Learning objectives
The laboratory aims to provide students with an empirical knowledge of the productive structure of the Italian economy and its recent change, through a comparison of the economic features of its constitutive productive places.
The role of geographical concentration in industrialization processes will lead to understand the genesis and evolution of the model of national competitive advantage.
At the end of the course students will have acquired:
- The knowledge and understand of the pattern of competitive advantage in the Italian economy;
- The ability to apply them to improve the competitive environment, at the local, regional and national scale;
- The ability to make judgments to assess the determinants of competitive advantage;
- Communication skills, through the use of a technical language appropriate to interact with trade associations and policymakers that can influence the dynamics of local, regional and national advantage;
- Learning skills through empirical analyses based on official statistics.
Course unit content
The laboratory carries out empirical research on the structure of the Italian economy and its recent changes with regard to the determinants of national competitive advantage.
The research is conducted from the perspective of industrial economics that classifies a national economy through "place-based" units of investigation.
According to this approach, the national economy is interpreted as a "mosaic of places", each place being characterized by a specific industry and logic of change. The competitive advantage of each place (and its dynamics of change) contributes to the competitive advantage of the national economy as a whole.
The structure and change of the Italian economy is analysed by processing statistical data available on the ISTAT website.
Bibliography
(listed in chronological order)
Porter, M.E. 1991, Il vantaggio competitivo delle nazioni, Milano, Mondadori.
Barca, F. 1997, Storia del capitalismo italiano dal dopoguerra a oggi, Roma, Donzelli, pp. 265-333.
Gallino, L. 2003, La scomparsa dell'Italia industriale, Torino, Einaudi.
Becattini, G. 2007, Il calabrone Italia. Ricerche e ragionamenti sulla peculiarità economica italiana, Bologna, il Mulino.
Brusco, S. 2008, I distretti industriali: lezioni per lo sviluppo, Una lettera e nove saggi (1990-2002), a cura di A. Natali, M. Russo e G. Solinas, Bologna, il Mulino.
Ramella, F. e Trigilia, C. 2010, a cura di, Imprese e territori dell'alta tecnologia in Italia, Bologna, il Mulino.
Bianchi, P. 2013, La rincorsa frenata. L'industria italiana dall'unità nazionale alla crisi globale, Bologna, il Mulino.
Teaching methods
Acquiring knowledge and understanding: lectures and seminars with ISTAT professionals.
Applying knowledge and understanding: short writing assignments.
Making judgments: during the course students will be encouraged to reflect critically on the determinants of competitive advantage.
Communication skills: discussion of case studies.
Learning skills: each case study will be assessed with regard to national and regional policies.
Assessment methods and criteria
Written exam (by small groups) / Oral exam (individual).
Knowledge and understanding acquired, the ability of applying this and of making judgments, will be evaluated through the submission of a "Lab Report" of approximately 3000 words, written by a small group, typically composed of three students (maximum 22/30 marks). The communication skills with an appropriate technical language will be evaluated individually through the oral and multimedia presentation of the Report (maximum 4 marks) supplemented, to evaluate learning skills, by an individual oral examination consisting of two questions (maximum 2 marks each).
