next country that considers leaving the EU. The course also includes visits to the European Commission’s Representation to the UK and the headquarters of the pro-EU campaign, as well as talks by representatives of organizations on both sides of the Brexit campaign, such as the European Movement and Change Britain.

This course provides a study of international trade and the effects of various international economic policies on domestic and world welfare, with an empirical focus on China trade and foreign direct investment. The course highlights sources of competitive advantage, gains and losses from trade, the impact of trade on economic growth, and effects of trade policy interventions such as tariffs, quotas, voluntary export restraints, and export subsidies. 

This course addresses some of the major problems of economic development in low- and middle-income economies: the relationship between poverty, inequality, and economic growth; long-run growth and structural change; microeconomic issues in agricultural development, including theories of peasant resource allocation and farm size and efficiency; market performance in the rural and informal sectors of less developed countries; industrialization and trade policy; the roles of monetary policy and foreign aid in resource mobilization; stabilization and structural adjustment; and investment in human capital.

The course discusses the economic analysis of leisure consumption decisions and the economic issues in the leisure industry. It applies the concepts and tools of microeconomics to analyze how a consumer make time allocation decisions on the choice among leisure, consumption, school and work, and how a leisure business manages its supply, demand, investment, and market interactions. The second part of the course covers the macroeconomic issues of leisure, including the impacts of leisure industry on nation’s production, income, employment, economic development and international finance and trade. The course uses case studies and examples to provide understanding of the economic issues in Taiwan's global leisure markets, and how to apply economics to the operations and management in the leisure industry. Text: John Tribe, THE ECONOMICS OF RECREATION, LEISURE & TOURISM. Assessment: final exam (30%), homework, in-class presentation and/or a written report (60%), participation (10%).

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on: the consequences of international trade and the effects of trade policies; the main approaches to international factor movements, organization of firms, and debates regarding globalization; exchange rates and international capital markets; complex issues raised by the economic interdependence of nations The course covers the following: why do countries trade; what are the consequences of introducing a tariff on imports; why did the EU adopt a single currency; how to make sense of Brexit and Trump's protectionism. This course aims at addressing these issues and many other relevant topics in both international trade and open economy macroeconomics. At the end of the course, students have a sound foundation in international economics and they are able to critically evaluate both micro and macro trade patterns, as well as policy issues. The first module introduces the most important theories of international trade and their predictions for consumers, firms, and governments. In particular, it addresses issues such as determinants of trade flows, gains from trade, and motivation and consequences of protectionist policies. It also covers real-world areas of international trade, such as the EU, the Americas, and Asia. The second module is organized in topics, including, among others, open macroeconomics, optimum currency areas, the European Union and the Euro experience, and the historical and recent migration waves.

This course provides an analysis of portfolio selection, corporate decision making and asset pricing. It also provides the tools and advice needed to understand corporate finance principles and strategies and information on the risks and rewards associated with corporate finance and lending. The lectures develop the central concepts of modern finance: net present value, efficient markets and the trade-off between risk and return, and use them to explain corporate finance with a balance of theory and application. It emphasizes the modern fundamentals of the theory of corporate finance, while providing contemporary examples to make the theory come to life, such as determining an operating budget and calculating future cash flows. The course also covers behavioral corporate finance, which identifies the key psychological obstacles to value maximizing behavior, along with steps that managers can take to mitigate the effects of these obstacles. 

This course examines development economics with a feminist lens. It describes how economic growth and economic development have differential impacts on men, women, intersectional groups, and on gender equality. Based on theoretical perspectives from feminist economics and on human development, the course describes and assess the impact of policy solutions and aid projects. The course introduces concept of gender in general and in relation to the development discourse in particular. It describes how policy has moved from women in development to gender and development and the emergence of post-colonial feminist approaches. Main features of mainstream development economics are contrasted with feminist economics. Labor market and employment is discussed in relation to concepts such as productive/reproductive and formal/informal, with an emphasis on the relevance of these concepts for the global south in particular. Various indicators of economic inequalities are presented and gender disaggregated data is introduced to enhance the understanding of concepts such as the feminization of poverty and multidimensional poverty both theoretically and empirically. A social provisioning approach to the gender dimension of economic life is discussed. The course deepens the understanding of the underlying power structures of economic and gender inequalities. It brings in the broader concept of human development and capability approaches. It discusses ways of conceptualizing and practically working with critical perspectives on men and masculinities in economic development. This course discusses and problematizes the relationship between economic growth and gender equality: to what extent does economic growth impact on gender equality? Does gender equality spur economic development? The course looks at more practical policy solutions to the problem and brings up policies, methods, and strategies for reducing gender inequalities. It gives a short theoretical background to each of the strategies. Examples of strategies that are discussed include women's movements, gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting, micro-credits, and corruption.