00256 - Economics

Learning outcomes

At the end of the teaching activities, students will have learned the major micro-and macro-economic models and national accounting, acquired knowledge to interpret the debate on the functioning of the Italian and European economic systems and the main economic policy proposals. In addition, they will have acquired the ability to understand the main problems of economic development, those arising in the less developed regions of economically advanced and developing countries, as well as the principles of comparison needed to evaluate the measures of international cooperation. They will learn how to orient themselves in the use of basic bibliographical tools, knowing terminology and methods used in the economic analysis and how to address the key issues and critically approach the texts.

Course contents

Students who are required to take the exam of Economics are asked to follow the program of the current year, even if they enrolled in previous years. During the relevant term, supplementary classes could be held to deepen and/or refresh particularly relevant topics, that will be communicated in class and must be considered an integral part of the course program.

The program of the course is the following.

MICROECONOMICS

Consumer and the theory of demand
Firm and the theory of supply
Markets analysis
Between competition and monopoly

Welfare economics

Regulation of market power

MACROECONOMICS

National accounts and macroeconomic variables
GDP determination

Keynesian multiplier
Financial markets and IS-LM model
Stabilisation policies

Additions and/or modifications to the program will be suggested during the lectures.

Readings/Bibliography

Leoncini R. (2025), Microeconomia. Un percorso introduttivo, Carocci, Roma.

Stirati A. (2024), Fondamenti di macroeconomia, Giappichelli, Torino.

Leoncini R. (2021), Le parole dell’economia politica, Mondadori, Milano.

Teaching methods

The course will be articulated into a series of lectures (held by the teacher) and some practice exercises (held by the tutor). The lectures will be about the systematic exposition of the main topics of the course (see the Course Contents section). The exercises will train students to practice with the types of questions they will face in the written examination.

Learning economics requires the use of minimal analytical instruments, like the capacity to read graphics and to understand simple functions and equations. However, it is important to understand that the course does not require preliminary notions of mathematics. All the notions relevant for understanding the formal concepts (functions, graphics, etc.) are provided at the beginning of the course.

Experience suggests that it is highly relevant to succeed in the exam to regularly attend the lectures and to take the exam soon after the end of the lectures. Therefore, students are strongly advised not to postpone the exam in their curriculum.

Assessment methods

The exam is intended to verify the achievement of the following learning objectives:
• knowledge of the main micro-and macro-economic models and the main topics of national accounts presented during the lectures
• ability to use these tools in order to interpret the debate on the functioning of the Italian and European economic systems and the main economic policy proposals
• understanding of the main problems of economic development, in the less developed regions of economically advanced and developing countries, and of the principles of comparison needed to evaluate the measures of international cooperation
• ability to orient in the use of basic bibliographic tools, knowing the terminology and methods used in the economic analysis, the methods of argumentation and critical approach to the texts.

The examination consists of two parts (a written test and an oral examination) that are to be completed within the same exam session, and it provides an assessment of the students on a 30 marks basis. In order to take the oral exam, and achieve the final grade, students must pass the written test with a minimum score of 18/30.

In the written test students must answer several types of questions: multiple choice questions, true or false questions, open questions. In the oral examination students will answer questions about their mistakes in the written test, about the final parts of the program and about those parts of the program that the students will have to prepare depending on the number of CFU and depending on whether they are attending or not attending the lectures.

The written and the oral examinations will be held in presence. To access these tests, it is necessary to be previously enrolled to the exam on AlmaEsami.

Students who have taken and not passed at least four written tests, on an exceptional basis and with the approval of the lecturer, could access the oral test. However, written tests are not considered if open-ended questions are not answered. The possibility to take advantage of this opportunity is closely linked to the proper execution of the following procedures. After accumulating at least 4 written insufficient written tests: (1) the student must contact the lecturer via e-mail, indicating the exact dates (day / month / year) of the last 4 exam session in which he advocated the written test without success, and making a request to access to the oral test if the written one proves again insufficient; the lecturers, after having considered the responses to the questions in the tests reported, may authorise the student to take the oral exam, (2) the student is still required to register and regularly take the written test, (3) the admission to the oral test does not involve any form of "discount" on the program.

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Integration of credits

Students transferred from other universities or students who need to integrate credits for the course in Economics are required to observe the following rules. The general rule is that students must be prepared on the parts not included in the programs of the exams already taken elsewhere. Before the exam, the student is required to report his case via e-mail or in person and to send the syllabus of the exam already held.

Unless stated otherwise, the integrations are the following:

i) 1-2 credits:

Exam: oral examination.

Chapters to be studied: if the syllabus of the previous exam was intensive of microeconomics, the teacher will ask to prepare a chapter on macroeconomics. Otherwise, whether macroeconomics was preponderant, a chapter on microeconomics will be asked.

ii) 3 credits or more:

Exam: written and oral examination.

Chapters to be studied: the teacher will indicate the chapters (either in microeconomics or in macroeconomics), to study for the integration.

No pre-entry courses are required.

Teaching tools

The teaching staff will invite students to communicate, either directly during the lectures or via e-mail, the parts of the program they have problems in understanding, in order to come again on these topics in the following lectures or to discuss them at the end of each lecture.

During surgery hours parts of the program can be re-discussed and re-explained.

E-mail messages can be normally used for brief and concise questions. Student are asked to use their institutional account. In order to receive adequate answers, e-mails must be signed.

Exercises are organised also in order to furnish further clarifications of the program.

Office hours

See the website of Riccardo Leoncini