REGIONAL ECONOMICS
ACCADEMIC YEAR2009/2010
COD. 23319
dati insegnamento:
TYPE OF COURSE: SUPPLEMENTARY COMPULSORY SUBJECTS
LECTURERS:
SFORZI Fabio
ACADEMIC YEAR: 2009/2010
YEAR OF STUDY: 3
SEMESTER: Second semester
NUMBER OF CREDITS: 10
UNIT COORDINATOR: SFORZI Fabio
CONTACT HOURS: 60
INDIVIDUAL WORK HOURS: 190
Learning outcomes of the course unit
The objective of this Course is to develop the students’ ability to understand that there is a territorial dimension of economic issues and economic development of a country depends on the development of different local economies that constitute it. The course combines theory and investigation of empirical data, drawing on research conducted on Italy (especially with reference to industrial districts) and experiences in developing countries, through a critical analysis of industrial policy implemented by UNIDO (the United Nations Industrial Development Organization) to promote entrepreneurship and SMEs co-operation. The Course will give give students the basic knowledge needed to identify the variety and variability of local economic development patterns that distinguish a national economy and the skills necessary to assess their implications for industrial policy.
Course contents summary
1) The problem of the unit of analysis; 2) The territorial organization of production; 3) SMEs and the industrial district; 4) Big businesses and the industrial pole; 5) Industrial clusters and business networks; 6) The international openness of local economies; 7) Industrial policy for local development in developing countries: The UNIDO experience.
Recommended readings
(a) Written essay
- Development of Clusters and Networks of SMEs. The UNIDO Programme, by UNIDO, Vienna, 2001 (this publication (ET-A) and related working papers (ET-a1 / ET-a6) are downloadable from the Course website).
(b) Individual oral examination
There is no official textbook for this Course, as there is no real textbook for this field of economics. A useful reference is the following:
- Analisi economica del territorio, by Aurelio Bruzzo, Aracne, Roma, 2008.
Most of the readings will come from articles from the academic literature that will be downloadable from the Course website.
There is no official textbook for this Course, as there is no real textbook for this field of economics. A useful reference is the following:
- Analisi economica del territorio, by Aurelio Bruzzo, Aracne, Roma, 2008.
Most of the readings will come from articles from the academic literature that will be downloadable from the Course website.
Teaching methods
The Course is assessed by a combination of methods, both individually and in groups. These include a) the writing of an essay of approximately 3,000 words undertaken by small groups (of up to three students each) and its oral presentation. The essay is based on a reading list derived from the UNIDO experience in the field of SME clusters and local economic development in developing countries (see Bibliografia consigliata); b) an individual oral examination based on the Course readings (see Bibliografia consigliata).
