85489 - POLITICAL ECONOMY OF MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The course aims at providing an understanding of the economic systems of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries, through the analysis of their process of development and of their recent performance. The student should be able, at the end of the course, to use the acquired knowledge to the study of the economies of the different countries, to understand the peculiar issue that characterize the area, to evaluate policies implemented during the last decades to copy with the development process and to suggest policy recommendation.

Contenuti

The course will deal with different topics that are of relevance for understanding both macroeconomic and institutional aspects of economic integration across the Mediterranean region.

We will start by discussing issues of convergence and diverge across the Mediterranean region, in particular the role human development and its relation to economic growth. We will than outline the main demographic trends that charaterize the Mediterranean region, with a specific discussion on the short- and long-term macroeconomic implications. In this sense, we will talk about the so-called demographic dividend and its relation to the short-term driving forces that characterize labour markets in the Mediterranean countries.

The course considers the specific role of the European Union as an actor of institutional integration across the Mediterranean. We will study the macroeconomic pillars of the international Treaties that the EU member countries have signed with their counterparts in the region. We will discuss the logic of the Barcelona Declaration and the policy tools created in the context of the process of Euro Mediterranean integration.

Since the process of institutional integration has, at times, focused on issues regarding international trade and foreign direct investments, we will outline the main characteristics and drivers of the flows of goods, services and financial capital across the Mediterranean countries.

We will touch upon the functioning of the labour markets in the Mediterranean region, drawing attention on the role of institutions. The different role of 'formal' and 'informal' institutions will be discussed along with their implications for labour-market policies. We will consider a study case based on the empirical evidence for four Northern-African countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

Finally, we shall discuss the relation between education, migration and labour supply across Southern Mediterranean countries. The age distribution of the population will be placed in the context of its labour market implications. The long-term implications of labour market policies in the Southern Mediterranean will be contrasted with the effects from the active and passive labour market policies adopted in the region.

Testi/Bibliografia

The lectures will be based on articles and chapters that will be shared on Virtuale before each lecture.

A *preliminary* list of topics and relevant articles includes the following:

0 - The convergence of income and economic development across countries of the Mediterranean region

Chapter 1 of the Lecture Notes on Political Economy of Mediterranean Countries, prepared by the professor

1 - The demographics of the Mediterranean countries

Chapter 2 of the Lecture Notes on Political Economy of Mediterranean Countries, prepared by the professor

2 - Institutions for economic integration in the Euro Mediterranean region

Lecture notes on EU Med initiatives, prepared by the professor

Anna Molnár, "The EU and the Mediterranean Region", 2019. In: Regional and Bilateral Relations of the European Union. Nemzeti Közszolgálati Egyetem, Budapest, pp. 29-48 (freely downloadable online from original source)

3 - Structural change in the labour markets of the Mediterranean countries

Chapter 4 of the Lecture Notes on Political Economy of Mediterranean Countries, prepared by the professor

4 - Labour market institutions across the Southern Mediterranean region: A case study

Ahmed Badawi and Cilja Harders, "Institutions and Labour Markets in Southern European Countries. A Survey of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia", EMNES Studies – 1 – October 2017 (freely downloadable online from original source)

5. The relation between education, migration and labour supply across Southern Mediterranean countries

Cinzia Alcidi, "Labour Supply, Education and Migration in South Mediterranean Countries: Policy Challenges and Options", EMNES Policy Paper No 011 / June, 2019 (freely downloadable online from original source)

Please notice that the articles and chapters discussed in class may be change during the course,

Metodi didattici

The course will consist in a set of three-hour lectures.

The classes will provide the opportunity both to facilitate the interaction between the lecturer and the students, and to stimulate the debate among students themselves. In this sense, class attendance is critical to take full advantage from an in-depth discussion on the course topics.

Students with a disability or specific learning disabilities (DSA) who are requesting academic adjustments or compensatory tools are invited to communicate their needs to the teaching staff in order to properly address them and agree on the appropriate measures with the competent bodies.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

The students will be asked to write a term paper on a topic relevant for the course and agreed upon with the professor.

Mandatory *guidelines* about the structure of the term paper will be posted on the Virtuale pages of the course.

The key requirements include the following:

a) Students will be free to choose their paper topic, provided that this falls within the reasonable domain of the political economy of Mediterranean countries. Sample topics will be shared on Virtuale.

b) All the available resources - whether online or in printed form - may be used for the preparation of the paper.

c) The term paper will be delivered to the professor by email within the deadline set out in the guidelines. A paper presentation will not be required.

d) Grade proposals will be published online on the day of the exam session.

Grading criteria

The term papers will be assessed based on the following.

The ability of the student to achieve a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the topics addressed, to critically assess them and to use an appropriate language will be evaluated with the highest grades (A = 27-30 con lode).

A predominantly mnemonic acquisition of the paper's contents together with gaps and deficiencies in terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will result in grades ranging from good (B = 24-26) to satisfactory (C = 21-23).

A low level of knowledge of the paper’s contents together with gaps and deficienciesin terms of language, critical and/or logical skills will be considered as ‘barely passing' (D = 18-20) or result in a fail grading (E).

 

General questions

Is it required to attend the lectures?

NO.

Is writing the term paper compulsory for all the students?

YES.

What happens if I do not comply with the term paper guidelines included on Virtuale?

The paper will have to be resubmitted.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

The students who attend the course will be provided with both lecture notes, and a set of slides for each lecture topic.

These materials will be made available through a Slack channel set up by the lecturer at the beginning of the course.

The availability of a Slack channel will also make it easier for the students to interact directly with the lecturer in case any relevant questions or issues about the course arise.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Paolo Zagaglia