Policy Analysis module of the integrated couse aims at familiarising students with the theory and practice of public policy analysis, a political science sub-discipline involved in explaining and predicting the ways in which governments at all levels interact with citizens, companies, ONG and other public and private organisations in the solution of collective problems.

The main aim of the module of Public Econimics is to provide Politecnico di Milano (i.e. non-economics) students with a better understanding of the theory and practice of public economics.

Students are expected:

- to acquire knowledge, understanding, and capability in managing the fundamentals of the theory and practice of public policy analysis; 

- to acquire a good grasp of how economics can enhance their understanding of complex policy questions, and contribute to the search for better policy solutions.

The class of Policy Analysis will be organised as follows: Introduction: The paradigm of Policy Analysis. The policy cycle. The elements of Public Policies design: the program theory and the evaluation approach: designing output and outcomes of a program; the policy instruments; implementation strategies: the mechanisms approach.  The decision-making process: theories, models, frameworks (the actors and their roles, resources, stake, patterns of interaction, environment), network analysis, strategies for successful decisions. Every year some specific contents are analysed in depth.

The structure of the course in Public Economics is as follows:

1. Capitalism: affluence, inequality, and the environment
2. Social interactions and economic outcomes
3. Public policy for fairness and efficiency
4. Work, wellbeing, and scarcity
5. Institutions, power, and inequality
6. The firm: Employees, managers, and owners
7. Firms and markets for goods and services
8. The labour market: Wages, profits, and unemployment
9. The credit market: Borrowers, lenders, and the rate of interest
10. Banks, money, housing, and financial assets
11. Market failures and government policy
12. Governments and Markets in a democratic society

Students are required to approach the course with an open mind, curiosity to learn new things, and a willingness to engage with the subject matter seriously and systematically. No prior knowledge is needed.

099710 - POLICY ANALYSIS - Giancarlo Vecchi

The evaluation for the students attending a minimum of 70% of the classes will be based on:

• a written paper on the analysis of a possible innovative policy in an urban context; the paper will be the outcome of a group-work and the evaluation will include the oral presentation of the project in class;
• an individual paper.

Students not able to attend the class will have a written examination based on the two textbooks listed in the bibliography.

099709 - PUBLIC ECONOMICS - Emmanuel Matsaganis

Students will be assessed on the basis of their performance in a written exam at the end of the term.

Abridged English version of the Italian textbook

Enlarged Spanish version of the Italian textbook

freely available from the website of the Curriculum Open-access Resources in Economics (CORE).

Texts and other resources are available in BeeP