14090 - Innovation Economics

Course contents

The course deals with the evaluation of the technical progress within the economic theory, the economic impact of the technological innovations in the firm and in the market, the strategies and the public policies concerning the appropriation rights of the innovations and the emergence of technical standards. The programme develops in a sequence of four parts:
1. The technical progress in the economic thought,
2. Basics and dynamics of the technological innovation,
3. Public policies and technological innovation,
4. Technological innovation in the markets
During the course the students are trained to case-study analysis, addressing the impact of innovation in the domain of Information and Communication Technologies, and to access statistical data about markets and policies for innovation either in a local and in a global perspective.

Readings/Bibliography

Fariselli P., 2014, Economia dell'innovazione, Giappichelli Editore, Torino.
Extra materials, such as lecture slides and notes, papers and reports for the seminars, are circulated online by the teacher through a dedicated distribution list, to be created on https//campus.cib.unibo. The attending students must register with the list at the beginning of the course.

Teaching methods

The course is based upon frontal lectures, training on the use of statistical data, and seminars carried out by the students on case-studies. The seminars are based on academic papers and statistical reports in English, that are assigned by the teacher to each group/seminar. A team of 3-4 students is formed for each seminar, which has to analyse a couple of papers.  Each team has to deliver a written report and a .ppt presentation before the seminar's date, and each member of the team is involved in the public communication.
The teaching includes the training to the team & individual work practice for processing and presenting the case studies in the seminars.In particular, the students are trained to the appropriate use of bibliographic references, quotations, to the search of relevant sources, the assessment of unclear content. Moreover, the seminars challenge the students to confront the communication dynamics, both as actors and spectators, taking the chance to evaluate the strenghts and weaknesses of the performances.
The students are provided with templates both for the report and for the presentation they have to comply with. All the seminar papers are circulated online by the teachetìr through the distribution list, becoming part of the programme common to the class.
To attend the course is therefore highly recommended, to facilitate the learning and to be trained to the case study analysis and to the public presentation and discussion of the results.

Assessment methods

The students regularly attending the course are evaluated in two steps:
a) Seminars, during the course. The students are grouped into thematic groups, the seminars are organised on a thematic base, and according to a cììschedule agreed in advance. Each student in each team contributes to the seminar's report and slides, and takes part in the public presentation. All the students are invited to actively participate by discussing the presentations. The teacher acts as a facilitator.
The assessment of the students' seminars is based on the following criteria:
- Correct understanding of the theme and of the case study,
- Identification of the key issues,
- Accurate synthesis of the relevant content,
- Balanced and systematic storytelling,
- Correct and appropriate language (written and oral).
The seminars are evaluated on a 30 basis.
b) Written test, at the end of the course, on the entire programme.
The test consists of open questions, but with limited length, aiming at assessing:
- correct learning of the basic concepts and models,
- accuracy and synthesius of the answers,
- systematic vision of complex issues.
The test is evaluated on a 30 basis.
The final evaluation is the average outcome of the two steps. Those students wishing to increment the final mark are given the chance to try it by entering an oral exam in the session immediately after the end of the course.
The students not attending the course prepare the exam on the entire textbook and must cointact the teacher in order ti fix the additional programme in substitution of the seminar. They will be evaluated in two steps:
- a written text (see above, b), to be admitted to the oral exam (minimum 18/30), which will follow straight on in the same session,
- an oral exam on the standard programme, and on the extra programme, to be evaluated for the final mark on a 30 basis.
The evaluation of both the written test and the oral exam is based on the following criteria:
- full scale and accurate preparation on the textbook and extra material,
- synthetic (text, graphic, oral) answers,
- accurate analytic and formal data processing,
.- systematic vision of content within and across the programme's topics,
correct and appropriate language (written and oral).

Teaching tools

Textbook, slides and notes, papers on case studies and statistical reports.

Office hours

See the website of Patrizia Fariselli