Insegnamento a.a. 2025-2026

30640 - ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF LAW

Department of Economics

Course taught in English

Class timetable
Exam timetable
Go to class group/s: 31
BGL (6 credits - I sem. - OBS  |  3 credits SPS/04  |  3 credits SPS/06)
Course Director:
FRANCESCO DECAROLIS

Classes: 31 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: FRANCESCO DECAROLIS


Suggested background knowledge

There are no formal prerequisites for this course. Students from the Global Law program can approach the material without prior economics training; the course introduces the Strategy Beyond Markets framework and core law‑and‑economics concepts needed to follow the classes and engage with the case discussions. 

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

The course examines the two‑way relationship between firms and the legal environment: how companies influence the production of laws, regulations, and enforcement guidelines, and how those rules in turn shape firms’ conduct, market structure, and performance. By the end of the term, students will be able to map this full policy cycle and to construct arguments and evidence that integrate legal and economic perspectives. 

CONTENT SUMMARY

Part I develops the Strategy Beyond Markets toolkit to understand corporate strategies toward regulators, legislators, courts, and public opinion, using cases such as Rosia Montana, crypto regulation, Airbnb, coalition building, gray‑area business models, and influence over regulators.

Part II applies law‑and‑economics to competition policy and sectoral rules, covering the general antitrust framework, cartels, mergers, abuses of dominance, damages and passing‑on, and regulatory topics in digital and electricity markets, with case studies including the Vitamins and Trucks cartels, Farelogix/Sabre, Asda/Sainsbury, Dow/DuPont, Bayer/Monsanto, Sprint/T‑Mobile, and AT&T/Time Warner. 


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

On completion, students understand the channels through which firms shape legal outcomes—such as lobbying, coalition building, agenda setting, and strategic litigation—and the mechanisms by which legal instruments alter incentives and competitive dynamics. They are able to interpret and evaluate decisions and cases by recognising the underlying economic reasoning and empirical evidence, and they can articulate how rules affect pricing, innovation, entry, collusion, mergers, and abuses of dominance. 

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

Students apply the course concepts through assignments and presentations built around real cases and contemporary policy debates, culminating in evidence‑based written work and in‑class discussion. The assessment structure emphasises the practical use of the frameworks taught in class to analyse concrete market and regulatory outcomes. 


Teaching methods

  • Lectures

DETAILS

Teaching combines lectures with case‑based analysis and classroom discussion, as reflected in the weekly schedule of sectoral and antitrust cases and in the emphasis on instructor notes and selected academic articles that accompany the lectures. Sessions are held on campus at Sarfatti 25 as indicated in the schedule. 


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
  x x

ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Assessment consists of a written exam worth 30 percent and assignments and presentations worth 70 percent of the final grade, with active participation able to raise borderline outcomes. This structure rewards both individual mastery and the ability to apply concepts collaboratively and orally. 

 

The syllabus does not differentiate between attending and non‑attending students. All students are evaluated through the written exam and the assignment and presentation components described above, and classes take place on campus according to the published schedule. 


Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

The course is based on instructor notes and a curated selection of academic and policy readings aligned with each topic. Recommended references include Nicola Persico’s Strategy Beyond Markets and complementary materials on competition policy and recent case analyses. These readings support the case‑driven approach of the second part of the course and are closely connected to the lectures.

Last change 30/07/2025 12:15