B029709 - ECONOMICS LAB

English

In the first part of the course the lecturer will introduce the students to competition policy. A couple of guest lecturers are also expected. In the second part of the course, the students will take over. In each class two teams of students get a case. One team will need to defend this decision, the other team will have to attack it. Both teams will need to focus on economic arguments.

Compulsory:
-Massimo Motta, Competition Policy; Theory and Practice, Cambridge University Press, 2004
Optional:
-Simon Bishop and Mike Walker, The Economics of EC Competition Law: Concepts, Application and Measurement, Sweet & Maxwell, 2010.
-Bruce Lyons (ed.), Cases in European Competition Policy, Cambridge University Press, 2009.
-Paolo Buccirrossi (ed.), Handbook of Antitrust Economics, The MIT Press, 2008.
-Michael D. Whinston, Lectures on Antitrust Economics, The MIT Press, 2006.

In this course, students obtain hands-on experience with the application of economics to real world cases. The idea is that if one holds a Laurea Magistrale in economics, he or she should be able to give economic advice when needed, both through an oral presentation and through a written report. In particular, the course will focus on the application of industrial organization (IO) to real world competition policy and regulatory cases. By the end of the course students will have acquired some skills that are of value in jobs such as economic consultancies or government organizations. Indeed, students will be able to analyze markets, discuss competition problems in markets and the pros and cons of government intervention in markets (whether through a competition authority or a regulator). In the meantime they will have learned some IO theory relating to mergers, cartels, the Chicago school and two-sided markets.

None. The course can be taken also by law students.

Interactive lectures, presentations of cases by the lecturer, expert guests and the students and discussion of the cases and writing of a report by the students.

After the first part of the course (i.e. the lectures), there will be a small multiply choice quiz, with some basic questions, to ensure that students have a broad understanding of all topics covered before they specialize in the topic that they will discuss in class.
At the end of the first part, the students will also be allowed to choose the case to discuss. The class presentation will be graded by the lecturer, who will also provide feedback on the mistakes and omissions in the student’s economic argumentation.
After the end of the course, the students will need to hand-in a 5-10 pages report on a randomly assigned case other than the one they presented. The cases for the reports will be assigned after the last case has been discussed in class. The final grade for the course will be determined as follows: 20% mid term quiz, 40% presentation, 40% written report.

The lectures will cover all chapters in the book of Motta(2004), but for the sections marked by two stars.