Economics of Education and Training (2009/2010)

Learning outcomes

This course offers an introduction to the basic concepts of economics, so as to allow students to evaluate the economic importance of education and training both at micro-economic level (individual cost-benefit analysis) and at macro-economic level (public cost-benefit analysis). Education and training will be examined by considering both the demand side (human capital models) and the supply side (supply and organization of educational services). Further emphasis will be devoted to the study of the labour market and the transition to it from the educational system.

• Basic microeconomics (consumer choice, production activity, production costs, perfectly and imperfectly competitive markets)
• Basic macroeconomics (production and national income, consumption, investment, the public sector, money and the monetary system, inflation, unemployment)
• Education and training: characteristics
• Supply and demand of education and training
• The Italian education and training system
• Economic evaluation of interventions in education and training
• Cost-benefit, cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analysis
• The production function in education
• Evaluation of return on investment in education and training
• Comparing systems of education and training of the major OECD countries
• Analysis of case studies and discussion of current issues of economics and economic policy

Written exam and discussion