97405 - STORIA DELL'IMPRESA, DELLA BANCA E DELLE POLITICHE ECONOMICHE

Learning outcomes

The course aims at analysing the long run development of the world economy since the birth of the modern economy, showing the varieties of approaches and solutions to innovation and crises. The main topics are the following: 1) interrelations among technologies, institutions and culture; 2) forms of enterprise and their advantages and disadvantages; 3) financial systems and the relation bank-enterprise; 4) the role of governments; 5) the major world crises that have retarded progress but also offer opportunities of improvement. At the end of the course students have acquired a long run vision of economic development and are in a better position to understand the transformations that are necessary today to maintain a dynamic but sustainable economic path for the future.

Course contents

The program of the course includes the following topics:

1. Introduction and the role of institutions. Rise of the modern market economy, enterprises and financial systems

2. Diffusion of industrialization and birth of a UK-centred international economy (free circulation of goods, workers, capital and currency)

3. Forms of enterprise: the corporation (also state-owned) and the group of enterprises

4. Forms of enterprise: SMEs, cooperatives and non profit. Creation of networks

5. The two world wars, the 1929 crisis and the birth of a Us-centred globalization.

6. The building of the EU and its impact on the European enterprises

7. The third globalization: financialization, deregulation, permacrisis and the rise of Asia

8. Enterprises and sustainability

9. Enterprises and the gender issue

10. Enterprises and the employee welfare

 

Readings/Bibliography

The assigned readings, the power point presentations and other teaching materials will be made available throughout the course and uploaded on Virtuale

Assessment methods

The exam is made up of two parts, with weight 50-50. An in class written exam with four open questions and a 6000 words paper on a topic freely chosen by the student within the scope of the course, to be agreed upon with the teacher.

Office hours

See the website of Patrizia Battilani