30680 - SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 45
Course Director:
MASSIMO ANELLI
MASSIMO ANELLI
Suggested background knowledge
Students are expected to be comfortable with introductory concepts of macroeconomics, microeconomics, mathematics and statistics to feel at ease with this module.
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
The course explores how structural changes are reshaping society and will focus on two main drivers of Social Transformations: Technological Change and Climate Change.
We will first examine what Technological Change and the rise of Artificial Intelligence imply for the future of work, the demand of skills, politics and demography.
The Second part of the course provides the students with the tools and lenses to understand climate change and environmental challenges. The students will understand the science of climate change, its impacts on society, and deploy economic concepts like efficiency and externality from a new and more applied perspective.
CONTENT SUMMARY
Part I
- Introduction to social change trends; what is technological progress and why workers' power matters
- Technological change through history: from the Industrial Revolution to today
- The recent waves: ICT, industrial robots, and Artificial Intelligence
- Automation, job polarization, superstar firms, and the labor share
- Technological change and politics (the political backlash to automation)
- Technological change and demography (family and fertility)
- Labor institutions, unions, and the future of work
- Redirecting technology
Part II
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The science of climate change
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Where do emissions come from
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Climate impacts
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Economics of climate change
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International Environmental Agreements
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Understand the impact on social outcomes of industrial revolutions throughout history
- Understand how technological change shapes labour markets, the demand for skills, politics, and demography
- Understand how LLMs and related tools may be used for social science research
- Understand the basic science of the climate system
- Critically discuss environmental policy instruments
- Understand the current status of international climate negotiations
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Analyse the impact of technological change on society and interpret state-of-the-art empirical literature
- Evaluate the implications of climate change and climate policy for governments and businesses
- Work effectively in teams and communicate research clearly, by presenting and critically discussing academic papers in class
Teaching methods
- Lectures
- Practical Exercises
- Collaborative Works / Assignments
- Interaction/Gamification
DETAILS
Students will be assigned randomly to groups for two team assignments such as in-class presentations of recent reserch papers and preparation of policy briefs in video format.
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
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x | ||
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x |
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
With the purpose of measuring the acquisition of the above-mentioned learning outcomes, the assessment will be based on continuous assessment with group assignments and a comprehensive written exam.
50% of the final score will be assigned based on the continous assessment and 50% on the written comprehensive exam
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
- Acemoglu and Johnson (2024) "Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity
- The course is based also on academic research papers that are uploaded on Blackboard.
- The slides used for lectures are uploaded on Bboard and are compulsory study material for the course.
Last change 21/05/2026 18:09