Course 2006-2007 a.y.

8203 - ECONOMICS OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION


GM-LS - MM-LS - OSI-LS - AFC-LS - CLAPI-LS - CLEFIN-LS - CLELI-LS - CLEACC-LS - DES-LS - CLEMIT-LS - CLG-LS

Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English

Go to class group/s: 31
GM-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - MM-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - OSI-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - AFC-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - CLAPI-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - CLEFIN-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - CLELI-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - CLEACC-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - DES-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - CLEMIT-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI) - CLG-LS (6 credits - II sem. - AI)
Course Director:
CARLO ALTOMONTE

Classes: 31 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: CARLO ALTOMONTE


Course Objectives

The course aims at presenting the most recent developments in economics which are useful for understanding the process of European integration, which has now grown to 25 Member States.
By the end of this course, students should be able to use advanced economic tools for the analysis of most policies and proposals currently discussed in the daily debate on the EU. To this aim, specific assignments on current policy problems and special guests from the EU Institutions integrate the course program.


Course Content Summary

The course is divided in four parts: 1) growth and economic integration; 2) economic geography and cohesion; 3) political economy of EU Institutions; 4) future developments of the EU.

Among the topics covered, the course in particular touches upon the following:

  •  theory of economic integration with heterogeneous firms;
  •  analysis of aggregate productivity;
  •  productivity decomposition and non-parametric estimates of firms' TFP;
  •  new economy geography;
  •  theory and measurement of power indexes;
  • structural reforms in the EU.

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

Attending students  
Three take-home group assignments on the first three parts of the course, granting 70 per cent of total marks. A final written exam makes up for the remaining points.

Non-attending students
Individual essay, on a topic to be agreed in advance, on one of the first three parts of the course, granting 50 per cent of total marks. A final written exam makes up for the remaining points.


Textbooks

Background reading:

  • C. ALTOMONTE, M. NAVA, Economics and Policies of an Enlarged Europe, Edward Elgar, 2005.

Selected chapters from the following books:

  • A. SAPIR, et al., An Agenda for a Growing Europe: Making the EU Economic System to Deliver, Oxford University Press, 2003.
  • D. MUELLER (ed by), Perspectives on Public Choice, Cambridge University Press, 1997.
  • S.J. BRAMS, et al. (ed. by), Political and related models, Springer, 1983.

Other papers:

  • D. ACEMOGLU, P. AGHION, F. ZILIBOTTI, Distance to Frontier, Selection and Economic Growth, Journal of the European Economic Association, 2006.
  • E. HELPMAN, Trade, FDI and the Organization of Firms, NBER Working Paper No. 12091, 2006.
  • D. PUGA, European Regional Policies in Light of Recent Location Theories, Journal of Economic Geography, 2: 373-406, 2002.
  • J. VAN BIESEBROECK, Revisiting some productivity debates, NBER Working Paper No. 10065, 2003.

Additional notes/readings will be provided when dealing with specific topics covered in the programme.

For further and continuously updated information consult the  IEP web site or contact  S.I.D. - Servizio Informazioni Didattica - Institute of Economics - via Gobbi, 5 - Room 313.

Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)
Last change 18/04/2006 00:00