Economics and History of Globalization

The course addresses the complex reality of globalization considering its causes, dynamics and effects from a historical and economic perspective, from the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In particular, a number of issues are discussed, such as the causal role played by the 'invisible hand' of the market, the political economies of states and the interests of multinationals, and the positive and negative effects on levels of wealth and economic and social inequality.
The objectives of the course are:
- to stimulate reflection and self-judgment on the current process of globalization, through the acquisition of knowledge of the main concepts, themes and dynamics of international economic history, politics and economic relations in the various space-time contexts, from the globalization of the nineteenth century to the one started in the the 1980s;
- educate from the point of view favoring decentralization and to reflect on economic phenomena based on categories of cause/effect, analogy/difference, permanences/changes and on these bases understand and eventually assess;
- raise awareness of the complexities of the process and the variables at stake, considering the role played by economic policies, businesses, the market in promoting or slowing down globalization and the positive or negative effects it can have in different geopolitical areas.

By the end of the course, students will need to:
- have acquired knowledge of the basic historical and economic concepts, the main dynamics of the economy and the history of globalization in the different space-time contexts;
- know the periodizations, phenomena and key events;
- be able to interpret data and information (including tables and graphs) concerning the history of a given economy, linking facts and phenomena and capturing the interrelationships between the different historical aspects (economic, social, political and institutional);
- be able to apply knowledge and understanding to the analysis of the current process of globalization, expressing adequately argued assessments;
- know how to communicate their knowledge in a clear, coherent and organic way, using the appropriate terminology and discipline-specific concepts.