Exam of Economics and basic English knowledge (B2)

The aim of the course is to provide the students with the skills to analyze and evaluate legal phenomena from an economic perspective, considering the interconnections between institutions and the organization of economic activity in a global context.

The course analyzes the main trends of the world economy, focusing on trade and direct investments, levels of industrialisation, evolution of consumption and income. The analysis focuses, in particular, on the effects of the digital transition and sustainability objectives. The role of emerging countries and China in particular is examined both in relation to the macroeconomic impact of their growth and the new configurations of global value chains. Fundamental educational objectives are linked to the understanding of the current and expected economic context, within which the student will be able to better understand the evolution of the international institutional and regulatory framework, the main geopolitical dynamics in progress and the international expansion strategies of companies.

The program is the same for both attending and non-attending students and covers the following topics, which are studied in depth in line with the cognitive needs of the student of the IECoLS program:

The digital transition

Sustainability

The role of industrial policies for structural change

Main trends of the global economy: developed economies and emerging countries

The demand perspective: expected demand for goods and services (population / income / consumption)

The supply-side perspective: the growth of industrialization

Foreign direct investment and trade

Global value chains

The case of China: the path of economic growth and the role of industrial policies

The textbook adopted (A) for the preparation of the exam is the following:

David Dieterle, The Global Economy (Student Guides to Business and Economics), Greenwood UK, 2020, pp. 180

Marco R. Di Tommaso, Lauretta Rubini, Elisa Barbieri, Chiara Pollio, Industry Organization and Industrial Policy. Production and Innovation, Development and the Public Interest, pp. 632, Il Mulino, 2024, chapters from 11 to 16.

In addition, students must study the following publication (available on line, free): Unctad, World investment Unctad, World investment Report, current edition

During the course, materials useful to facilitate study and learning activities will be made available to students, including slides used during lessons, exercises, or summary handouts of specific parts of the program.

• The teaching method is based on lectures held on the topics indicated in the program. Reading of scientific papers and relevant articles, testimonies of economic operators, laboratories could be arranged during the lectures, as well as group work for people attending classes.

  
  

  The course will be run with the support of the Eurasia Foundation and will involve academics from Asia, US, UE.

• The exam procedure is the same for attending and non-attending students.

   

  Exam sessions. The exam consists of a written test on the topics of the entire study program with multiple choice questions and open questions. The multiple choice questions are intended to evaluate the knowledge and ability to understand the contents of the course and weigh approximately 60% of the overall evaluation. The open questions, in which the development of a graph and the relative comment are required, are aimed at evaluating the autonomy of judgment and critical thinking and weigh approximately 30% of the overall evaluation. After the written exam, on the same day, if the student has gained a positive evaluation, it can be attended an oral exam on the topics of the study programme, which is essentially aimed at further verifying the knowledge and skills expressed in the written exam and at evaluating the ability to make connections between course contents. The mark of the written exam, expressed out of thirty, is modified by the mark of the oral exam by +/- 3 points, corresponding approximately to +/- 10% of the overall evaluation.

   

  No evaluation in progress will be performed.

  It is not possible to consult the study material during the tests.

   

  Students who attend the course may decide to carry out group work on topics related to digitalition and sustainability in the global economy. The topics will be assigned by the instructor, who will indicate the expected outcomes of the group work (short dissertation and pitch). The group work replaces the oral test. The grade assigned to the group work, expressed out of thirty, can increase the assessment achieved with the written test up to + 3 points (corresponding approximately to +/10%).

English