BERGAMO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to provide students with the theoretical and analytical tools needed to describe and understand the main determinants of long-run economic growth and the processes of convergence and divergence across countries.
The course combines economic models, data analysis, and a historical-institutional perspective in order to interpret the evolution of economic systems and its implications for socioeconomic development. Particular attention is devoted to the distinction between proximate causes of growth — the accumulation of physical capital, population growth, human capital, technology, and productivity — and deeper causes, such as institutions, markets, geography, culture, history, and the quality of economic organization.
By the end of the course, students should be able to explain the role of the main factors behind economic growth, including investment, human capital, technology, financial markets, labour and product markets, institutions, and international openness. They should also be able to use the Solow model as a tool for analysing growth and convergence, interpret economic data and indicators, and apply rigorous economic reasoning to the comparison of different development experiences.
Course Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites. However, it is preferable that students have attended introductory courses in Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, in order to have a basic understanding of the main economic concepts used in the course.
Teaching Methods
Teaching will mainly be based on lectures, with particular attention to interaction and classroom discussion. Lectures will combine the presentation of the main theoretical concepts with the analysis of data, graphs, historical examples, and applied cases related to economic growth and development.
During the course, four in-class workshops will also be organised. In these sessions, students will work in small groups on applied exercises, country cases, data interpretation, or economic analysis tasks related to the topics covered in class. These activities are designed to strengthen students’ ability to apply the models and concepts discussed during the course, distinguish between proximate and deeper causes of growth, and develop economic arguments grounded in theory and empirical evidence.
Assessment Methods
The procedure and content of the oral exam will be the same for attending and non-attending students. The exam will assess students’ knowledge of the main topics covered in the course, their ability to use the economic models discussed in class, particularly the Solow model, and their capacity to interpret growth and development processes by connecting theory, data, and the historical-institutional context.
Two assessment modes are available.
Mode 1 — Oral exam and in-class group work
This mode is reserved for students who attend the course regularly and consistently. The in-class workshops are an integral part of the course and are reserved for students who regularly attend lectures. Participation in the workshops alone is not sufficient to qualify for this assessment mode.
The detailed attendance requirements and the procedure for verifying attendance will be communicated at the beginning of the course. Students who do not meet these requirements, or who do not take part in the required in-class activities, will be assessed according to Mode 2.
For students assessed under Mode 1, the final grade will be based on two components:
In-class group work — 40% of the final grade. During the course, four workshops will be organised. Students will work in small groups on applied exercises, data analysis, country cases, or economic interpretation tasks related to the topics covered in class. The activities may involve the interpretation of growth indicators, the application of the Solow model, cross-country comparisons, the role of technology, markets and institutions, or the discussion of the proximate and deeper causes of economic development. Assessment will be based on the outputs produced during the in-class activities.
Individual oral exam — 60% of the final grade. The exam will assess students’ understanding of the main concepts, models, and applications covered in the course. It may include questions on the stylised facts of growth, the Malthusian world, the production function, factor accumulation, the Solow model, convergence, technology, markets, institutions, and the deeper causes of economic development.
Mode 2 — Comprehensive oral exam
Mode 2 is available to all students. It applies to non-attending students, to students who do not meet the requirements for Mode 1, and to attending students who prefer to be assessed exclusively through the oral exam.
Students assessed under Mode 2 will take a comprehensive oral exam covering the entire course programme. The exam will evaluate both theoretical knowledge and the ability to apply the course concepts and models to topics related to economic growth, convergence, markets, institutions, and development. Compared with the oral exam included in Mode 1, it will place greater weight on the independent mastery of the full syllabus, including readings, teaching materials, applied examples, and topics discussed during the course.
Students who choose Mode 2 will be assessed exclusively on the basis of the comprehensive oral exam. Any in-class activities or workshops attended will not contribute to the final grade.
Contents
The course focuses on the fundamental concepts of long-run economic growth and on the evolution of economic systems from a theoretical, historical, and empirical perspective. The starting point is the large difference in income and welfare levels across countries: why have some economies achieved sustained growth, while others have remained behind or experienced more fragile development paths?
The first part of the course introduces the main facts to be explained, income and welfare indicators, the Malthusian world, and the industrial take-off. The course then develops the Solow model as an analytical tool to understand capital accumulation, population growth, human capital, technological progress, steady states, and convergence across countries.
The second part of the course opens the “black boxes” of the model by analysing the role of technology, productivity, efficiency, and the open economy. Particular attention is devoted to markets — labour markets, financial markets, and goods and services markets — as mechanisms through which resources, incentives, and opportunities are allocated within an economic system.
The final part of the course examines the deeper causes of economic development. It analyses the role of institutions, property rights, the state, government quality, culture, social norms, geography, natural resources, history, and long-run persistence. The course concludes with an application to the Italian case, interpreted as a synthesis of the main topics covered.
More specifically, the course covers the following topics: stylised facts of growth and welfare; the Malthusian world and the Industrial Revolution; the production function and the Solow model; physical capital, population, human capital, and technology; total factor productivity, innovation, and efficiency; open economy, capital mobility, and international trade; labour, financial, and product markets; institutions, culture, geography, natural resources, history, inequality, and Italian economic development.
Online Resources
More information
Further information on the detailed lecture schedule, teaching materials, in-class workshops, and the procedure for verifying attendance will be communicated at the beginning of the course and made available through the course platform.
Students are expected to consult the course platform regularly for updates, additional teaching materials, supplementary readings, and organisational announcements. Students must indicate their preferred assessment mode by the end of the fourth week of classes, following the procedure specified by the instructor.