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Syllabus

EN IT

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of microeconomics, macroeconomics and statistics.

Program


FOCUS: Is it just that some are poor and others are rich? Is economic growth always desirable? Is it important what goods we produce and how, not just how much of them? Do we work too much? Is education a final good or an intermediate good? Should health care be free for all? These and many other questions are rooted in the two basic questions of economic justice: What makes for a good economic outcome? How should the benefits and burdens of economic cooperation be distributed among the members of society? A preliminary question in a globalized world is: are principles of justice to be applied only at the national level or extend to all of humanity? Is cosmopolitanism an option? The course ill present the answers to these questions provided by the main contemporary theories of justice in political philosophy and at some of their implications in terms of economic policies. The course will be divided in two parts. The first part will start with an exposition of the normative foundations of neoclassical theory (utilitarianism/welfarism/preferences satisfaction UWPS). We will then turn to alternative approaches, ranging across the political spectrum from libertarianism to left/liberalism to egalitarianism. The second part of the course will put the theories encountered in the first part at work in the context of today's economic policy debates. We will see how alternatives theories may yield very different sets of policy conclusions. First we will focus on the increase in income and wealth inequality many countries have been experiencing in the last decades and on possible causes. We will then consider the costs and benefits of automation and the future of work. Coming to remedies, we will discuss wealth and inheritance taxation as well as basic universal income and basic universal services and basic universal capital. We will then move to environmental justice, defined as the fair treatment of people with respect to environmental policies and then to gender equity by examining how policies, products, services & processes have gendered outcomes. Finally in view of the widening scope of markets in the organization of society we ask: should everything be for sale? can we have a market economy without becoming a market society? The course encourages the active participation of students. The list of issues to be discussed in the second part is provisional: it could be modified to incorporate students' suggestions.
The first part of the course, dedicated to the examination of general concepts and theories, will be carried out in 24 hours, the second part dedicated to applications will be carried out in the remaining 12 hours.


Objectives: By the end of the course, students will have acquired an understanding of the main theories of justice and apply the theories to economic policy issues from inequality and taxation, to trade and migration.Students will be exercised through intensive discussion of topics and the critical appraisal of current research.



Syllabus Prelude: Facts and values in economics. Why we cannot do without a normative point of view. Part 1. Theories of justice 1. Utilitarianism, Welfarism, Preferences Satisfaction: from Jeremy Bentham to Kenneth Arrow and Gerard Debreu. 2. Contractualism: John Rawls 3. Libertarianism: Robert Nozick 4. The Capability Approach: Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum 5. Equality of resources: Ronald Dworkin 6. Equality and community: G.A. Cohen 7, Equality of opportunity: John Roemer. 8: Egalitarian Critics of Distributive Justice: Elisabeth Anderson and Samuel Scheffler. 9 Recognition or Redistribution?: Axel Honneth, Nancy Fraser and Michael Sandel. 10. Why not Cosmopolitanism?: Charles Beitz, Seyla Benhabib and Thomas Pogge. Part 2. Policy issues and Controversies 1.Income and Wealth Inequality: measures and causes. 2.Taxation of wealth and inheritances. 3.Basic Income Basic Capital and Basic Services. 4. Environmental Justice. 5. Gender Equity. 6. Moral Limits to Markets. Recommended Texts There is no single text for the course. For the first part of the course some use will be made of Economic Analysis, Moral Philosophy and Public Policy by Daniel Hausman, Michael McPherson and Debra Satz, Cambridge Unversity Press 2016 and of Contemporary Political Philosophy by Will Kymlicka Oxford University Press 2002. Another important text is Global Political Philosophy by Matthias Risse, Palgrave- Mc Millan 2016. For the second part readings will also be taken from Inequality by Anthony Atkinson Harvard University Press, 2016, A Brief History of Inequality by Thomas Piketty Belknap Press 2021, The Work of the Future by David Autor, David A. Mindell and Elisabeth B. Reynolds the Mit Press 2022, The Triumph of Injustice by Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman W.W. Norton, 2019. Other readings: Equality of what? On definitions of equality. E. Anderson: "What is the point of equality?", Ethics, 109, 1999, 287-337. N. Fraser and A.Honneth Redistribution or recognition Verso 2003. J. E. Roemer: Equality of opportunity Harvard University Press 2000. M. Sandel The tyranny of merit. Allen Lane 2020. A. Sen Inequality re-examined, Harvard University Press 1992 On inequality of income and wealth: World Inequality Report 2022 (https://wir2022.wid.world) E. Saez "Public Economics and Inequality: Uncovering our Social Nature" AEA Distinguished lecture, American Economic Association, Papers and Proceedings 2021 111 1-26. E. Saez and G. Zucman "Trends in US Income and Wealth Inequality: Revising After the Revisionists" NBER Working Paper No. 27921, 2020 Comments on updated Smith-Zidar-Zwick wealth share 2022 On Basic Income, Capital and Services I Gough .and J Le Grand (22 January 2021). "The case for Universal Basic Capital: a £10k grant for every 18-year-old". P Van Parijs "The Universal Basic Income: Why Utopian Thinking Matters, and How Sociologists Can Contribute to It. Politics & Society. 2013 41 2 171--182. J Elster "Comment on Van der Veen and Van Parijs" Theory and Society 1986 15 5 709-721 On Environmental Justice P. Mohai, D Pellow, D. and J. T Roberts "Environmental Justice". Annual Review of Environment and Resources 2019 34 . E. A. Page "Distributing the burdens of climate change" Environmental Politics 2008 17 4 556-575. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644010802193419 On Gender Equity Okin, S. Moller. "Introduction: Justice and Gender." Chapter 1 in Justice, Gender, and the Family Basic Books 1991. https://www.exploring-economics.org/en/orientation/feminist-economics/ ?msclkid=7fb88e4eaee311ecaf12e93a28d88a0e On Moral Limits of Markets Sandel M. J. 2012. What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Books

