21801589 - POLITICAL ECONOMY

The course is structured in two main parts.

The first part is concerned with Microeconomics, where the students will learn how markets and governance structures organize core economic activities, such as production, distribution, and consumption, and the growth of productive resources.
Upon completion of this part students will be able to identify and explain economic concepts and theories related to the behavior of economic agents, markets, industry and firm structures, and government policies. Moreover, students will be able to integrate theoretical knowledge with quantitative evidence in order to explain main economic events. Students will be able to evaluate the consequences of economic activities and institutions for individual and social welfare.


The second part is concerned with Macroeconomics, where the students will learn about the determinants of macroeconomic conditions (national output, employment, inflation), causes of business cycles, and interactions of monetary and financial markets with the real economy, familiarizing themselves in the process with major economic theories of relevance.

Upon completion of the second part students will be able to identify the determinants of various macroeconomic aggregates such as output, unemployment, inflation, productivity and the major challenges associated with the measurement of these aggregates. They will be able to discuss the linkages between financial markets and the real economy, and how these linkages influence the impact of economic policies over differing time horizons.
Moreover, students will be able to describe the main macroeconomic theories of short term fluctuations and long term growth in the economy and they will be able to critically evaluate the consequences of basic macroeconomic policy options under differing economic conditions within a business cycle.
teacher profile | teaching materials

Programme

I part: Microeconomics
Introduction
The Market
Budget Constraint
Preferences
Utility
Choice
Demand
Slutsky Equation
Consumer’s Surplus
Market Demand
Equilibrium
Technology
Profit Maximization
Cost Minimization
Cost Curves
Firm Supply
Industry Supply
Monopoly
Monopoly Behavior

II part Macroeconomics

Introduction
National Income and Accounting
Aggregate Supply and Demand
Aggregate Supply and the Phillips Curve
Unemployment
Inflation
Income and Spending
Money, Interest, and Income
Monetary and Fiscal Policy
International Linkages
Consumption and Saving
Investment Spending
The Demand for Money
Central Banks, Money, and Credit
International Adjustment and Interdependence





Core Documentation

Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach. by H.R Varian
Macroeconomics, McGraw-Hill 13th Edition By Rudiger Dornbusch and Stanley Fischer and Richard Startz

Reference Bibliography

Extra teaching material can be found on https://moodle1.ing.uniroma3.it/course/index.php?categoryid=6

Type of delivery of the course

Frontal lesson with four weekly meetings (3 theoretical lessons and one tutorial) with support of online tools such as moodle.

Attendance

Attendance is not mandatory although warmly suggested. Classroom etiquette should be maintained at all times. Please refrain from disturbing the class when it is in session. If you need to leave early please do so quietly. The use of cellular phones, pagers, and beepers is not allowed during classes or exams. They must be turned off prior to the beginning of classes and exams.

Type of evaluation

The written test lasts 90 minutes and includes 3 questions divided into 4 parts. Students can keep the obtained gradeor decide to undertake the oral exam to improve the score obtained. Students with an overall grade of less than 18 are not admitted to the oral exam.