The course aims to provide students with the necessary elements to understand the fundamental concepts of regional economics, regional economic growth, and localization of economic activities. Further, it addresses the issue of development on a local scale, with a focus on the phenomena of industrial districts and innovation. In the last part of the course, the critical aspects of local economic development and future challenges are analysed.

1 Agglomeration and Localization

Agglomeration economies and transportation costs

Localization economies and transportation costs

Economies of scale and transportation costs

Spatial demand, market equilibrium and firm location

Interdependency in localization choices: the Hotelling model

Critical remarks

2 Accessibility and Localization

Accessibility and transportation costs: land value and use

The location of agricultural activities

The urban location of firms

The urban location of households

Recent developments: general equilibrium models

Critical remarks

Generalized accessibility and the gravity model

3 Hierarchy and Localization

Hierarchy and urban systems

The geographical approach: Christaller’s model (analytical formalization excluded)

The economic approach: Losch’s model (analytical formalization excluded)

Critical appraisal of the two models

Some recent developments

Toward a new theory of urban systems: city networks

4 Productive Structure and Development

The different interpretation of regional growth and development

The different conceptions of space

The theory of the stages of development

Stages of development and disparities

Industrial structure and regional growth: shift-share analysis

The centrality/periphery approach

5 Demand

Demand and regional growth

Interregional relations: accounting aspects and macroeconomic elements

The exporter region (Hoyt’s model export-led model, dynamic extension)

A critical assessment of the model

Input-output analysis

The exporter region: the Harrod Domar model

Balance of payment and local growth: Thirlwall’s law

6 Factor Endowment

Factor Endowment and regional growth

Regional growth and factor mobility

Factor immobility, specialization, and well-being

Absolute vs relative advantage in regional growth

The theory of customs unions

7 Territorial Competitiveness and Exogenous Development

Diversified space: the components of territorial competitiveness

The growth-pole theory

The role of multinational companies in local development

The spatial diffusion of innovation

Infrastructures and regional development

8 Territorial Competitiveness and Endogenous Development: Agglomeration Economies

The endogenous sources of competitiveness: Agglomeration Economies

Marshal industrial districts

Agglomeration economies: size, productivity, and urban development

9 Territorial Competitiveness and Endogenous Development: Innovation and Proximity

Innovation spillover and geographical proximity

Milieu innovateur and relational proximity

Learning regions and institutional proximity

Economic geography and related variety

Knowledge and understanding: the student will acquire knowledge on the topics of firm location choices and transportation costs, accessibility and economies resulting from the agglomeration of economic activities in industrial, production areas and urban areas. The course is based on the study of the classical reference framework and the recent results on the subject. In terms of teaching, the course includes lectures with the support of slides and additional documents, data and statistics that may help to understand the economic phenomena studied.

Applying knowledge and understanding: the student will have to acquire the knowledge and be able to use and apply it with reference to the fields of investigation exposed during the lectures. In particular: the economic phenomena triggering growth processes in local and regional economic systems, identifying the factors that influence the localisation choices of economic activities, understanding the dynamics of localisation phenomena, analysing the dynamics and evolution of economic activities in the territory. In addition, students will acquire the theoretical and empirical tools to analyse and understand which factors, both exogenous and endogenous, contribute to determining the economic growth of regions. The approach facilitates the understanding of economic phenomena and the interpretation of fundamental data and elements and favourable conditions for regional economic growth. 

Making judgements: the student will develop the critical ability to assess the functioning of markets in different regional areas, the role of the spatial dimension, the availability of natural resources, physical, social and human capital, of technological innovation, of location factors and the spatial patterns of productive activities. The student should therefore be able to assess and elaborate on the economic-spatial differences between the economic systems of different regional areas and acquire a sufficient degree of autonomy of judgement, especially when comparing national and international cases.

Communication skills: the student will learn to adequately communicate her/his knowledge and the main results of research in the field, in written and oral form, also with the aid of reports, graphs and analytical tools. The opportunity to carry out group work and in-depth studies on specific topics enables the acquisition of the skills described.

Learning skills: the student will acquire a good autonomy in reading the relevant study materials and the ability to critically evaluate phenomena related to the course topics.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer (e.g. slides, lecture notes, exercises, publications on scientific journals) and specific communications from the lecturer can be found, together with other supporting activities, on the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Lectures and guided discussions of readings of scientific articles. Opportunity to discuss original student-authored papers.

Attendance

Not compulsory but highly recommended.

Course books

Roberta Capello - Regional Economics - Il Mulino, second edition [chapters 1-9 except for a few paragraphs, as indicated in the course slides]

Assessment

Written test with five open-ended questions (60 minutes).

The open questions are designed to ascertain the student's ability to have fully mastered the concepts covered during the course and to be able to present their arguments clearly and in a limited amount of time, using a rigorous and timely formal and graphic analysis.

The assessment criteria are: the level of mastery of the theoretical knowledge, graphical and mathematical tools used; the degree of articulation of the answer; the degree of adequacy of the explanation; the degree of accuracy of the graphical and formal analysis.

On the basis of these criteria, each question is awarded up to a maximum of 6 points. Maximum mark is 30. A minimum mark of 18/30 is required to pass the exam. A mark of between 18 and 20 indicates a sufficient level of competence, where the candidate demonstrates knowledge and understanding. A mark of between 21 and 23 indicates full proficiency, where knowledge and understanding are fully demonstrated. A mark between 24 and 26 indicates a good level of competence, in which the candidate also demonstrates some independent judgement. Between 27 and 29 the candidate also demonstrates some communication skills, while a mark between 30 and 30 with distinction indicates an excellent level of competence, where in addition to the above skills, the candidate also demonstrates the ability to learn.

The proposed assessment may

- be rejected by the student. In this case the examination must be retaken;

- accepted by the student

- accepted with the addition of an oral test (which may increase or reduce the written assessment).

During the written test, students are informed of the time when the results will be announced and, if necessary, take a supplementary oral test.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

Lectures and guided discussions of readings of scientific articles.

Attendance

Not compulsory but highly recommended.

Course books

Roberta Capello - Regional Economics - Il Mulino, second edition [chapters 1-9 except for a few paragraphs, as indicated in the course slides]

Assessment

Written test with five open-ended questions (75 minutes).

The open questions are designed to ascertain the student's ability to have fully mastered the concepts covered during the course and to be able to present their arguments clearly and in a limited amount of time, using a rigorous and timely formal and graphic analysis.

The assessment criteria are: the level of mastery of the theoretical knowledge, graphical and mathematical tools used; the degree of articulation of the answer; the degree of adequacy of the explanation; the degree of accuracy of the graphical and formal analysis.

On the basis of these criteria, each question is awarded up to a maximum of 6 points. Maximum mark is 30. A minimum mark of 18/30 is required to pass the exam. A mark of between 18 and 20 indicates a sufficient level of competence, where the candidate demonstrates knowledge and understanding. A mark of between 21 and 23 indicates full proficiency, where knowledge and understanding are fully demonstrated. A mark between 24 and 26 indicates a good level of competence, in which the candidate also demonstrates some independent judgement. Between 27 and 29 the candidate also demonstrates some communication skills, while a mark between 30 and 30 with distinction indicates an excellent level of competence, where in addition to the above skills, the candidate also demonstrates the ability to learn.

The proposed assessment may

- be rejected by the student. In this case the examination must be retaken;

- accepted by the student

- accepted with the addition of an oral test (which may increase or reduce the written assessment).

During the written test, students are informed of the time when the results will be announced and, if necessary, take a supplementary oral test.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.