Details

Instructor: Roberto Gabriele, roberto.gabriele [at] unitn.it; Class hours: 36 (6 ECTS)

Course objectives

The course aims at providing students with the concepts and skills needed to appreciate the role of innovation as a driver of economic dynamics at different levels of aggregation, i.e. firms, industries, and the overall economic system.

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• understand the role of innovation as a driver of economic growth;
• appreciate the significance of innovation activity both for firm and market dynamics;
• recognize the main forces underlying industry dynamics of technological innovation;
• appraise the relevance of networks in the dynamics of the innovative industry;
• understand the interplay between firm heterogeneity, firm performance, and market selection.

Pre-requirements

Basic courses in Microeconomics, calculus and statistics.

Contents

The course is divided into two parts. The first part will introduce students to the economics of innovation, with an overview on the following topics:

• innovation: basic concepts and facts;
• economic growth: the role of innovation;
• market structure and innovation;
• industry dynamics of technological innovation;
• selection mechanisms;
• diffusion processes.

The second part will first focus on network effects, and the role of standards in the industrial competition. Finally, the evolution of a specific industry will be examined, along with its innovative strategies, and the influence of public policies. 

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures, presentations by students and classroom discussions on case studies.

Verification of Learning

The final grade will depend on the following components:

• 50% written exam
• 50% study group presentations 

Bibliography/study materials

Fagerberg, J., Mowery, D. C., & Nelson, R. R. (Eds.). (2005). The Oxford handbook of innovation. Oxford university press.
Rosenberg, N., & Hall, B. H. (2010). Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, Volume 1. North Holland.
Malerba, F., & McKelvey, M. (2020). Knowledge-intensive innovative entrepreneurship integrating Schumpeter, evolutionary economics, and innovation systems. Small Business Economics, 54(2), 503-522

The detailed syllabus of the course, as well as references, hand-outs and other materials will be published on "Moodle".