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Syllabus

EN IT

Learning Objectives

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The course provides an introduction to the economic development of international economies, spanning from the second half of the eighteenth century to the present day. By the course’s conclusion, students will have acquired the ability to analyze economic development processes from a comparative and long-term perspective.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
The two fundamental aspects pertain to understanding past economic events and their potential interpretation through the analysis of economic models.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
Understanding the conceptual, methodological, and empirical aspects underlying economic history can be applied: 1) to critically interpret both popular and specialized texts, and 2) to develop critical and in-depth analyses within professional settings such as businesses or institutions, as well as within academic study and research contexts.

MAKING JUDGEMENTS:
The student gains the ability to critically assess: 1) the terms of the political-economic debate that often refers to historical precedents; 2) the methods and findings underlying texts in economic history, whether they are for general or specialized audiences, and 3) the credibility of primary and secondary sources and data.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Students will be able to compose written reports or engage in oral discussions on topics related to economic history. They will have the ability to draw from relevant sources and possess the foundational tools to conduct quantitative historical analysis.

LEARNING SKILLS:
The student develops the ability to understand and interpret economic facts, assessing the validity of underlying sources and the precautions necessary for accurate statistical usage. They gain the capacity to summarize reports and academic articles and contribute to their critical discussion.

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and statistics.

Program

Week 1 (three 2-hour lectures)
1.     The pre-industrial economy and the Malthusian growth model
2.     Britain’s Industrial Revolution and Modern Economic Growth
Weeks 2 and 3 (six 2-hour lectures)
3.     The First Globalization
3.1.   International trade and the Ricardian model
3.2.   The age of mass migration
3.3.   International capital flows
3.4.   The Heckscher-Ohlin model
3.5.   The International Monetary System
Week 4 (three 2-hour lectures)
4.     WWI – The War Economy and the Economic Consequences of the Peace
5.     The International Economy between the WW: the Great Depression
Week 5 (three 2-hour lectures)
6.     WWII: Bretton Woods and the Marshall plan
7.     Europe’s Golden Age (1950-1973) and Slowing Down
Week 6 (three 2-hour lectures)
8.     Two Centuries of inequality and poverty around the world

Books

All readings listed in the ‘bibliografia di riferimento’ are available for download on the course webpage. All readings are mandatory unless otherwise specified.

Bibliography

1. The pre-industrial economy and the Malthusian growth model
Readings:
-      Cipolla, C.M. (2014). Before the Industrial Revolution. London, Routledge. (Chapters 1-3).
-      Clark, G. (2008). A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World. Princeton University Press (Chapter 2).
2. Britain’s Industrial Revolution and Modern Economic Growth
Readings:
-      A’Hearn, B. (2014). “The British industrial revolution in a European mirror.” In R. Floud, J. Humphries and P. Johnson (eds.), The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Britain. Vol. I: 1700-1870.
-      Allen, R.C. (2010). “Why the industrial revolution was British: commerce, induced invention, and the scientific revolution”. Economic History Review.
-      Kuznets, S. (1973). “Modern economic growth: findings and reflections”, American Economic Review, 63(3), 247-258 (not compulsory).
3. The first globalization I (International trade and the Ricardian model)
Readings:
-      O’Rourke, K. and J.G. Williamson (1999). Globalization and History. The evolution of a nineteenth-century Atlantic economy. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press (Chapters 1 and 2).
-      Krugman, P. R., Obstfeld M., and M. Melitz (2014). International Economics: Theory and Policy. 10th Edition. Prentice Hall (Chapter 3 - not compulsory).
 
