The course aims to provide students with the necessary elements to understand the fundamental concepts of regional economics, regional economic growth, and the localization of economic activities. Further, it addresses the issue of development on a local scale, with a focus on the phenomenon of industrial districts and the 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

As stated by the Academic Regulations, it is necessary to have taken the Microeconomics exam

Knowledge and understanding: The student will acquire knowledge on the topics of business location and transport costs, accessibility and economies resulting from the agglomeration of economic activities, in particular in industrial and manufacturing areas as well as urban areas. The course is based on the study of the classical reference framework and the most recent results on the subject. From a teaching point of view, the course includes lectures with the support of slides and any documents, data and statistics that may help to understand the economic phenomena studied more accurately.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: the student will have to assimilate knowledge and be able to use and apply it with reference to the fields of investigation exposed during the lectures. In particular: economic phenomena capable of triggering growth processes in local and regional economic systems, identifying the factors influencing the location choices of economic activities, understanding the dynamics of location 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 adopted will facilitate the understanding of economic phenomena, the interpretation of data and fundamentals and the conditions favourable to regional economic growth.

Autonomy of judgement: The student will develop the critical capacity to assess the functioning of markets in different regional contexts, the role of the size and spatial structure of production activities and urban settlements in the processes of economic growth, the availability of natural resources, physical, social and human capital, technological innovation, and location factors. The student must therefore be able to assess and elaborate on the economic-spatial differences between economic systems in a regional context and acquire a sufficient degree of autonomy of judgement, especially with regard to cases proposed at national and international level.

Communication skills: students will learn to adequately communicate their knowledge and the main results of research in the field, in written and oral form, with the help of reports, graphs, and analytical tools. Furthermore, he/she will use technical economic language to describe the phenomena of urban and regional economics, as well as territory-related aspects of environmental economics.

Learning skills: the student will have acquired 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

No teaching support activities are planned

Teaching

Lectures and guided discussions of readings from scientific articles. 

Attendance

Lectures attendance is not compulsory but strongly recommended.

Course books

Roberta Capello - Economia Regionale - Editor: Il Mulino, last edition [Compulsory material; Chapters 1-9 except for paragraphs indicated in the course slides].

Enrico Moretti – La nuova geografia del lavoro – Editor: Mondadori [Optional material]

Assessment

The evaluation criteria are:

i. the level of theoretical knowledge, other than the graphic and mathematical tools used

ii. the degree of articulation and adequacy of the answer

iii. the degree of accuracy of the graphical and formal analysis

iv. the ability to synthesise

The final test involves the argumentation of questions relating to the topics covered during the course. The test will consist of three open-ended questions, each with a maximum mark of 10, and will last 75 minutes. The grade is expressed in thirtieths and a pass mark is deemed to be achieved with a minimum score of 18/30. A mark between 18 and 20 indicates a sufficient level of competence, in which the candidate demonstrates knowledge and understanding. A mark between 21 and 23 indicates full sufficiency, where applied knowledge and comprehension skills are fully demonstrated. A mark between 24 and 26 indicates a good level of competence, where 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 cum laude 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 refused by the student. In this case, the examination must be repeated;

- accepted by the student.

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 from scientific articles. 

Attendance

Lectures attendance is not compulsory but strongly recommended.

Course books

Roberta Capello - Economia Regionale - Editor: Il Mulino, last edition [Compulsory material; Chapters 1-9 except for paragraphs indicated in the course slides].

Enrico Moretti – La nuova geografia del lavoro – Editor: Mondadori [Optional material]

Assessment

The evaluation criteria are:

i. the level of theoretical knowledge, other than the graphic and mathematical tools used

ii. the degree of articulation and adequacy of the answer

iii. the degree of accuracy of the graphical and formal analysis

iv. the ability to synthesise

The final test involves the argumentation of questions relating to the topics covered during the course. The test will consist of three open-ended questions, each with a maximum mark of 10, and will last 75 minutes. The grade is expressed in thirtieths and a pass mark is deemed to be achieved with a minimum score of 18/30. A mark between 18 and 20 indicates a sufficient level of competence, in which the candidate demonstrates knowledge and understanding. A mark between 21 and 23 indicates full sufficiency, where applied knowledge and comprehension skills are fully demonstrated. A mark between 24 and 26 indicates a good level of competence, where 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 cum laude 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 refused by the student. In this case, the examination must be repeated;

- accepted by the student.

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.