Università Roma Tre

1. Production and prices: general elements
The production process. Production methods and their representation. The social production process. Economy of mere subsistence. Economy producung surplus. Basic and non-basic goods.

2. Fundamentals of the classical theory of distribution and relative prices
The real wage and other circumstances taken as given in the 'core' of the theory. The concept of social surplus. Profits and general profit rate. Distinction and relationship between "normal" and "market" prices. Price equations: simultaneous determination of profit rate and relative prices. Importance and limits of the solutions to the problem attempted by Ricardo and Marx. The inverse wage-profit relationship. The theory of rent.

3. Fundamentals of the marginalist theory of distribution and relative prices
The data of the theory. Consumer theory. Functions of consumption good demand. Production theory. Direct and indirect substitutability as analytical bases for factor demand functions. Determination of distribution and relative prices in terms of supply and demand equilibria. Comparison with the classical theory of distribution. Implications of general economic equilibrium: full employment of available resources; Pareto optimality; efficiency in exchange; efficiency in production; efficiency in the combination of outputs. The notion of capital as a single productive factor and the difficulties that derive from it (mention).

4. Analysis of the single industry and market forms
The analysis of "partial" equilibrium. Short and long term cost curves of the individual enterprise. Equilibrium of enterprise and industry under competitive conditions, in the short and long period. Quantity produced and price, in the short and long period, in monopoly and monopolistic competition. The oligopoly: Cournot model.

"Elementi di teoria della produzione", Appunti per il corso di Microeconomia - Dispensa n.1
"La teoria classica della distribuzione e dei prezzi relativi", Appunti per il corso di Microeconomia - Dispensa n.2
"La teoria marginalista della distribuzione e dei prezzi relativi", Appunti per il corso di Microeconomia - Dispensa n.3
Materials (audio slides) distributed by the teacher

With regard to the other text adopted, the chapters and paragraphs included in the programme are set out below, with reference to the latest edition (2017).

Robert H. Frank e Edward Cartwright, Microeconomia
Milano: McGraw-Hill, VII edizione, 2017
Capitoli e paragrafi in programma:

Capitolo 3, La scelta razionale del consumatore, p. 51
{paragrafi: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4; Appendice 3}

Capitolo 4, La domanda individuale e la domanda di mercato, p. 93
{paragrafi: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7}

Capitolo 5, Le applicazioni delle teorie della scelta razionale e della domanda, p. 137
{limitatamente a: paragrafo 5.7; Appendice 5}

Capitolo 9, La produzione, p. 267
{intero capitolo, inclusa Appendice 9}

Capitolo 10, I costi, p. 297
{intero capitolo, esclusa Appendice 10}

Capitolo 11, La concorrenza perfetta, p. 333
{paragrafi: 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.9, 11.12, 11.13}

Capitolo 12, Il monopolio, p. 377
{paragrafi: 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 12.6, 12.8}

Capitolo 13, Concorrenza imperfetta: un approccio basato sulla teoria dei giochi, p. 427
{paragrafi: 13.1, 13.2, 13.4 limitatamente al sotto-paragrafo 13.4.1}

Capitolo 15, L'equilibrio generale e l'efficienza dei mercati, p. 523
{paragrafi: 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.6,15.7

Elements of the theory of production
- inputs, outputs and production methods
- the subsistence economy
- the economy with a surplus
The surplus approach to commodity value and income distribution
- the relevance of social and institutional elements to income distribution
- the explanation of the real wage rate
- the "core" of the classical approach
- the link between profit rate and relative prices
- the price equations
- the classical theory of rent
The theory of consumer choice
- budget set and budget constraint
- preferences
- consumer choice
- consumer-good demand curves
The theory of firm choice
- the function of production
- profit maximisation
- isoquants and isocosts
- the output expansion path and long-term cost curves
Production factors and the marginalist explanation of income distribution
- marginal and average productivity of factors
- the demand curves of factors of production
- equilibrium between supply and demand for factors of production
Market forms
- perfect competition
- monopoly
- Cournot oligopoly
- Stackelberg oligopoly
Introduction to the welfare economics
- allocations and Edgeworth box
- Pareto improvements and Pareto optima
- first theorem of welfare economics

i) “Elementi di teoria della produzione”, Dispensa n. 1 (materiale didattico redatto da R. Ciccone, S.M. Fratini e A. Trezzini).
ii) “La teoria classica della distribuzione e dei prezzi relativi”, Dispensa n. 2 (materiale didattico redatto da R. Ciccone, S.M. Fratini e A. Trezzini).
iii) “Teoria marginalista della distribuzione”, Dispensa n. 3 (materiale didattico redatto da S.M. Fratini).
iv) Frank Robert H.; Cartwright Edward; Piras R. (cur.). Microeconomia. McGraw-Hill Libri Italia, Milano. 2017.
v) “Glossario ed Esercizi Svolti di Microeconomia” (materiale didattico redatto da S.M. Fratini e D. Pignalosa).