37293 - Microeconomics

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Docente: Marco Casari
  • Credits: 10
  • SSD: SECS-P/01
  • Language: English
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Economics, Politics and Social Sciences (cod. 5819)

Learning outcomes

Students acquire a working knowledge of the fundamental topics of microeconomics: Theory of consumption, theory of production in competitive markets, partial equilibrium, general equilibrium and efficiency.

Course contents

The plan is to cover these topics:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Introduction: what is Economics

2. Competitive markets

3. Consumer choice

4. Production

5. Climate change

6. Monopoly

7. Imperfect competition

 

8. Uncertainty

9. The economic role of the government

10. Market and taxation

11. Economic Inequality

12. Labor markets

13. Credit markets

14. Business corporations

15. What generates economic value

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Readings/Bibliography

 

The textbook for this course is "The Economy: Economics for a Changing World" by The CORE Team, which is freely available online:

https://www.core-econ.org/the-economy/book/text/0-3-contents.html

There will be additional required readings from other sources and lecture notes.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures and recitations, complemented by supporting material.

Interactive tools and role-games will be used during the lectures to introduce some topics.

Attendance of both lectures and recitations is strongly recommended.

Assessment methods

Assessment will take place through written exams (no oral exams). During the semester, students will have the opportunity to take two partial exams (the final grade is the average of the two partials).

The first partial (mid-term) exam will cover topics 1-7. It will be a list of multiple choice questions. It is scheduled for April 8th.

The second partial (mid-term) exam will cover topics 8-15. It is scheduled on the first appello right after classes end. It will be a mix of multiple choice questions, exercises, and short essays. Those who pass the first partial but not the second partial will have a chance also to re-take the second partial in the second appello.

Full exams can cover material from all topics.

Teaching tools

Lectures and recitations. The Teaching assistant in charge of the course recitations is dr. Riccardo Pesci


Slides, exercises, and other material will be made available online on virtuale.


Both the book and the additional material are compulsory for the preparation of the exam.

Office hours

See the website of Marco Casari