Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Economia e Statistica "Cognetti de Martiis"

15 credits in Economics

The course aims to develop a critical knowledge of the fundaments of the economics and policy of knowledge production with particular emphasis on university research. The course will introduce the student to the principal institutions and policies in the area of research and innovation in the G7 countries and other BRIC countries. Particular attention will be devoted to the comparative analysis.

The course provides detailed knowledge on the development and implementation of science and technology policies. Students will acquire the needed theoretical and empirical knowledge to critically evaluate market failure situations that would justify the development specific policies. The analysis of the rationale behind policy action and the problems associated to the development and implementation of specific policies will help the students to develop a critical knowledge of the difficulties inherent to the development of science and technology policy. 

There will be a "role play" class in which two professors will debate a policy topic "as if" they were presenting their case for a specific policy development in front of a governmental committee. Students will be split into two groups and required to prepare questions for the presenters.    

Students (groups of two students can be formed) will be asked to produce a term paper enabling them to improve their reporting skills. The text should be placed at the cross border between academic research and policy report. Each student will be asked to present the summary results of her/his work during the last classes. 

Class teaching, discussion of specific cases, role playing, student presentation

Student will be required to work in groups of two to prepare the presentation and a term paper of 3000-4000 words.

Class presentation (20%)
Term paper (30%)
Written exam (50% - 20 multiple answer question and 3 open questions).

The course is structured into five main modules. The first present a brief introduction to the economics of innovation paying particular attention to the concepts of knowledge and information (this topic will be develop in detail in the second semester course by Prof Guerzoni). The second module focuses on the higher education and research systems in a set of European countries the US and a few other countries (depending on the interests of the students). The third module focuses on the understanding and use of Science and Technology (S&T) Indicators for economic analysis and policy making. Some time will be devoted to the analysis of scientific production and the academic labour market. The fourth module is devoted to the critical analysis of important policy instruments such as the research assessment (REF in the UK and VQR in Italy). How was this policy developed? How has been adapted in other countries? Is it effective? In which conditions can it be applied? The last module examines in details the relationships between science and technology. Particular attention will be given to the analysis of university-industry interactions, academic patenting and other channels of knowledge transfer. 

Aldo Geuna e Federica Rossi, (2013), L'universita' ed il sistema economico, Bologna: Mulino

Aldo Geuna and Federica Rossi, (2015), The University and the Economy: Pathways to growth and development, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar