Economics

This course offers a study of economic sociology, a perspective on economic behavior and knowledge of the sociological theories that are most relevant for the understanding of economic behavior. Economic sociology provides the ability to reflect critically on the core mechanisms and institutions influencing economic behavior and the ability to challenge conventional thoughts in economic theory. The course focuses mainly on contemporary economic sociology; however it explores classical economic sociology with an emphasis on Weber, Marx, Durkheim, and Simmel in order to create a foundation in classical theories to better understand contemporary economic sociological theories by Bourdieu, Giddens, and Habermas. The course reviews classical economic sociological analysis on the development of the modern society, and examines the contents and developments of economic sociology since Granovetter's reintroduction of the concept of embeddedness in the mid-1980s and the development of economic sociology with contributions from Gary Becker, Bourdieu, and others. The course discusses topics including the understanding of markets, the role of the state, the impact of social structures in relation to how modern society works and how it should be studied, sociological theory, economic sociology analysis on societal developments, and the analysis of modern society and individual actions. This course consists of lectures in which there are presentations and discussions of the texts. The course recommends that students have prior knowledge of economic theory as a prerequisite.

This course uses economic models and data-analysis techniques to study the demand and supply of education. It analyzes the role of education in economic development, the effects and reasons for the role of the public sector in education, and answers to the key questions about current education policies. Other topics include: education policy, theoretical foundations and proper methodology for estimating demand and supply models, the main results and limitations of existing empirical research and evidence, the production and quality of education, and the financing of compulsory and higher education. Previous coursework in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and applied economics is required.

The course is part of the Laurea Magistrale Program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. The course offers a series of advanced analytical tools necessary to understand European economic development as well as economic policies related to EU integration and expansion, their political and economic prerequisites, and their impact on member states. The course focuses on models of political economy, institutional economics, and economic analysis in order to critically evaluate the process of economic integration in Europe in the trade, monetary, and financial areas. The course explores the economic integration of the European Union (EU) and its role in the global economy. Attention is placed on basic concepts and theory in order to understand the economic dynamics between EU member states as well as between the EU and the rest of the world. A special section of the course is devoted to evaluating current events and the debate on Europe’s economic future against the backdrop of changing dynamics in global markets.

The course provides a study of banking and bank management. The course is divided into three parts. The first part of the course introduces the history and current state of the banking industry (structural characteristics). The second part of the course includes banking performance evaluation and analysis, focusing on banking financial statements and value analysis. The third part of the course covers banking business and risk management. Topics include asset-liability management and interest rate risk management, liquidity risk and reserve management, debt management, investment management, capital management, commercial bank credit management, innovative business and off-balance sheet business management, etc. Experts from the banking industry are invited to provide guest lectures.