72492 - Economic and Environmental Policy

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the students will handle the main tools of analysis related to economic and environmental policy, with particular refernce to the Italian and European context. In particular, students will be able to: - Unfold the recent economic facts of Italy and of the European Union; - Identify the main economic policy acts approved at the national and european levels; - Critically analyse policy goals and objectives in light of the main theoretical models;  - Evaluate models developed to tackle environmental problems; - Jointly analyse the empirical evidence with the theory of envirionmantal policy.

Course contents

Course divided in two parts. Lectures are scheduled in the first semester, starting on Monday the 21st of September 2015.

Part I - The economic policy in Italy and Europe (Prof. Paolo Figini).

1. Objectives and instruments of economic policy;
2. The public intervention in the economy;
3. Microeconomic and Macroeconomic policies;
4. The economic policy of globalization end the neoclassical paradigm;
   
5. The economic policy of International Organizations (International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organization);
6. The financial and economic crisis and the policy response;
   
7. The European monetary and fiscal policy;
8. The Italian economic policy.
   

Part II - The environmental policy in Italy and Europe (Prof. Fabio Zagonari).

1. The optimal use of renewable resources;
2. The optimal use of non-renewable resources;
3. The optimal level of intra-country pollution;
4. The optimal level of trans-country pollution;
5. The main environmental policy tools: taxes, subsidies, standards, permits;
6. The sustainable development;
7. The evolution of the EU environmental policy;
8. The pillars of the EU environmental policy;
9. The instruments of the EU environmental policy;
10. The jurisdiction of the EU environmental policy.

Readings/Bibliography

• TBA
  

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures. This is the students' evaluation of the course unit (first part), a.y. 2013/14 and a.y. 2014/15.

Assessment methods

Written test on the whole programme. For students attending lectures it is possible to sit the exam in the mid-term tests, at the end of each part of lectures. Each test counts for 50% of the final mark, and the minimum mark to pass the mid-term test is 16/30.

Office hours

See the website of Paolo Figini

See the website of Fabio Zagonari