REGIONAL ECONOMICS
Academic Year 2024/2025 - Teacher: GIANPIERO TORRISIExpected Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: knowledge and understanding of the main theories related to regional and local economic analysis. Being able to understand the concept and application of tools (such as multipliers) to evaluate regional and local economic performance. To have a clear understanding of regional and local economic problems.
Applying knowledge and understanding: to be familiar with the sources of regional and local economic data including database resources and being skilled in using simple analytical tools to interpret large data sets in order to show disparities between different areas.
Making judgments: to be able to critically evaluate and discuss the main theories used in the study of the regional and local economy and the reasons and results of the application of policies in order to alleviate regional economic problems.
Communication skills: to be able to point out the strengths and weaknesses of a local economy in a clear and professional way through a detailed written report.
Learning skills: to be able to identify and explain the functioning and discuss the motivations for the use of particular prescriptions and political tools to try to alleviate local and regional economic problems. Be familiar with the results of applying policy requirements and how analysis of these has helped shape future policy.
Course Structure
The teaching style of this unit encourages student participation. Scheduled events include: lectures, seminars and workshop activities. These are designed so that the student can practice some of the techniques that have been shown during lectures in order to promote experiential learning and to develop the knowledge and understanding skills.
Required Prerequisites
Attendance of Lessons
Detailed Course Content
(1) Introductory aspects: the importance of the local economy and the logic of regional policy; (2) The measurement of the local economy: profiles, multipliers and models; (3) The determinants of local growth: classical and Keynesian models of economic growth; (4) The local and regional labour market: quality of human capital, migration and unemployment; (5) Trade-offs and synergies in EU regional policy; (6) Smart cities; (7) Regional resilience.
Textbook Information
The textbook for the unit is
Armstrong H & Taylor J (2000) Regional Economics and Policy(3rd edition) Oxford: Blackwell.
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Induction: why regional economics? | Introduzione alla Parte I |
| 2 | Regional multiplier | Capitoli 1 e 2 |
| 3 | Neoclassical growth models | Capitoli 3 e 4 |
| 4 | Labour market: human capital, migration and unemployment | Capitoli 6 e 7 |
| 5 | Regional divide and policy intervention | Capitolo 6, pp. 143-153, Capitolo 7, pp.184-199 e Capitolo 8 pp. 205-231 |
| 6 | Trade-off and synergies in the EU regional policy | Crescenzi, R., De Filippis, F., & Pierangeli, F. (2015). In tandem for cohesion? Synergies and conflicts between regional and agricultural policies of the European Union. Regional Studies, 49(4), 681-704. |
| 7 | Smart cities | Collins, A., et al. (2017). Report on Urban policies for building smart cities. |
| 8 | Regional Economic Resilience | Martin, R. (2011). Regional economic resilience, hysteresis and recessionary shocks. Journal of economic geography, 12(1), 1-32. |
| 9 | Regional resilience: the GDP approach | Cellini, R., & Torrisi, G. (2014). Regional resilience in Italy: a very long-run analysis. Regional Studies, 48(11), 1779-1796. |
| 10 | Regional resilience: the labour market approach | Cellini, R., Di Caro, P., & Torrisi, G. (2017). 14. Regional resilience in Italy: do employment and income tell the same story. Handbook of Regions and Competitiveness: Contemporary Theories and Perspectives on Economic Development, 308. |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
The final written test will cover all the topics covered during the course and may also include numerical exercises.
The test will be assessed based on the relevance of the answers to the related questions, its content, the ability to develop links with other topics covered in the syllabus, the ability to provide real-world examples, the use of proper technical language, and overall communication level.