4. The First Globalization II (Mass Migration)
Readings:
-      O’Rourke, K. and J.G. Williamson (1999). Globalization and History. The evolution of a nineteenth-century Atlantic economy. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press (Chapter 7).
5. The First Globalization III (International Capital Markets)
Readings:
-      O’Rourke, K. and J.G. Williamson (1999). Globalization and History. The evolution of a nineteenth-century Atlantic economy. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press (Chapters 11 and 12).
6. The First Globalization IV (The Heckscher-Ohlin Model)
Readings:
-      O’Rourke, K. and J.G. Williamson (1999). Globalization and History. The evolution of a nineteenth-century Atlantic economy. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press (Chapters 1, 3 and 13).
7. The First Globalization V (The International Monetary System)
Readings:
-      Cameron, R. and L. Neal (2002). A Concise Economic History of the World, From Paleolithic Times to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press (Chapter 12).
-      Eichengreen, B. (1996). Globalizing Capital. A History of the International Monetary System. Princeton: Princeton University Press, Ch. 2 (“The Gold Standard”), pp. 7-44.
-      Krugman, P. R., Obstfeld M., and M. Melitz (2014). International Economics: Theory and Policy. 10th Edition. Prentice Hall (Chapter 19 - not compulsory).
8. Gender inequality and women’s work throughout history (Giulia Mancini)
Readings:
-      Van Nederveen Meerkerk, E.J. (2014). “Gender and Economic History. The Story of a Complicated Marriage.”, The Low Countries Journal of Social and Economic History, 11(2), 175-197.
-      Costa, D. L. (2000). “From Mill Town to Board Room: The Rise of Women's Paid Labor.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(4): 101-122.
9. The War Economy
Readings:
-      Broadberry, S. and M. Harrison (2009). “The economics of World War I: an overview.” In Broadberry, S. and M. Harrison (eds.), The economics of World War I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10. The interwar years
Readings:
-      Feinstein, C.H., P. Temin and G. Toniolo (2008). The World Economy between the World Wars. New York: Oxford University Press (Chapters 1 and 2)
-      Feinstein, C.H., P. Temin and G. Toniolo (2008). The World Economy between the World Wars. New York: Oxford University Press (Chapters 3, 4 and 6).
11. The Bretton Woods conference and the Marshall Plan     
Readings:
-      Feinstein, C.H., P. Temin and G. Toniolo (2008). The World Economy between the World Wars. New York: Oxford University Press (Chapter 10).
-      Cameron, R. and L. Neal (2002). A Concise Economic History of the World, From Paleolithic Times to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press (Chapter 15).
-      Eichengreen, B. (2006). The European Economy Since 1945. Princeton University Press (Chapter 3).
-      De Long, J. B., and Eichengreen, B. (1991). The Marshall Plan: History’s most successful structural adjustment program (No. w3899). National Bureau of Economic Research (not compulsory).
12. Europe’s Golden Age (1950-1973) and Slowing Down
Readings:
-      Toniolo, G. (1998). “Europe’s golden age, 1950-1973: speculations from a long-run perspective.” Economic History Review, LI, 2: 252-67.
-      Eichengreen, B. (2006). The European Economy Since 1945. Princeton University Press (Chapter 4, 8, 9 and 10).
-      Frieden, J. (2006). Global Capitalism. Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century. Norton (Chapter 16).
13. Two centuries of inequality and poverty around the world
Readings:
-      Baldwin, R. (2016), The Great Convergence. Harvard University Press. Chapters 1-3. (not compulsory)
-      Bourguignon, F., and Morrisson, C. (2002). “Inequality Among World Citizens: 1820-1992.” American Economic Review, 92(4): 727-744.
-      Lakner, C., and Milanovic, B. (2016). Global income distribution: From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Great Recession. The World Bank Economic Review, 30(2), 203-232 (not compulsory).

Teaching methods

Traditional lessons, including exercises carried out in the classroom.

Exam Rules

Written exam, lasting 90 minutes. The test consists of three questions aimed at verifying the coverage of the syllabus and, in particular, the ability to apply theoretical topics to practical cases. The final grade is expressed in thirtieths. Once the grades are communicated to the students, the instructor organizes individual meetings, upon request, to discuss the exam papers before proceeding with the final recording of the grades.