Insegnamento a.a. 2023-2024

Globalization and its discontents:

• Key concepts and key facts.
• Opposite views.

Cause and Consequences of International Trade:

• North-South Trade: The Comparative Advantage Theory             
  • The Ricardian Model.
  • The Specific Factors Model.
  • The Factor Proportions Model.
• North-North Trade: Economies of Scale and Imperfect Competition

Trade Policy:

• The Instruments of Trade Policies.
• The Political Economy of Trade Policies.

International Factor Movements and Foreign investment:

• Exchange Rates.
• Balance of Payments.
• Applications and Policy Issues.

• Explain the economic models on international trade and describe their main insights regarding the sources and the patterns of trade.
• Discuss the role of trade policy intervention as well as the associated welfare gains and losses.
• Explain the economic models on international capital markets and describe their main insights regarding the international macroeconomic shocks interdependence.  
• Discuss the role of macroeconomic policy intervention as well as the associated welfare gains and losses.

• Choose and apply the appropriate models to assess the effects of international trade and of various forms of trade policy intervention.
• Choose and apply the appropriate models to assess the gains and losses from international trade liberalization.
• Choose and apply the appropriate models to assess the effects of international capital flows.
• Choose and apply the appropriate models to assess the gains and losses from international capital market liberalization. 
• Interpret the empirical evidence on the effects of globalization.
• Understand and critically contribute to the public debate on globalization.
• Make an informed argument about the effects of globalization on the distribution of gains and losses from globalization.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Exercises (exercises, database, software etc.)
• Individual assignments
• Group assignments

• The learning experience of this course includes, in addition to face-to-face lectures, the solution in class of exercises and assignments throughout the course.
• These exercises and assignments allow students to apply the analytical tools developed during the course, using them to address real world policy issues. Students are encouraged to bring their own views and to share their insights.
• Guest speakers contribute their insights and experiences.

The written exam consists of questions aimed at assessing students’ ability to use the analytical tools illustrated during the course, in particular their ability to choose, explain and apply the appropriate models in order to assess the effects of international trade and international capital flows with special emphasis on the gains and losses from alternative international trade and capital market policies.

The exam papers is the same for all students, including those who attended the course in previous years. Mock exam questions will be discussed during the course. Two procedures are available for all students:

a) Written Partial Exams. First Partial Exam and Second Partial Exam: Sections C & D. In each Partial Exam there are 5 short questions and 1 long question. All questions are compulsory and time allowed is 30 minutes. Each short question is worth 1/30 points and the long question is worth 10/30 points. Short questions are multiple choice questions. If wrong answers are given to short questions, 0.5/30 are subtracted for each question answered wrongly. To pass each partial exam a student has to achieve a grade of at least 9/30 points. The overall grade is the sum of the two partial grades (for example; first partial grade: 12/30; second partial grade: 14/30; overall grade: 26/30). Laude is possible when the exam is outstanding.

b) Written General Exam. In the General Exam there are 10 short questions and 2 long questions. All questions are compulsory and time allowed is 60 minutes. Each short question is worth 1/30 points and each long question is worth 10/30 points. Short questions are multiple choice questions. If wrong answers are given to short questions, 0.5/30 are subtracted for each question answered wrongly. To pass the general exam a student has to achieve a grade of at least 18/30 points. Laude is possible when the exam is outstanding.

The other assessment methods contribute bonus points to be added to the overall points of the written exams.  

• Class slides and readings – i.e. lecture notes as well as selected chapters of the textbook - represent the teaching materials of the course. The class slides and the lecture notes - the overall document is compulsory - are posted at the beginning of the corresponding part of the course; the textbook selected chapters are announced at the beginning of the course. All class slides and readings are compulsory exam materials and have to be carefully prepared for the exam independently from the time allocated to them in class.
• P. KRUGMAN, M. OBSTFEL, M. MELITZ, International Economics: Theory and Policy, Pearson, 2022, 12th Edition.