00995 - Economic History

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to provide students with adequate knowledge of the main factors and stages of European and Italian economic development The course is divided in two sections: the first part outlines the key transformations of the European economy in a global perspective from the Middle Ages to the XXI century. The second part is devoted to the evolution of the Italian economy from the unification of the country to the present. At the end of the course the student is able to: - to grasp the complexity of historical processes, - to understand concepts, principles and issues drawn from the social and economic sciences, - to appreciate the constant interplay of economic systems, institutions, social and cultural dimensions.

Course contents

I) Institutions and economic development in European history
1. The historical background of the modern European economy
2. Market and technological innovations in the English industrial revolution
3. National paths to industrialization
4. The transformation of enterprise from the late XIX century to the early XX century
5. The state regulated economies of the XX century
6. From post-war reconstruction to the global economy

II) Institutions and economic development in modern Italy
1. The role of substitute factors in the Italian economic development
2. The characters of Italian industrialization and the issue of regional disequilibrium
3. State planning during the interwar period
4. Institutions and economic development in Republican Italy

Readings/Bibliography

Part I)

• R. Cameron, L. Neal, Storia economica del mondo. Dalla preistoria ad oggi, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2016 [Chapters I; V; VI; VII; IX; X; XI; XII (only paragraph 3); XIII (only  paragraphs 1, 5, 6); XIV; XV]

• M. Fornasari, La Banca, la borsa, lo Stato. Una storia della finanza (secc. XIII-XXI), Torino, Giappichelli, 2019 (II edizione) [Chapters II; III (only paragraph 1); IV (only paragraph 1); Epilogo]

Part II)

• P. Ciocca, Ricchi per sempre? Una storia economica d'Italia (1796-2020), Torino, Bollati Boringhieri, 2020, (except pp. 13-77).

 

 

Teaching methods

Slides provided by the teacher, included in the platform https://elearning-cds.unibo.it/

Assessment methods

Written exam

Links to further information

https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/massimo.fornasari

Office hours

See the website of Massimo Fornasari