42614 - Economics of Inequality

Learning outcomes

The course offers an introduction to the economic analysis of inequality and of the main theories of distributive justice. It aims to provide the conceptual tools needed to allow students to understand the main theoretical issues and to take part, with sufficient precision and autonomy, to the contemporary political and economic debate. 

Course contents

The course offers an introduction to the economic analysis of inequality, both at national and global level, and to the main theories of distributive justice.

Introduction:  inequality in an historical and comparative perspective .

Distributive justice and social choice: Arrow's impossibility theorem; Utilitarianism;  Rawls; Nozick; socail contract and bargaining.

Equality of opportunity: definition and  measurement.

International and global inequality

Land access inequality, land reforms and land grabbing.

Water access inequality and transboundary water management.

Inequality and global warming

Readings/Bibliography

the detailed syllabus will be communicated at due time

Teaching methods

The presentation of the main theories of distributive justice will be accompained by some case studies in which particular attention will be devoted to the variuos inequality generating mechanisms. For instance:  

·        how inequality within and between countries interact and generate global inequality;   

·        the role played by agrarian reforms in some countries (for instance South Korea, China) in reducing land access inequality;   

·        causes and consequences of land grabbing;   

·        link between land access, access to irrigation and inequality in poor countries;  

·        discussion of some case studies pertaining to inequality and access to transboundary water; 

·        GHG historical cumulated emissions and country responsibility;

·        link between income inequality, stage of development and CO2 emissions reduction across countries.

Assessment methods

The assessment involves two examinations, each with equal weight: a) a class simulation;  b) a written report on the simulation. 

For instance, the simulation may concern the draft of a cooperation treaty among countries along the Gange basin. Using the arguments developed in the course, the students must simulate a negotiation aimed at reaching an agreement on how to share costs and benefits of their cooperation on the transboundary river.   
Each student must then write a "technical covering report" in which the theoretical foundations and the empirical arguments used in the simulation must be explained. 

This assessment method is conditioned on the number of students; if the simulation is not viable, the assessment method is replaced by a paper (maximum 10 pages) on an assigned  topic.

Teaching tools

+ projector and pc;  + web pages of some international organizations (FAO, IFAD, GRAIN, Land Matrix, OCDE).

Office hours

See the website of Giorgio Giovanni Negroni