Center: 
Siena
Discipline(s): 
Economics
Course code: 
EC 320
Terms offered: 
Spring
Credits: 
3
Language of instruction: 
English
Instructor: 
Greti Lucaroni
Description: 

This course focuses on economic policies implemented by the EU and the effects of these policies, with a special focus on the impact on Italy of membership in the European Union (EU), The first part of the course analyzes the institutional assessment of European Union. The course then examines economic policies of European Union with an emphasis on monetary policies. The third part of the course analyze European economics policies and looks at the effects of those policies.

In all sections of the course special attention is devoted to the Italian case.

Attendance policy: 

Successful progress of the program depends on the full cooperation of both students and faculty members: regular attendance and active participation in class are essential parts of the learning process. More than TWO unjustified absences (that are not medically excused with a written certificate of the doctor or caused by serious sudden family and/or personal occurences, as for example death of a family member)  will result in a lowering of your grade.

Learning outcomes: 

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • know the juridical and economical assessment of European Union.
  • analyze the European economic policy and to develop skills to critically evaluate that policy with a particular attention on the effects on Italian situation.
  • recognize and identify all the changes that the born of European Union had create in European countries an in particular in Italy. Also they could have an idea on the changes in the global economics organization.
Method of presentation: 

Lectures, student presentations, and seminar discussions

Required work and form of assessment: 

Active class participation and class discussions (10%); written midterm exam in the form of essay-style answers (25%); written final exam in the form of essay-style answers (40%); oral presentation (25%).

content: 

1.  Toward European integration

  • Rome treaties
  • The ECM
  • Maastricht treaties

2.  EU integration: The decision-making institutions

  • The Parliament
  • The Council
  • The Commission
  • The European Central Bank
  • Other institutions and Italy’s standing in the Union

From page 250 to page 257. From page 199 to page 209.

3.  The way of integration

  • Meaning of integration
  • How to integrate: Theory and politics of integration
  • Cost and benefits of European integration

From page 210 to page 224.

4.  Monetary Policies in the EU

  • Monetary policy: The European Central Bank strategy
  • The Italian case

From page 323 to page 334. From page 173 to page 182.

 5.  EU economic policy

  • What is EU economic policy?
  • Area policies
  • Problems of EU economic policy

From page 335 to page 343.

6.  Factor movements (labor and capital)

  • Meaning
  • Cost and benefits
  • The Italian case
  • Other European countries’ cases

From page 258 to page 279.

7.  Competition policies

  • Meaning
  • Cost and benefits
  • The Italian case
  • Other European countries’ cases

From page 159 to page 172.

8.  Environmental policies

  • Meaning
  • Cost and benefits
  • The Italian case
  • Other European countries’ cases
  • WTO against European Environmental policies

From page 225 to page 236.

9. Energy policies

  • Meaning
  • Cost and benefits
  • The Italian case
  • Other European countries’ cases

From page 300 to page 307.

10.      Agriculture policies, fisheries and rural development

  • Meaning
  • Cost and benefits
  • The Italian case
  • Other European countries’ cases
  • Visit to a wine firm

From page 183 to page 198. From page 237 to page 249

 

Required readings: 

Course-packet.

Selections from:

Moussis, Nicolas. Access to European Union: Law, Economics, Policies. Rixensart, Belgium: European Study Service, 2006.

Ungerer, Horst. A Concise History of European Monetary Integration. Macquarie Park, Australia: Quorum, 1997.

Wyn, Grant. Common Agricultural Policy. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1997.

Every week the professor will give to students the power point slides of the course, and may give further articles to read.

Brief Biography of Instructor: 

Greti Lucaroni is currently a professor of Environmental Economics at the Faculty of Political Science, Economics Development Department, University of Macerata.  She also has a research fellowship on Economics, Public Economics and Environmental Economics from University of Siena, Faculty of Political Science.

Greti has a Ph.D. in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management, Environment Department, University of York, and an International Ph.D. in Economics and Finance, Department of Economic Sciences, Faculty of Economics, University of Verona.  She worked on a research project on Evaluation of Environmental Resources from September 2004 to March 2006. This project concentrated on the evaluation of water resources in two lakes in central Italy and on the water tradable permits to control the use of the lakes. In addition, she works at the Environmental Development and Consultancy Office of MPS Green Bank on several projects.

Her present research interests include environmental economics: sustainable development, economic instruments for the environment, individuation and quantification of environmental risk, sustainable finance, environmental variable as a component of credit variables, agricultural economics and rural development in the EU, in particular on water governance, and public environmental accountancy: methods for the assessment and physical and financial computation of natural resources, theoretical models and assessment of defence costs.