Course 2012-2013 a.y.

Go to class group/s: 31

CLEAM (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - CLEF (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - CLEACC (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - BIEMF (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01)

Course Director:
PAOLO PINOTTI

Course Objectives

The course consists of three parts. The first part introduces the theoretical and practical issues faced by the measurement of poverty and inequality. The second part discusses some important causes and consequences of poverty and inequality, focusing on issues such as international trade, migration, technical change, crime and international conflict. Finally, we review the evidence about the effectiveness of alternative policies for fighting poverty. 

Course Content Summary

•  Introduction

• Long-run trends in poverty and inequalit
• The World distribution of income
• Poverty headcounts
• Measurement: theoretical framework
  • The Amiel-Cowell experiments
  • Pareto, Gini and the Lorenz curve
  • The Atkinson’s Index
  • The axiomatic approach: Sen
• Measurement, in practice
  • Consumption, income and wealth
  • Within- and between-family inequality
  • Poverty and inequality in Italy
  • Empirical evidence across countries
• Causes and consequences of poverty and inequality
  • Growth and income distribution: the Kuznets curve
  • Globalization and skill-biased technical change: new views on an old debate
  • International migration
  • Crime, violence and conflict
• Policy analysis
  • Aid effectiveness: the empirical evidence
• Beyond the Washington Consensus: The Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi report and Europe 2020

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

The assessment is written. No difference between attending and not attending students. Students can have a look at corrected exams before the registration. A computer laboratory session with STATA is offered during the semester where students are trained on the computation of poverty and inequality indexes. A lecture from a visiting scholar is held.

Textbooks

F. COWELL, Measuring Inequality, Oxford University press, 3rd edition (ISBN 9780199594047).

Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)

Prerequisites

No specific prerequisites are required but basic knowledge of microeconomics, macroeconomic and statistics. The course is mainly addressed toward students who plan to enroll in the Master of Science.

Last change 05/06/2012 11:24