Student guide Facoltà di Giurisprudenza A.A. 2006/07

The underlying theme of the course is the need for law in general and the need for agreed and acceptable institutions to create those laws. The global economy is regulated in a wide variety of ways at the local, national, continental and global levels. We need to examine how the national regulatory system worked so that we can then examine the new global rules and how they are made. The new international rules are different from the old national laws. How can we ensure that they are fair and adopted and enforced in a transparent fashion?

New rules are being created all the time. De-regulation is a myth. One of the things happening is that local and national regulations are being abandoned and new regulations are being developed to reflect the changing economy and the situations that the 21^st Century presents us with.

The new regulators are not necessarily governments or even intergovernmental organizations. There are private regulators and regulators operating through the media rather than through courts and enforcing their laws not with police and courts but with public opinion.  Other international rules are enforced through the national courts even when not adopted by the national parliament.

The course will be divided into two parts: the first is an introduction to the major economic concepts in international trade theory and policy, the second concentrates on how the global economy is regulated in practice.

Part I.

1.      Some stylised facts on the increasing integration of national economies.

2.      Causes and consequences of international trade (the principle of comparative advantage, imperfect competition and economies of scale, international trade and income distribution).

3.      The role of the government in international trade (tariffs and non tariffs barriers; industrial policy and trade policy; the political economy of trade policy).

4.      Formal integration among countries (preferential trade agreements; multilateral agreements - the WTO).

 

Part II.

1.   The rule of power and the emergence of the rule of law.

2.   The essential elements for a global rule of law system.

3.   Initial attempts at global regulation.

4.   Regional economic organisations; the EC and NAFTA.

5.   Global economic regulation: Bretton Woods and the WTO.

6.   The freer movement of goods and services leads to the harmonisation of global standards and the institutions necessary to implement them.

7.   The global regulation of competition, environment, labour etc.

8.   The consequences of the failure of international regulators.

9.   The role of NGOs, governments and citizens.

(Per gli studenti che sosterranno l’esame nel corso della laurea magistrale (classe delle lauree specialistiche -  22S) è prevista un’integrazione da 1 credito formativo da concordare con il docente)

There will be a written exam in English at the end of the course. Incorrect English or spelling will not be penalised. Bad writing and bad presentation will be penalised.