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 FEDERALISM. 4. FISCAL INSTITUTIONS AND FISCAL POLICY IN THE EUROPEAN CONTEXT. 5. ANTI-MONOPOLISTIC POLICIES AND MARKETS REGULATION. 6. A CASE STUDY.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES TO PROVIDE A GROUNDING IN THE PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE ROLE OF THE STATE, THE DESIGN OF WELFARE SYSTEMS, REGULATORY POLICIES, FISCAL FEDERALISM 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.

READING MATERIALS READINGS FROM THE FOLLOWING REFERENCE TEXT-BOOKS – CONNOLLY S. & A. MUNRO, ECONOMICS OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR, PEARSON EDUCATION, 1999; – 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.