There is no single text for the course. For the first part of the course some use will be made of Economic Analysis, Moral Philosophy and Public Policy by Daniel Hausman, Michael McPherson and Debra Satz, Cambridge Unversity Press 2016 and of Contemporary Political Philosophy by Will Kymlicka Oxford University Press 2002. Another important text is World Poverty and Human Rights: Cosmopolitan Responsibilities and Reforms 1st Edition by Thomas W. Pogge, Polity 2008. For the second part readings will also be taken from Inequality by Anthony Atkinson Harvard University Press, 2016, A Brief History of Inequality by Thomas Piketty Belknap Press 2021, The Work of the Future by David Autor, David A. Mindell and Elisabeth B. Reynolds the Mit Press 2022, The Triumph of Injustice by Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman W.W. Norton, 2019.

Bibliography

Other readings: Equality of what? On definitions of equality.
E. Anderson: "What is the point of equality?", Ethics, 109, 1999, 287-337. N. Fraser and A.Honneth Redistribution or recognition Verso 2003. J. E. Roemer: Equality of opportunity Harvard University Press 2000. M. Sandel The tyranny of merit. Allen Lane 2020. A. Sen Inequality re-examined, Harvard University Press 1992
On inequality of income and wealth: World Inequality Report 2022 (https://wir2022.wid.world) E. Saez "Public Economics and Inequality: Uncovering our Social Nature" AEA Distinguished lecture, American Economic Association, Papers and Proceedings 2021 111 1-26. E. Saez and G. Zucman "Trends in US Income and Wealth Inequality: Revising After the Revisionists" NBER Working Paper No. 27921, 2020 Comments on updated Smith-Zidar-Zwick wealth share 2022
On Basic Income, Capital and Services
Gough .and J Le Grand (22 January 2021). "The case for Universal Basic Capital: a £10k grant for every 18-year-old". P Van Parijs "The Universal Basic Income: Why Utopian Thinking Matters, and How Sociologists Can Contribute to It. Politics & Society. 2013 41 2 171--182. J Elster "Comment on Van der Veen and Van Parijs" Theory and Society 1986 15 5 709-721
On Environmental Justice P. Mohai, D Pellow, D. and J. T Roberts "Environmental Justice". Annual Review of Environment and Resources 2019 34 . E. A. Page "Distributing the burdens of climate change" Environmental Politics 2008 17 4 556-575. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644010802193419
On Gender Equity Okin, S. Moller. "Introduction: Justice and Gender." Chapter 1 in Justice, Gender, and the Family Basic Books 1991. https://www.exploring-economics.org/en/orientation/feminist-economics/ ?msclkid=7fb88e4eaee311ecaf12e93a28d88a0e On Moral Limits of Markets Sandel M. J. 2012. What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. An extensive set of lecture notes and of other readings will be made available during the course.

Teaching methods

Teaching methods
- Lectures
- Oral presentations by students of chapters of books or scientific articles to be discussed .
Learning methods
- Active class participation
- Studying the indicated textbooks, handouts and journal articles
- Search for materials in the library and on-line for the final assignment.
- Studying these materials and writing the final assignment.

Exam Rules

The exam evaluates the overall preparation of the student, the ability to integrate the various notions that have been learnt, the reasoning clarity, analytical skills the thought originality of the student.
Furthermore, language abilities are evaluated, in compliance with the Dublin descriptors (1. Knowledge and understanding) 2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding; 3. Making judgments; 4. Learning skills; 5: Communication skills.
The student's evaluation includes a final assignment consisting of an oral discussion of a text (approximately 10,000 characters) written by the student as a comment to articles or book chapters, chosen by the student in agreement with the teacher on topics relevant to the course. In writing and discussing this comment, students must demonstrate that they have acquired knowledge of the topics included in the program and developed analytical skills on the topics covered by the course. The score of the exam is attributed by means of a mark expressed out of thirty. The evaluation will take into account aspects such as understanding of the topics covered, competent use of appropriate language, ability to summarize, clarity of presentation, etc. Satisfaction of these aspects is a condition for achieving a rating of twenty-seven. Grades above twenty-seven will be attributed to students whose work, in addition to satisfying the aspects listed above, shows a surplus of research and reflection on the problems addressed in the texts commented on and in general during the course.
The examination will be graded according to the following criteria:
Unsuitable: major deficiencies in knowledge, understanding and exposition of topics;
18-20: Knowledge, understanding and exposition of topics, ability to analyze and synthesize: barely sufficient
21-23: Knowledge, understanding and exposition of topics, analysis and synthesis skills: acceptable.
24-26: Knowledge, understanding and exposition of topics, analysis and synthesis skills: fair.
27-29: Knowledge, understanding and exposition of topics, analysis and synthesis skills: good
30-30L: Excellent level of in-depth knowledge and understanding of topics. Excellent analytical and synthesis skills and independent judgment. Excellent expression skills.