20271 - PUBLIC ECONOMICS
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31
ACME (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03) - AFM (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03) - AI (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03) - CLMG (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03) - DSBA (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03) - EMIT (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03) - ESS (6 credits - I sem. - OP | ECON-03/A | SECS-P/03) - FIN (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03) - GIO (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03) - IM (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03) - MM (6 credits - I sem. - OP | SECS-P/03)
Course Director:
ALESSANDRA CASARICO
ALESSANDRA CASARICO
Suggested background knowledge
Some knowledge of microeconomics and microeconometrics is recommended.
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
Government intervention plays a central role in modern economies. As a broad indicator, government revenues and expenditures in European countries amount on average to around 40% of GDP, while recent geopolitical and economic challenges have renewed the debate over the role of the state in market economies. Although government intervention can reduce inequality, promote social mobility, and correct market failures, it may also distort incentives and generate inefficiencies. Addressing this trade-off is a key challenge for national governments operating in an increasingly globalised world, where the mobility of labour and capital may constrain policy choices.
Understanding when governments should intervene, how they should do so, and with what consequences is essential for analysing how modern economies function. The aim of this course is to provide students with the theoretical and empirical tools needed to study major areas of public intervention. Throughout the course, we will examine key challenges facing contemporary economies, with particular attention to inequality. We will explore the role of public policies in addressing these challenges and learn how economists identify causal effects and evaluate policy effectiveness using state-of-the-art empirical methods.
CONTENT SUMMARY
The course focuses on selected areas of public intervention, which are at the forefront of policy debate and academic research. We start from documenting inequality patterns from different angles and study how public policy can tackle them. Topics include:
- Education and skill formation
- Redistribution and predistribution
- Gender and family policy
- Regional policy
- Social security
- Tax systems and tax evasion
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Recognise the main trends in public intervention in the economy
- Identify the main justifications for government intervention
- Illustrate modes of intervention in different areas of public policy and their effects
- Distinguish various dimensions of inequality and discuss policy, which can address them
- Select the appropriate empirical research methods to evaluate public policy
- Know how to conduct policy evaluation
- Understand theoretical models that can illustrate how public policy affects individual and firm choices
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
Address policy relevant questions by:
- Identifying the institutional details which characterise a given policy
- Framing the policy question in theoretical terms
- Choosing the appropriate data to perform empirical analysis on the impact of the policy
Analyse and interpret the results of empirical analyses
Advocate for specific public policy interventions
Teaching methods
- Lectures
- Individual works / Assignments
- Collaborative Works / Assignments
DETAILS
Group assignments are of two types: 1) Group presentations; 2) A take-home assignment using Stata to replicate the analysis of scientific papers. For group presentations, each group must prepare a presentation and a discussion starting from the reading of academic papers. Topics/papers for presentation and discussion will be provided during the course. Students must submit presentation and discussion slides.
Non-attending students who cannot participate to group assignments will have the option of performing similar tasks individually, subject to the instructors' approval.
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
|---|---|---|---|
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x | x | |
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x | ||
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x |
ATTENDING STUDENTS
Two written partial exams or one written general exam, plus group assignment on Stata, and group presentation. Students must take the written exam (partials or general) and at least one between the assignment on Stata and the presentation. Only taking the three parts will allow a student to reach 31/30.
The written exam aims at verifying that students are able to present theoretical models, to analyse and interpret the methods and results of empirical analyses, and to discuss alternative policy reform proposals. The written exam is worth up to 25 points.
The assignment is a take-home using Stata to replicate the analyses of scientific papers. The assignment is worth up to 3 points. It must be delivered in December after the end of the course.
Group presentations are worth up to 3 points.
Each group must prepare a presentation and a discussion of a given topic starting from the reading of academic papers. The topic can be chosen from a list provided by the instructors during the course. Presentations are delivered in class. Students must submit presentation slides, an abstract and the reading list on which the presentation is based. Students must state by the end of the Midterm break whether they intend to give presentations and form/join a group. Group presentations are planned to take place during the last two classes of the course.
NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Two written partial exams or one written general exam, plus individual assignment on Stata, and individual essay. Students must take the written exam (partials or general) and at least one between the assignment on Stata and the presentation. Only taking the three parts will allow a student to reach 31/30.
The written exam aims at verifying that students are able to present theoretical models, to analyse and interpret the methods and results of empirical analyses, and to discuss alternative policy reform proposals. The written exam is worth up to 25 points.
The assignment is a take-home using Stata to replicate the analyses of scientific papers. The assignment is worth up to 3 points. It must be delivered in December after the end of the course.
Individual essays are worth up to 3 points. The essay is on a topic chosen from a list provided by the instructors and it must be delivered by the date of the exam chosen by the student. The choice to write an individual essay must be communicated by the end of the Midterm break and approved by the instructors. The submission date for the Stata assignment will be the same as that for attending students.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
Most of the course is based on articles from scientific journals, working papers, lecture slides and notes. The compulsory readings are provided in the detailed course schedule and are divided by topic. All the readings are available on Blackboard for download. Updates to the reading list are possible to adjust to the pace of the class and will be promptly communicated.
Last change 26/05/2026 15:58