Course teached as: B001221 - ECONOMIA DELLE ISTITUZIONI Second Cycle Degree in POLITICAL SCIENCES AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES Curriculum ORGANI RAPPRESENTATIVI E DI GOVERNO
Teaching Language
Italian
Course Content
First Module:
Meaning and role of Institutions; Market’s and Government’s role; The firm as a nexus of contracts; Theories of the public sector and bureaucracy;
Second Module:
Voting systems: choosing the voting rule; Manipulation; Political competition; Power index in weighted voting systems; Voting power in international organisations;
Third Module:
Systems for assessing the efficiency of public organizations.
Students who attend the lectures will receive hand outs and reading suggestions from the theacher. Those unable to attend are requested to agree with the theacher on a list of readings.
An indicative reading list can be found in the "Extended Syllabus"
Learning Objectives
The course aims at making the student capable of understanding, analysing and assessing the functioning of complex organisations
Prerequisites
The course is self contained, to this end the first week of lecture is devoted to a revise the basics of microeconomics
Teaching Methods
Mainly front lectures (90%), classroom assignments (10%).
Further information
End-Module exams are not allowed
Type of Assessment
Those taking the exam for 6 credits are required to sit for a written exam at the end of the course. Those taking the exam for 9 credits can choose between the standard written exam or a short dissertation an a topic previously agreed with the theacher.
In either cases foreign students can write in English if they wish.
Course program
Introduzione
Douglass C. North, “Institutions”, in Journal of Economic Perspectives, Volume 5, Number 1-Winter 1991-Pages 97-112.
Teorema di Coase
- “Esternalità”, cap 31 in Varian, H. Microeconomia, Cafoscarina. pag 517- 536.
- “Coase Theorem”, in The New Palgrave a Dictionary of Economics, MacMillan 1998.
- “Economic Organization and Transaction Costs” in The New Palgrave a Dictionary of Economics, MacMillan 1998.
Economia dei diritti di proprietà
- “State power”, in The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics and the Law, MacMillan 2002.
- “The State and the Enforcement of Agreements”, Cap 2, in Barzel, Y. A theory of the State, Economic Rights, Legal Rights and the scope of the state, CUP 2002.
- “Markets and Property”, cap 1 2 in Hillman, A. Public Finance and Public Policy, CUP 2003. (solo par 1.2 e 1.3).
- “Order in the jungle”, The Economist, March 15 2008.
Economia dei costi di transazione
- “The old firm and the new organization”, cap 5 in Barzel, Y. Economic analysis of property rights, 2nd ed. 1997.
- “The Contractual nature of the firm”, cap 6 (specialmente par. 6.5, 6.6 e 6.7), in Eggertsson, T. Economic Behavior and Institutions, Cup 1990.
Organizzazioni pubbliche
- “Theories of the public sector”, cap. 4 in Hindriks, J.- G. Myles, Intermediate public economics, The MIT press, 2006.
- “Bureaucratic inefficiency”, cap. 6 in Cullis, J- P. Jones, Microeconomics and the public economy, Blackwell, 1987.
Beni pubblici
- “Public goods”, cap 2.1. e “Information and public goods”, cap 2.2 in Hillman, A. Public Finance and Public Policy, CUP 2003.
- “Rent seeking”, cap 11 in Hindriks, J.- G. Myles, Intermediate public economics, The MIT press, 2006.
Sistemi di votazioni
- “La scelta della regola di voto”, cap. 4 in Mueller, D.C., Scelte pubbliche, Idelson, Napoli, 1997, pp-49-64.
- “Voting”, cap 10 in Hindriks, J.- G. Myles, Intermediate public economics, The MIT press, 2006.
- “Pliny the Younger on Parliamentary Law”, cap 7, in Riker, W., The Art of Political Manipulation, Yale University Press, 1986, pag.78-88.
- “Political competition and public policy”, par 3.2 in Hillman, A. Public Finance and Public Policy, CUP 2003.
Indici di potere
Numi H. (2006), "Bargaining and Coalitions", cap 6 in Models of Political Economy, Routledge, London, pp. 99 - 120;
Taylor A. (1995),“Political Power”, cap. 4 in Mathematics and Politics. Strategy, voting, Power and Proof, Springer, New York, pp. 63 – 95;
Valutazione efficienza organizzazioni pubbliche(per III modulo)
- Oltre alle dispense distribuite dal docente si veda:
- Ramanathan, R. "An Introduction to Data Envelopment Analysis", Sage Pubblication, 2003.