Study of economic development in the less developed regions of the EU, including the Spanish regions of Andalusia and Extremadura. Analysis of the reasons for the level of development, EU policies with respect to less affluent regions, and the impact of development and cohesion policies.
Prerequisites:
One college-level course in Macroeconomics, Microeconomics or International Economy, or permission of instructor.
Method of presentation:
Theoretical presentations, class discussion, written papers, student oral presentations.
Required work and form of assessment:
Mid-term examination 25%
Final examination 25%
Research paper (10-12 pages) 25%
Oral presentations 10%
Class participation 15%
content:
PART I INTRODUCTION
1. Determining factors of regional economic growth.
2. Globalization and spatial diversity. Spatial concentration of resources.
3. International economic integration: Concept, types and effects.
PART II
EUROPEAN REGIONAL POLICY: CONSTRUCTION AND INSTRUMENTS
4. Development of the regional policies of the European Union.
5. Financial instruments of the regional policies of the European Union.
6. The Common Agricultural Policy and cohesion policies. The case of Andalusia.
PART III
REGIONAL CONVERGENCE IN EUROPE AND IN SPAIN
7. General overview of the situation in the European Union.
8. Convergence and models of regional growth in Europe.
9. Regional convergence in Spain.
10. Explanatory elements of regional divergence in Spain.
Required readings:
Calvo Hornero, A. (2000): Integración económica y regionalismo: principales acuerdos regionales. Centro de Estudios Ramón Areces.
Comision Europea (2004): Tercer informe sobre la cohesión económica y social. Una nueva asociación para la cohesión – convergencia, competitividad, cooperación-. Available in http://europa.eu.int.
Cuardrado Roura, J. R. (Director) (1998): Convergencia regional en España. Hechos, tendencia y perspectivas. Fundación Argentaria-Visor. Madrid
Nieto Solis, J. A. (2001): La Unión Europea: Una nueva etapa en la Integración Económica de Europa. Pirámide.
Tamares, R Y Lopez, M. (1999): La Unión Europea. Alianza Editorial.
Recommended readings:
Armstrong, H.W. y Vickerman, R.W. (1995): Convergence and divergence among European regions; Pion Ltd., London.
Cuadrado Roura, J. R. (Director) (1998): Convergencia regional en España. Hechos, tendencia y perspectivas. Fundación Argentaria-Visor. Madrid
Cuenca García, E (2007).- Economía de la Unión Europea. Pearson. Madrid
Krieger-Boden, C. (2002): “Integración, especialización y concentración: las regiones europeas de la zona Euro”. Papeles de Economía Española, no. 93. FUNCAS.
Mancha, T. y Sotelsek, D. (2000): Convergencia regional e integración: la experiencia en Europa y América Latina. Pirámide.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Eduardo Cuenca has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Málaga. He is a Jean Monnet Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Granada (UGR), and Director of the Department of International and Spanish Economy at the UGR. He has been a researcher and a lecturer at different universities around the world, an economic advisor for the regional governments of the Canary Islands and Andalusia, and is the current director of the Andalusian Society of Economic Studies. He has published dozens of articles, and books such as Enfoques Sobre la Reciente Economía Cubana (1998), Europa e Iberoamérica (2002), Organización Económica Internacional (2004), and Economía de la Unión Europea (2007). Professor Cuenca is an honorary citizen of New Orleans.
Study of economic development in the less developed regions of the EU, including the Spanish regions of Andalusia and Extremadura. Analysis of the reasons for the level of development, EU policies with respect to less affluent regions, and the impact of development and cohesion policies.
One college-level course in Macroeconomics, Microeconomics or International Economy, or permission of instructor.
Theoretical presentations, class discussion, written papers, student oral presentations.
PART I INTRODUCTION
1. Determining factors of regional economic growth.
2. Globalization and spatial diversity. Spatial concentration of resources.
3. International economic integration: Concept, types and effects.
PART II
EUROPEAN REGIONAL POLICY: CONSTRUCTION AND INSTRUMENTS
4. Development of the regional policies of the European Union.
5. Financial instruments of the regional policies of the European Union.
6. The Common Agricultural Policy and cohesion policies. The case of Andalusia.
PART III
REGIONAL CONVERGENCE IN EUROPE AND IN SPAIN
7. General overview of the situation in the European Union.
8. Convergence and models of regional growth in Europe.
9. Regional convergence in Spain.
10. Explanatory elements of regional divergence in Spain.
Eduardo Cuenca has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Málaga. He is a Jean Monnet Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Granada (UGR), and Director of the Department of International and Spanish Economy at the UGR. He has been a researcher and a lecturer at different universities around the world, an economic advisor for the regional governments of the Canary Islands and Andalusia, and is the current director of the Andalusian Society of Economic Studies. He has published dozens of articles, and books such as Enfoques Sobre la Reciente Economía Cubana (1998), Europa e Iberoamérica (2002), Organización Económica Internacional (2004), and Economía de la Unión Europea (2007). Professor Cuenca is an honorary citizen of New Orleans.