The course in International Economics will introduce students to the analysis of international trade, firms strategies in global markets and trade policy, through economic theory and data analysis. It will make it with a constant attention to events in the world economy: the emergence of China as a global actor, the weakness of the Euro-zone, the rising protectionism, the slowdown of international trade due to the lockdown measures against SARS Covid-19 and the recent war in Europe on international trade. A special focus on Italy in the world economy will be a common factor to all the material covered by the course. The classes on the 8th of March week will be devoted to Gender Issues in International Trade. Specifically: (1) the student will acquire the necessary theoretical and data analysis skills to analyse fenomena in international markets. (2) The course provides theoretical insights on foreign direct investments and offshoring practices. (3) The student will be trained in the use of international data and on data analysis, gaining particular sensitivity towards issues related to firms’ internationalisation. 4) The course will form figures capable of carrying out economic analysis in companies operating in international markets. In this sense, it offers sector-focused skills, which refer to the organisational and business methods typical of these sectors, also useful in the characterisation of one's own curriculum.

_Knowledge and understanding._ The student will acquire the knowledge on the functioning of the international economic systems, international trade and international institutions and of the instruments of economic trade policy in the various geographical areas. Knowledge is achieved through the teachings provided for in the study plan and also the methods of carrying out the same which can include lectures, class discussions, data analysis home works, and podcast listening. Knowledge is verified every two/three weeks through intermediate assessments and through a final multiple choice test. The teaching activity takes place in a dynamic context, based on the partnership between those who teach and those who learn, facilitate with the use of online instruments to capture the reaction of students on the spot. Luiss offers innovative and interactive teaching methods that teachers implement in line with the contents of the teachings. The active role of students is guaranteed not only in the learning process, but also in the assessment process, through self-assessment (questionnaires, home works), peer-assessment (class discussions) and assessment (final test simulation). _Ability to apply knowledge and understanding._ Ability to apply knowledge of international economic theory and policy through the discussion and quantitative evaluation of global problems. The skills are achieved through the teachings provided for in the study plan and also the methods of carrying out the same which can include lectures, data analysis using the R Statistical language, home works. The assessment of skills takes place through four intermediate take-home assignments that will count 10%, 20%, 20%, 20% of the final mark and will be finally checked - in written form - through a end-of-the-course test, counting 30% of the final mark. The application of the knowledge acquired will be therefore assessed in class and through the intermediate assessments and the final test.

The course will be analytically sound but the focus will be on concepts and their application rather than theoretical formalism. Special attention will be devoted to the interlink between concept, real phenomenon and the quantification of the latter, though the use of simple data analysis. When possible, examples will be given using Italian data, especially when discussing comparative advantages, specialization, geography and trade, firms in international markets, migration, foreign direct investments.

The teaching material is based on several scientific papers more than on a single textbook. In any case, here are some references. Prerequisite: [KOM] Paul Krugman, Maurice Obstfeld and Marc Melitz, International Economics, Pearson, New York, 2018, 11th edition. Main reference: [WTO/Unctad] A practical guide to trade policy analysis, 2013. Further references: [BK] Gábor Békés and Gábor Kézdi, Data Analysis for Business, Economics, and Policy, Cambridge University Press, 2021. [C] Scott Cunningham (2021), Causal Inference - The Mixtape, Yale University Press. For references to the papers see the week-by-week program. Papers signed with a (*) are compulsory (together with [KOM] and [WTO/Unctad]) for non attending students.

Traditional lectures, class discussion, applied data analysis, take home exercises.

The assessment of the course will consist in: (1) four take-home tests, respectively counting 10%, 20%, 20%, 20% of the final grade; and a written, multiple choice, test, counting for 30% of the final grade. The end-of-the-course test will be made of 21-questions multiple choice test and four answers to each question. Correct answers worth 1.5 points. Wrong answers get a penalization of -1.0 points. Unanswered questions do not imply any penalization. The maximum obtainable is 31.5 which is equivalent to “30 e lode”. There is not mid-term exam. The four intermediate evaluations will be handed out every two\three weeks, and will consist of an hands-on data analysis exercise to be made using the Statistical programming language R. To pass the overall evaluation the student must get at least more that 18/30 to all evaluations including the final test.

It is compulsory to have attended the course to ask for a Master Thesis supervision. Topics are open to students proposals. Possible topics for dissertation: (1) Italian comparative advantages; (2) Applications of the Gravity model; (3) Trade with historical data; (4) Migration theory and empirics; (5) Italian firms and internationalization strategies; (6) Network Analysis applied to trade and migration; (7) Culture and trade; (8) Public opinion and trade issues. The dissertation will be a paper-like essay and must focus on one precise research question, must contain a review of the literature, and an original empirical analysis.

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