Course 2025-2026 a.y.

1. We cover several dimensions of diversity and present a global panorama of unequal treatment worldwide from a geographical and historical perspective.
   • Definitions and Measurement
   • Notions of Fairness and Efficiency
   • Historical Trends and Geographical Heterogeneity
2. We discuss why governments, companies, and organizations could value diversity.
   • Governance
   • Economic Performance
   • Sustainability, Inequality, and Well-being

3. We study the determinants of observed differences in outcomes.

   • Socio-psychological Factors

   • Culture, Norms, and Stereotypes

   • Institutions (effects of institutional persecution, healthcare, education)

   • Discrimination (theory and empirical evidence)

   • Home Production and Family Life (theory and empirical evidence)

4. We review different policies and their effectiveness in promoting diversity.

   • Corrective Policies – Affirmative Action

   • The Role of Public Policy – Pensions and Fiscality

   • The Role of Public Policy – Family Policies

   • The Role of Firms – Part-time and Smart Work

   • The Role of Civil Society – Social Movements

5. We conclude with some recent issues surrounding diversity and fairness.

   • Algorithmic Bias

• Define diversity, equity, equality, and fairness.
• Explain trends in diversity from a global perspective.
• Explain why diversity can benefit societies, companies, organizations, and individuals.
• Explain why we observe differences in outcomes across groups.
• Explain which policies and interventions help promote diversity and which don't, depending on the context.
• Design and implement your own diversity and inclusion initiative.

• Analyze empirical evidence of academic research that evaluates discrimination and the effects of corrective policies.
• Evaluate to what extent there is discrimination against specific groups.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of policies aimed at improving diversity.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Collaborative Works / Assignments

• Guest speaker's talks: Researchers studying diversity and inclusion will deliver guest lectures.
• Collaborative Works / Assignments: In small groups, students will be asked to design their own policy to foster diversity and inclusion within an organization. 

The examinations assess students' knowledge acquired during the course, that is, their ability to:

• Define diversity, equity, equality, and fairness.
• Explain why diversity can benefit societies, companies, organizations, and individuals.
• Explain why we observe differences in outcomes across groups.
• Explain which policies and interventions help promote diversity and which don't.
• Design their own policy aimed at fostering diversity and inclusion.

They also assess whether students can successfully apply this knowledge to a given context, that is, their ability to:

• Analyze empirical evidence of academic research that evaluates discrimination and the effects of corrective policies.
• Evaluate the extent to which there is discrimination against specific groups.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of policies aimed at improving diversity.

In small groups, students will also be asked to design a policy to foster diversity and inclusion within an organization. They will then present their project to the class. This activity helps to prepare the final exam but is not graded.

One final exam at the end of the course amounts to 100% of the grade. The written individual exam is a mix of open-ended, numerical, multiple-choice, and "True" or "False" questions for attending and non-attending students. The questions will concern both theory and empirics discussed in class.

In addition, two multiple-choice quizzes will be administered in class via Bboard. Each one consists of 15 questions (30Q in total). Students scoring at least 18/30 will get an extra point +1 on their final grade.

A list of optional readings will be provided from one lecture to the next. The papers will be directly uploaded on Blackboard for the students' convenience.