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23691 - Economics of Public Utilities and Utilities' Networks

Academic Year 2021/2022

                
                        Docente:
                        Enrico Santarelli
                    
                        Credits:
                        6
                    
                        SSD:
                        SECS-P/02
                    
                        Language:
                        Italian
                    
                        Teaching Mode:
                        Traditional lectures
                        
                            Campus:
                            Bologna
                        
                            Corso:
                            Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
                            Law and Economics (cod. 9221)

                            Teaching resources on Virtuale

Learning outcomes

The course focuses on the economic, institutional, and regulatory specificities of network industries and public utilities. It is designed to provide a broad introduction to network indstries and public utilities, and will start the process of preparing students to conduct research in the area. The course integrates theoretical models and empirical studies.

Course contents

Definitions: essential facilities (the network and its services); direct and indirect network externalities; congestion externalities and price discrimination; net neutrality; etc.. Structural features of network industries. Technology advance and standardization.The monopolist as a bottleneck. Regulation of access pricing. Industry cases: Telecommunications; Broadcasting; Information; Transport networks; Non-obvious networks.

Readings/Bibliography

Shy, O. - THE ECONOMICS OF NETWORK INDUSTRIES, Cambridge University Press; Economides, N. - Public Policies in Network Industries.

Teaching methods

Lectures, class discussions, coursework.

Assessment methods

Coursework (50%), final written exam (50%).

Grading criteria:

18-23: the student has sufficient preparation and analytical skills, spread however, over just few topics taught in the course, the overall jargon is correct

24-27: the student shows and adequate preparation at a technical level with some doubts over the topics. Good, yet not to articulate analytical skills with the use of a correct jargon

28-30: Great knowledge about most of the topics taught in the course, good critical and analytical skills, good usage of the specific jargon

30L: excellent and in depth knowledge of all the topics in the course, excellent critical and analytical skills, excellent usage of specific jargon.

Teaching tools

Other teaching material, including slides used during the lectures and papers on specific topics will be made available to students on a weekly basis through the 'Virtuale' platform.

Office hours

See the website of Enrico Santarelli

SDGs

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.