96815 - International Economics

Learning outcomes

The study and knowledge of micro and macro international economics are intended to enable students to understand the processes of international integration from the historical point of view and in the scope of global economic events. In particular, the aim is to provide students with the ability to read both in a positive and critical sense of international economic relations. On a professional level this means, in cases of high school profile, that students can acquire an autonomous capacity not only of interpretation, but also of processing analysis of economic data and international events related to integration phenomena.

Course contents

Institutional Section

Introduction to the subject

Labor productivity and comparative advantages: the Ricardo model

Specific factors and income distribution

The Heckscher-Ohlin model

The general model of international trade

The tools of commercial policy

Political economy and commercial policy

Trade policy in developing countries

Disputes on commercial policy

Introduction to monetary economics

Seminar Section

Introduction to causal inference and empirical methods

Case studies

Introductory classes on how to give a presentation and how to write a research paper

Readings/Bibliography

The basic text will be Krugman P. R., Obstfeld M., Melitz M. J. (2023) International Economics, Volume 1 Pearson. (Students can also use previous editions, the contents are comparative the same).

We will deal with topics contained in Volume 2 of the same text for some lessons in monetary economics. The purchase of volume 2 is not compulsory - especially for students attending classes.

The supplementary bibliographic material can be provided by the teachers. Specifically, any article posted on Virtual that contains the words "LETTURA OBBLIGATORIA" in the link will be part of the exam material (for both frequent and non-frequent attendees).


Example: In the section on Virtual called Short Intro to Empirical Methods, the reading "Angrist_Credibility_Revolution_LETTURA_OBBLIGATORIA"

Teaching methods

Lessons with the support of pptx and blackboard.

The institutional part of the course will be divided into lessons aimed at introducing students to the discipline, its major themes and its conceptual categories to learn economic reasoning.

In the seminar part of the course, the lessons will be interactive and may also include seminars. In this case, students will be required to prepare before the lesson with the readings indicated by the teacher on the topics that will be addressed.

Pre-requisites for entering the course: basic courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics

Assessment methods

IMPORTANT FOR ALL STUDENTS:

The results of the exam tests will be published on Virtuale in the days immediately following the exam.

Students who have obtained a grade they wish to accept do not need to do anything. The instructor will officially record the grade.

From the moment the results are published, students who wish to reject their grade have 48 hours to inform the instructor of their decision by email. If no communication is received within this deadline, the grade will be officially recorded.

DEFINITION OF “ATTENDING STUDENT”: A student who has attended at least 70% of the total course hours.

TESTS FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS:

The assessment for attending students consists of three components:

1. Midterm test no. 1, held in class, lasting 25 minutes, on the material covered in lectures 1–10. The test consists of 10 multiple-choice questions, for example true/false questions. Midterm test 1 will count for 40% of the final grade.
2. Midterm test no. 2, held in class, lasting 25 minutes, on the material covered in lectures 11–20. The test consists of 10 multiple-choice questions, for example true/false questions. Midterm test 2 will count for 40% of the final grade.
3. Group work involving 5 students, on a topic to be agreed upon with the instructor. The group work will count for 20% of the final grade. The group work will be assessed as follows: the group of 5 students will produce a short article to be submitted to the instructor by the end of the course; detailed instructions will be available on Virtuale. In addition, during the last week of the course, each individual student will give an in-class presentation on one section of the work carried out; detailed instructions will be available on Virtuale. The assessment of the group work will consist of the average between the grade awarded to the paper, which will be the same for all 5 group members, and the quality of the individual presentation. Each of the 5 group members will be assessed individually and may receive a different grade from the others.

A small number of attending students will have the opportunity to earn extra points toward their final grade by volunteering to present to the class a summary of some scientific articles that we will analyze during the course. In the event of multiple requests to present the same article, the “first come, first served” criterion will apply.

N.B. I. Attending students who do not pass one of the midterm tests held in class during the September–December period may retake only the failed midterm test, and only during the first exam date of the January–February exam session. If the student does not pass the midterm test on that occasion either, the grades obtained in the other midterm tests will be cancelled and the student will have to pass the full exam for non-attending students; see below. Please note that, according to SID regulations, students may retake only one midterm test.

N.B. II. Attending students who do not obtain a passing grade in all midterm tests must take the exam according to the procedure described below under “Non-attending students.”

EXAM FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS OR ATTENDING STUDENTS WHO DO NOT PASS THE MIDTERM TESTS

The exam for non-attending students is the same as the full exam for attending students who have not passed all the midterm tests.

The test will consist of 20 multiple-choice questions, for example true/false questions. Duration: 45 minutes.

Topics: as indicated in the Syllabus: chapters from Krugman, slides posted on Virtuale, and the papers posted on Virtuale marked as “MANDATORY READING.” These papers must be studied in detail, including not only the results but also the methodologies, etc.

N.B. Students, particularly non-attending students, are strongly advised to study all the material posted on Virtuale, including the readings marked as non-mandatory.

Students with specific learning disorders, temporary disabilities, or permanent disabilities are advised to contact the relevant University office in good time: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it . The office will propose any appropriate accommodations to the students concerned. These accommodations must, in any case, be submitted to the instructor for approval at least 15 days in advance. The instructor will assess their suitability also in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

REFERENCE LETTERS: Students who are planning to apply for study programs and/or jobs for which a reference letter is required may submit a request to the instructor under the following conditions:

• They must have attended and actively participated in the course.
• They must have obtained a final grade in the course of at least 30/30.
• They must have volunteered to present to the class a summary of one of the scientific articles analyzed in class.
• They must contact the instructor and submit the request in good time, for example at least one or two months before the deadline for receiving the reference letter.
• They must take part in an additional interview held by the instructor during the course period. The additional interview will not affect the final grade for the course; it will only be preparatory to assessing whether it is appropriate for the instructor to act as a referee and, if applicable, to drafting the reference letter

Teaching tools

Lessons in classrom with slides.

UNIBO application "Virtuale" for the dissemination of notices and contents.

Office hours

See the website of Marco Fabbri