8329 - MICROECONOMICS OF TECHNICAL CHANGE
EMIT-LS
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 20
The course provides a survey of a wide range of topics in the economics of innovation and technical change. Topics to be discussed include: the relations among innovation, economic growth and economic development, the economics of patents and intellectual property rights, the role of innovation in the dynamics and evolution of industries, the relationships between science and technology. The last part of the course discusses the role of public policies with respect to innovation and technical change.
Pre-requisites: basic courses on microeconomics and industrial organization.
The class format is a mix of lectures and discussions. Students are expected to participate actively in the discussions, reading the assigned material for each topic before class.
Tutorials and seminars on the history of specific industries and technologies are organized during the course.
Economics of innovation: overview
- Technical change and economic growth
- Technology and economic development
- Microeconomics of innovation: theory and models
Economics of patents
- Patent length, breadth and height
- Strategic use of patents
- IPR, licensing and antitrust
Economics of knowledge
- Knowledge as a public good
- Tacit and codified knowledge
- Relationships among actors: science-technology links
- Economics of scientific research
Innovation and market structure
- Incentives to innovation
- R&D and patent races
- Innovation and industrial dynamics
- R&D, firm size and entry of new firms
- Strategic alliances and networks
- Localisation and globalisation of R&D
Innovation diffusion and network externalities
- Models of innovation diffusion
- Competing technologies and network externalities
- Economics of technological standards
- Competition in the network industries
Public policies and the role of governments
- Public policies supporting R&D and innovation diffusion
- National research systems and public funding of R&D
- Integration of national research systems: the European Research Area
- Innovation, technological co-operation and competition policies
The exam consists of two written partial exams, which will take place during the course, and a written final exam.
The final mark is based on both partial exams and final exam and also on active participation in class.
A list of textbooks will be made available at the beginning of the course.
For further and continuously updated information consult the IEP web site or contact S.I.D. - Servizio Informazioni Didattica - Institute of Economics - via Gobbi, 5 - 3rd floor.