Economics

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. By the end of this course students are able to: master all the necessary tools and knowledge to interpret modern phenomena relative to international economics evolution; understand the role of optimal currency areas and the most important theories on exchange-rate determination.

This course provides all necessary tools and knowledge to interpret modern phenomena relative to international economics evolution. The focus of the course is on monetary aspects of international economics. In particular, we study the role of optimal currency areas and the most important theories on exchange-rate determination. Moreover, attention is devoted to the analysis of balance of payment crisis as a mechanism derived from the internal economic policy contradiction of a given country. Therefore, what is going to be the optimal exchange-rate regime? How an inadequate choice about exchange-rate regime will translate into a Balance of Payment Crisis?

The long-run economic development of countries, as well as inequality within countries are the major topics of this course. The course reviews the major conceptual approaches to economic development and applies those to the actual experience of countries. In this way, the global variety of development experiences becomes a central topic of the course, addressing topics such as investment, trade, building institutions, population dynamics, education, health, and migration. The material that we cover suggests that inequality of the distribution of income resulting from differences across the population in terms of access to education, health services, or infrastructure can be a major obstacle to economic development. Throughout the course, public policy options for stimulating development are made central, especially in the assignment that students carry out.  Prerequisite SSC1027 Principles of Economics. Knowledge of basic quantitative concepts such as reading and working with graphs and simple equations is also a prerequisite

The course is designed to introduce students to the latest developments in behavioral finance and to broaden their understanding of modern finance. Behavioral finance introduces psychological insights and more realistic assumptions to guide and advance the theory of financial markets. We will examine how behavioral finance complements traditional paradigms and study trading behavior, asset price dynamics, and corporate financial decisions in a behavioral context.

This course covers the tools required to evaluate and carry out empirical data analyses and introduces students to various regression methods that empirical researchers (economists, social scientists, data scientists, etc.) use for estimating, testing, and forecasting causal relationships.  Frontier research papers with various economic data sets are covered, and the course discusses how machine learning and econometrics can be used together to improve causal inference.  

Topics include basic regression models, advanced topics in panel data, time series analysis, difference-in-differences models, and discrete choice models 

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of linear algebra, probability, and statistics is expected. If you are not sure whether you meet the prerequisites, please consult with the instructor.  

This course provides an intermediate level introduction to the application of modern time series methods that may be used to analyze economic data. The initial part of the course includes a review of techniques that can be used to identify the dynamic properties of time series data. Thereafter, a selection of the popular modelling frameworks is introduced (i.e. autoregressive integrated moving average models, distributed lag models, and vector autoregressive models). Extensions to these frameworks, which allow for aspects such as cointegration and error correction representations, are also covered, before attention is directed towards the application of model misspecification tests and forecasting exercises. Course entry requirements: ECO4006F, ECO4007F and ECO4016F.

This course examines the internal organization of firms and other organizations. It provides a rigorous introduction to foundational theories, and then discusses applications to real-world managerial problems. It looks at the following questions: How should incentives be designed in organizations? How should conflict within an organization be resolved? When should organizations outsource and when should they produce internally? Why do organizations arise in market economies? 

This course enables students to develop their skills and confidence in data analysis in Excel, and in presenting this analysis in clear and accessible written reports. Students explore data sources and applications that are relevant for the study of current topics in economics and social sciences. Students practice their skills in interactive weekly workshops, exploring data sourcing, analysis, and visualization on a variety of relevant topics. They have the chance to develop and deploy their critical thinking skills in relation to data analysis practices in economics and social sciences, and how data is used in public debate. Students also develop important employability skills like communication skills, report writing, and clearly explaining complex findings. The course does not cover regression or other causal methods.

This course will focus on the complicated role that law has played in the economic reform. It will analyze such a role from five perspectives, namely, constitution, government, property, regulation, and globalization. Together, these perspectives will help the students to build a multi-dimensional understanding of the political economy of law in modern China.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. 

At the end of the course the student understands the health-related behavioral determinants and has an overview of some recent policies aimed at improving the population's lifestyles. He/she has adequate knowledge of: 1) the demand for health and health capital; 2) the behavioral determinants leading to unhealthy outcomes such as obesity and addiction; 3) the trade-offs between health and welfare objectives; 4) the policies aimed at changing health-related behavior and lifestyles. The course combines theoretical analysis and discussion of case-studies on the following topics:

• The demand for health and health capital;
• The behavioral determinants leading to unhealthy outcomes such as obesity and addiction;
• The trade-offs between health and welfare objectives;
• Policies aimed at changing health-related behavior and lifestyles.

This is a course in intermediate microeconomics on markets for information goods and the economics of uncertainty and information.  The course begins with the concepts of pricing theory and game theory, building on SSC1027 Principles of Economics. Several topics, including pricing and network effects are studied. Special attention is paid to “platforms”, which often play an important role in markets for information goods. Prerequisite SSC1027 Principles of Economics.