the course aims at examining the nature and extent of poverty and inequality in the world and in Italy. We will study the causes and consequences of inequality, focusing on the effects of government programs and policies. In the first part of the course, our objective will be to study the measurement of poverty and inequality, analyzing data on global trends and in our country. In the second part, we will delve into the role of institutions, particularly analyzing the main government policies that can impact poverty and inequality. We will explore the role of taxes, public transfers, active labor market policies, and labor market institutions such as unions and the minimum wage. We will also analyze existing and past government policies to understand their functioning. Finally, our last goal will be to use existing data banks to measure inequality and poverty.
Course Prerequisites
The student must have passed the exams in Microeconomics and Macroeconomics
Teaching Methods
The course consists of 45 hours of frontal lectures entirely taught by the course professor. The lectures will be based on slides created by the instructor using scientific papers and book chapters. In class, exercises will be carried out, and statistical programs will be used for measuring inequality using existing data bases.
Assessment Methods
For attending students, the final grade is calculated as follows: - 50%: group work; - 50%: written exam with a first and second partial exam. For non-attending students, the final grade is calculated based on: - 100%: the general written exam. A student is considered attending if they submit the group work. The group work consists of summarizing a scientific paper on a topic covered in class and proposed by the instructor. The written exam will include open-ended questions, short exercises, and multiple-choice questions related to topics covered in class.
Contents
Introduction to the study of Inequality (8 hours); Measurement, Definitions, Facts, and Trends on Inequality (12 hours); The Role of Institutions and Policy Solutions (Pre-distributive vs. Redistributive Policies) (20 hours); The Role of Inequality in Economic Growth (5 hours).
Course Language
Italian
More information
The professor meets with students on Teams. To schedule an appointment, write to the instructor’s email address: annacecilia.rosso@uninsubria.it The course does not required a textbook. The list of scientific papers to read will be provided during the lessons and uploaded to the E-learning platform along with the texts. Regular attendance is highly recommended.
