Programme

Over the past three decades the importance of cities and regions has increased in parallel with the ‘globalisation’ of the world economy. The expansion of trade, the internationalization of firms, the galloping process of outsourcing, and the emergence of new Information and Communication Technologies are not creating a 'flat world'. Not all cities and regions have the same capacity to maximize the benefits and opportunities and minimize the risks linked to globalization. Numerous forces are coalescing in order to provoke the emergence of urban 'mountains' where wealth, economic activity, and innovative capacity agglomerate. This course aims to provide students with an in-depth understanding of key conceptual tools for the economic analysis of cities and regions in developed and developing countries as well as for the evaluation of the corresponding development policies. The course is organised around three – closely interrelated - themes: ‘The Economics of Regions’, ‘The Economics of Cities' and ‘Governance and Policy of Cities and Regions’. The course involves lectures, interactive sessions and computer-lab practical sessions.

Module 1: The Economics of Regions
- Introduction to economic theories of regional growth and development;
- The neo-classical approach to regional growth and the regional convergence debate;
- Endogenous regional development;
- The New Economic Geography;
- Institutions, Innovation and regional performance.

Module 2: The Economics of Cities
- Key concepts in Urban Economics: a) agglomeration economies; b) accessibility; c)spatial interaction; d) urban hierarchy; d) competitiveness and urban growth
- Pre-conditions and determinants of urban rent;
- Labour Markets, firm location and the geographical concentration of economic activities.Section 3: Governance and Policy of Cities and Regions
- The foundations of regional and urban development policies;

Module 3: Governance and Policy of Cities and Regions
- Key tools in regional development policies;
- The Cohesion policy of the European Union: rationale, tools, implementation and impacts
- Empirical tools for the analysis of regional economics and policy
- Lab Applications

Core Documentation

- Capello R. Regional Economics, Routledge 2nd Edition, 2016
- Krugman P. Geography and Trade, MIT Press, 1992 (selected pages).
- European Commission (2017) Seventh report on economic, social and territorial cohesion

Type of delivery of the course

Lectures on the materials of the Program, seminal focuses from Institutional perspectives, and practical classes to acquire the tools for the analysis of the theories and the policies that have been covered in the Program.

Type of evaluation

Warning: for the summer session 2019-20 the exam will be done via Teams. For students who attended the lectures the assessment will be based on the evaluations obtained during the course in relation to the 3 Modules For all other students - it will be an oral exam on the course's programme *** For students attending lectures on a regular basis during the term – The assessment for the course will be based on two mid-term exams comprising a combination of multiple-choice and ‘open’ questions on the material covered in class. For all other students – exam based on the material covered in the textbooks.