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Course 2017-2018 a.y.

30391 - ECONOMICS OF EUROPEAN UNION


BSS
Department of Social and Political Sciences

Course taught in English


Go to class group/s: 95

BSS (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/02)
Course Director:
CARLO ALTOMONTE

Classes: 95 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 95: STEFANO RIELA


Course Objectives
The course aims at analysing the process of economic and political integration of European countries through a theoretical and a policy perspective.
The first part of the course explores the economic and political aspects of the process of European integration, analysing the economic consequences of trade liberalization (customs unions, free trade areas), the liberalization of capital flows (Single market), and the co-ordination of economic policies (economic union). The political elements behind this evolution are analysed in parallel, including the recent developments leading to the (possible) exit of the UK from the EU (Brexit).
The course then moves on in studying the main policies currently undertaken by the European Union (trade, competition, agriculture, cohesion), as developed via the EU budget. Specific attention is devoted to the analysis of the Economic and Monetary Union and the effects of the financial crisis. At the end of the course, students should have a thorough understanding of the main issues behind the process of European integration, as well as the ability to assess the main drivers of the business environment in which firms operate when dealing with the European markets.
Learning Objectives.
The course aims at analysing the economic issues related to the current and future process of European integration through a policy perspective. The course addresses in particular the following questions and issues
  • What is economic integration and at what conditions this is beneficial to countries?
  • What are the key economic integration policies?
  • What are the key European Union institutions necessary to run these policies?
  • How does the main tool of economic integration, the euro, work?
  • What are the key priorities for the future development of the European integration?


Course Content Summary
The first part of the course explores the process of European economic integration and its effects on economic growth and aggregate productivity, analysing the free circulation of goods (customs unions, free trade areas), of factors of production (Single market) and the co-ordination of economic policies leading to the setup of the Economic and Monetary Union, together with the effects of the financial crisis since 2008. The governance elements behind these developments are analysed in parallel.
The course then moves on in studying some of the main policies currently undertaken by the European Union (cohesion, trade, competition), as developed via the EU budget, and the role played by European companies in shaping these policies.

Company visits.
The course includes company visits to multinational organizations (international institutions, banks and industrial firms) operating in Lombardy. During the company visits, participants have the opportunity to interact directly with top and middle managers and representatives of the firms. Topics addressed during the company visits include the discussion of the impact of European integration on companies’ strategies.
Information about the company visits are made available during the course.



Detailed Description of Assessment Methods
50% of the final grade is based on teamwork activities (18-19 July) and 50% is based on individual assessment (21 July), i.e. a written exam with open and multiple-choice questions.
Teamworks.
The class is divided into four teams thus every student is part of the team. Each team focuses on one topic representing an open issue in current EU policy-making agenda (e.g. Google's alleged anti-competitive behaviour) and prepares a presentation.
On the first day of debate (19 july) each team presents its documented position on a topic. The other teams comment on that and ask questions / raise objections. On the following day (20 july) each team answer the questions / objections raised the day before and, after a debate, there is a vote.

Textbooks
  • Notes and readings provided by the instructors uploaded in the E-learning website.
  • Further reading: in order to provide updated materials for a fast evolving subject as the process of European integration, the main textbook is
European Economic Policy, created specifically for this course by McGraw-Hill Create, available at EGEA bookshop and at the Bocconi Library.


Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of microeconomics and macroeconomics.
Last change 13/06/2017 11:37