Economics

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by permission of the instructor. This course introduces students to the vast field of behavioral economics, an interdisciplinary area that employs the employs concepts from economics and psychology to gain a deeper understanding of individual behavior. The theory has important applications to finance, the organization of human resources and the labor market, consumer behavior, marketing, health, and the associated public policies. The course relies on basic notions of microeconomics and game theory, and makes use of simple algebra and calculus. The course is split into four main topics: individual decisions; behavioral Game Theory; social preferences; and behavioral macroeconomics and behavioral finance.

This course studies the causes and consequences of these international linkages, which is called globalization. Understanding the real part of the process of globalization requires knowledge of the economic forces underlying international trade flows, factor mobility, and the role of international and multinational firms in the organization of these forces. The course covers classical trade theories, new trade theories, and the practice of globalization. It covers key aspects of globalization such as international trade, multinational enterprise, foreign direct investment (fragmentation, outsourcing), and geography. The main theories concerning international trade are analyzed at length. Special attention is given to the implications of trade for the distribution of income. The role of trade policies, which are used to stimulate as well as frustrate the international exchange of goods and services, both at the national and the supranational level (WTO; regional trade blocs) are analyzed.

This course examines the role of the City of London in the broader context of social, political, and economic transformations. 

The course explores development gaps, the relationships between per capita income and other measures of development, theories of economic growth, and the development process. It focuses on the role of physical, human, and social capital, as well as economic growth in regards to technology and population. The course reviews problems of externalities, coordination failure, and path dependence. Specific attention is paid to the relationships between inequality, poverty, and economic growth. Development strategies and policies related to agriculture, industry, trade and services, and infrastructure are discussed together with the role of the state, market, and other institutions. A specific gender perspective is taken up in the discussion on population issues, human capital, and poverty.

This class is open to students who are interested in financial engineering and artificial intelligence. Topics include Introduction to Python, Intermediate Python, Implementing binomial option pricing, Option pricing by simulation, Delta hedging, Introduction to Deep Learning in Python, Advanced Deep Learning with Keras and Deep Hedging. This course is paired with weekly lectures from the teacher on finance theory (focus on financial transactions, contracts, loans, market positions of buyers and sellers) to demonstrate how programming tools can be useful for optimizing financial decisions.

This course covers sustainable and unsustainable development; the economic determinants of population growth; strategies of population control; intertemporal resource management; renewable and exhaustible resources; global warming, ozone depletion, and acid rain externalities, and the control of pollution; economic management of forest resources; and the exploitation of the sea. Assessment is by a final exam for 75% and coursework for 25%.

This course teaches the fundamentals of econometrics, in particular regression analysis and statistical inference. It purposefully starts at a level that assumes no prior knowledge of statistics, econometrics, or programming. The course does not rely on advanced math, rather it uses practical learning to understand and interpret simple and multiple linear regressions and detect whether an analysis uncovers correlations or causality. The course teaches the use of R, a very powerful and widely used programming language, to perform data cleaning and undertake statistical analyses. Students carry out a small-scale research project using real-world data and regression analysis to reveal associations between various variables.

This course offers students a unique opportunity to understand the long-term trajectory of global economic development from the dawn of civilization to today. It explores major historical milestones such as the birth of civilization, religious reform, the Industrial Revolution, the Columbian Exchange, the Black Death, the Great Depression, and the World Wars. Unlike typical history courses focused on facts, this course integrates economic theory with historical analysis. Students will gain a deep understanding of how past events shaped today’s economic and social systems. By bridging economics and history, the course enhances your ability to analyze development processes, understand their causes and consequences, and apply these insights to modern challenges. It also prepares students to interpret current transformations and equips them with a stronger foundation for navigating the future. Through this interdisciplinary lens, the course cultivates both historical awareness and economic thinking essential for future leaders and analysts.

This course introduces students to the basic concepts and issues in contemporary political economy, with a particular focus on the political economy of the contemporary social democratic state. The course introduces students to the concepts of economic analysis and the relevance of these concepts to the study of government and politics. It provide students with an understanding of the problems of market failure and government failure and provides a scholarly framework to comparatively evaluate these problems. It provides students with a familiarity with a number of classic and key contemporary readings in political economy.