30391 - ECONOMICS OF EUROPEAN UNION

SUMMER SCHOOL (0 credits - I sem.)

Course Director:
CARLO ALTOMONTE

Classes: 95 (I sem.)

Instructors:
Class 95: CARLO ALTOMONTE

The course aims at analysing the process of economic and political integration of European countries through a theoretical and a policy perspective. At the end of the course, students should have a thorough understanding of the main ongoing reforms behind the process of European integration, as well as the ability to assess the main drivers of the business environment in which firms operate when dealing with the European markets.

The first part of the course explores the process of European economic integration and its effects on economic growth and aggregate productivity, analysing the free circulation of goods (customs unions, free trade areas), of factors of production (Single market) and the co-ordination of economic policies leading to the setup of the Economic and Monetary Union, together with the effects of the financial crisis since 2008. The governance elements behind these developments are analysed in parallel. The course then moves on in studying some of the main policies currently undertaken by the European Union (cohesion, trade, competition), as developed via the EU budget, and the role played by European companies in shaping these policies.

Written final exam (50%) plus evaluation of students’ group work discussed in class, worth 50 per cent of the final grade.

• European Economic Policy, McGraw-Hill Create special textbook for the course, updated every year