Università Roma Tre

SYLLABUS
THIS COURSE PROVIDES AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC POLICY
ISSUES, CONCERNING THE GOVERNMENT’S SPENDING, FINANCING AND REGULATORY ACTIVITIES.
CONTENT OF THE COURSE
1. AN OVERVIEW OF THE MARKET PERFORMANCE AND OF THE ROLE OF THE STATE.
2. THE ECONOMICS OF PUBLIC SPENDING AND WELFARE PROGRAMMES (EDUCATION, HEALTH
CARE, SOCIAL INSURANCE).
3. FISCAL INSTITUTIONS AND FISCAL POLICY IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT.
4. ANTI-MONOPOLISTIC POLICIES AND MARKETS REGULATION.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
TO PROVIDE A GROUNDING IN THE PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE ROLE OF THE STATE, THE DESIGN
OF WELFARE SYSTEMS, REGULATORY POLICIES AND FISCAL POLICIES. TO INTRODUCE THE PROBLEMS
INVOLVED IN IMPLEMENTING THESE PRINCIPLES. TO CRITICALLY DISCUSS KEY ISSUES IN
PUBLIC ECONOMICS.
TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES
THE COURSE IS BASED ON BOTH LECTURES ON THE MAIN SUBJECTS OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
AND SEMINARS ON KEY INSTITUTIONAL AND POLICY ISSUES. EXTERNAL SCHOLARS WILL PROVIDE
SOME LECTURES AND WILL DELIVER THEIR RECENT RESEARCH WORKS IN SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS.
INTERACTIVE STUDENT PARTICIPATION IS ENCOURAGED.
PROGRAMMA
1. FUNZIONAMENTO DEL MERCATO E RUOLO DELLO STATO. 2. TUTELA DELLA CONCORRENZA E REGOLAMENTAZIONE
DEI MERCATI. 3. SPESA PUBBLICA E SETTORI DI WELFARE: ISTRUZIONE, SANITÀ,
PREVIDENZA E ASSISTENZA FRA PUBBLICO E PRIVATO. 4. ISTITUZIONI E POLITICHE FISCALI NEL
CONTESTO DELL’UNIONE EUROPEA.

READINGS FROM THE FOLLOWING REFERENCE TEXT-BOOKS
- ROSEN H.S. & T. GAYER, PUBLIC FINANCE, MCGRAW-HILL, 2008;
- STIGLITZ J.E., ECONOMICS OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR, NORTON, NEW YORK, 1999;
AND FURTHER READINGS WILL BE SUGGESTED AT THE BEGINNING AND THROUGHOUT THE COURSE.
BISES B., LEZIONI DI SCIENZA DELLE FINANZE, PARTE I: “L’INTERVENTO PUBBLICO NEL SISTEMA
ECONOMICO”, GIAPPICHELLI, TORINO, 2005, CAPP. 3, 5, 7, 8.
STIGLITZ, J.E., ECONOMIA DEL SETTORE PUBBLICO, II ED., HOEPLI, MILANO, 2004, VOL. II,
CAPP. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7.
MOTTA M. - POLO M., ANTITRUST - ECONOMIA E POLITICA DELLA CONCORRENZA, IL MULINO,
2005, CAPP. 1 E 2.
LETTURE DA CONCORDARE CON IL DOCENTE.