Economics

This course provides an introduction to the statistical and econometric theory underlying surveys and counterfactual policy evaluations. Doing so, it sharpens critical appraisal of the very many surveys and policy evaluations found in public discourse, as data-driven evaluations of public policies are becoming commonly used to help societies choose how to organize unemployment insurance, the provisions of health care and education, etc. This course uses mathematical notation and proofs and engages with mathematically formalized material.

This course provides a study of the basic concepts of the urban and regional economy. It examines the economics of cities and problems of urbanism by means of understanding decision-making processes on the part of individuals and firms regarding geographic location. 

The course addresses the key questions which challenge all entrepreneurs: how much money can and should be raised; when should it be raised and from whom; what is a reasonable valuation of the company; and how should funding, and exit decisions be structured? The course uses case studies, with a particular focus on technology-based businesses. Students follow the founding history of a software unicorn from its early steps to exit. It examines a fast-growing on-demand food delivery start-up that is seeking an investor to cover its increasing need for working capital, and explores the information and context needed to value Peloton, the subscription-based fitness company whose stock price dropped after its IPO. The course also considers the investor’s viewpoint, in order to understand their motivations and incentives to avoid financing pitfalls and successfully negotiate the best financing outcome for a venture.

Please note that there are different sections of this course at UNIBO, both at the LM and LT levels. The LM sections require special permission as they are part of the Laurea Magistrale in Direzione aziendale degree.This description applies to the LM course with Prof. Bolatto. This course analyzes the regulatory framework for trade and the regulatory issues relating to international markets and regional markets, such as U.S. and EU markets, and emerging markets in Africa and Asia. Topics include Institutional structures (GATT/WTO, NAFTA, EU, APEC, SADEC, CEDEAO) and Regulatory authorities; International dimensions of market regulation (tariffs and customs regulations, product safety and environmental restrictions, trademark and patent regulations); and settlement of disputes. The course discusses topics including multinational firms and foreign direct investments, global value chains, firm strategies in global value chains, and international princes and exchange rates.

This course analyzes industrialization, focusing on the roles of public policy and other roles of public and private producers and consumers. The course’s empirical focus is on the causes and effects of industrialization in Asia’s advanced (e.g., Japan, Korea, Taiwan) and developing economies (e.g., China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam). 

The course examines the political theory of finance, which investigates the broad normative and theoretical questions provoked by financial markets, institutions, and crises in contemporary societies. Large-scale financial intermediaries and global financial markets are reshaping capitalism, and these transformations raise fundamental issues of efficiency, fairness, inclusion, and democratic accountability in the design and functioning of finance. Topics include historical debates about usury and speculation, the contemporary philosophy of money and debt, the right to credit and to default, discrimination and credit ratings, systemic risk and collective responsibility, the challenges finance and central banking pose to democracy, and the potential for radical alternatives, ranging from cryptocurrencies to public finance.

This course examines the stakes of microfinance development in developing countries, as well as in Europe. It analyzes the links between financial inclusion and poverty reduction. The course addresses specific needs of targeted populations, the specifics of financial and non-financial services offered to these populations, and the challenges of the stakeholders who gravitate towards microfinance institutions (public donors, investment funds, regulators, rating agencies). Issues of social performance and impact are analyzed to identify best practices and discuss controversial issues.