LAW AND POLICY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The course aims to provide students with an advanced understanding of the role of law and public policies in economic development processes, with particular attention to the interactions between legal institutions, markets, and objectives of inclusive and sustainable growth. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the course examines how rules, contracts, property rights, forms of public and private governance, and soft law instruments affect the ability of economic systems to attract investment, allocate resources, and address global challenges such as climate change and digital transformation. The objective is to develop critical analytical skills for assessing legal institutions as levers of development and for evaluating economic and regulatory policies across different institutional contexts.

A basic knowledge of the main concepts of public and private law is required, together with fundamental notions of political economy and market functioning. A preliminary familiarity with public institutions, firms, and contracts is also desirable. Students are expected to be able to read legal and policy texts in English.

By the end of the course, students will be able to understand and explain the role of law as an infrastructure for economic development, distinguishing between different institutional models and regulatory approaches. They will be able to critically analyze the impact of legal rules on markets, firms, and public policies, assessing the contribution of instruments such as contracts, property rights, enforcement mechanisms, and soft law to objectives of growth, inclusion, and sustainability. Students will also acquire analytical skills useful for interpreting case studies and development policies.

The course systematically examines the relationship between law, public policies, and economic development. Following an introduction to the field of Law and Economic Development and its main theories, the program analyzes the role of the state and public organizations in promoting development, with reference to socio-economic rights, territorial cohesion, climate policies, and multilevel governance. A significant part of the course is devoted to private actors, corporate governance, contracts, and property rights as key factors for market functioning. The course concludes by addressing access to justice and the growing role of soft law instruments in the regulation of the global economy.

The reference materials include selected academic articles, book chapters, and policy documents, which will be indicated during the course. The bibliography covers both classic and recent contributions on Law and Development, economic law, and public and private governance. Additional materials and case studies will be provided weekly through the course platform.

Participatory theoretical lectures, combining instructor-led teaching with spontaneous student interventions and workshop-style sessions focused on the in-class preparation of group assignments.

Group work and final written examination.

Interest in the subject matter and the topics covered, and an aptitude for theoretical and empirical research.