ECONOMY OF NETWORKS AND INNOVATION

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

000232L

Academic Year of enrolment:

2019

Year of supply:

2019/2020

Type of Course:

Characterising

Degree:

Course of 2nd Cycle Degree in ECONOMICS AND COMMERCE

Disciplinary Sector:

Applied Economics

Language:

Italian

Location:

PESCARA

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

MARRA Alessandro

Cycle:

First semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

153

Prerequisites:

No prerequisites. Preferable knowledge of the basic elements of industrial organization

Objectives

The course will complement the training of the student with knowledge and tools useful to deepen the essential aspects to better understand the role of innovation in the economy from a theoretical and empirical perspective as well as the basic and applied knowledge on networks of companies and on the main drivers of technological clusters.

The specialized training of the course of Study will be completed and enriched by the following skills:

Knowledge and understanding
The course aims to provide basic training on the main issues of the economy of innovation and business networks, in particular with regard to the basic conditions and structure of the sectors, research and development (R&D) policies and the innovative conduct of enterprises on the markets, and the economic performance of the same, so as to allow students to learn professionalizing content on the impacts of innovation and on the determinants of business networks through the understanding of empirical analysis in the literature.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, the student will be able to apply the analytical categories of the subject of reference to the investigation of specific phenomena and specific industrial sectors, with particular reference to new emerging industries and high technology.
The ability to interpret the innovative dynamics on the markets and relate the analysis of the structure of the sectors with the resulting innovative performance of companies and groups of companies is the main result of teaching. The student will be able to combine the knowledge of empirical studies with the literature on the economic development of the territories, and discuss the most interesting elements in relation to the individual aspects of the economy of innovations and business networks. At the end of the course, the student will be able to elaborate with greater awareness and interpret critically how innovation impacts on businesses and what is the role of new technologies.

Contents

Economics of innovation reached a growing relevance in the last twenty years. The course aims at providing a general framework of the subject under investigation, spanning from more general and theoretical models (such as the major models on technological innovation based on a neo-classical rather than an evolutive approach) to more applied and empirical issues (such as the studies on the relationship between science, technology and knowledge: the role of learning and competences within the firm, the organization and the strategies of the innovative firm; the sectoral patterns and the industrial dynamics; the diffusion of innovations across industries and in a geographical area; the role of public policies; the hypothesis of the nursery cities; the creative cities; technological proximity and networks of firms and institutions; the role of technological clusters).

Extended Syllabus

1. Technological innovation in economic thinking: Schumpeter/Some key concepts from which to start/The main indicators/Theoretical foundations: the neoclassical approach and the evolutionary approach -
2. Neoclassical models of R&D, business strategy and market structure/The research and development activity with strategic approach: main features/Non-cooperative innovative activity -
3. The evolutionary theory: recent developments, Knowledge, enterprise and innovation/innovation, industrial dynamics and structural evolution -
4. Evolving models of innovation and industrial dynamics, The Nelson and Winter model/The history friendly models -
5. Innovative enterprise: knowledge, skills, organisation and boundaries, Knowledge and learning/Routine as a pattern of action of the organisation/Competences and industrial change/Business organisation/Business boundaries: coherence, vertical integration, diversification and network/Technological, sectoral and country differences in skills, organisation and behaviour of businesses -
6. Technological regimes and sectoral patterns of innovation, Sectoral patterns of innovative activities: empirical evidence/Technological regimes and patterns of innovative activities/ Appropriateness/Technological flows and taxonomy of Pavitt -
7. Industrial dynamics and relations between enterprises, The specific dimensions of the industrial dynamics/structural dynamics/structural evolution/ Relationships between enterprises and between enterprises and institutions within the industrial dynamics/structural evolution of the information technology industry/Some lessons from the structural evolution of the computer industry/ -
8. Dissemination of innovations, Models of adoption/Selection models -
9. Competing technologies and increasing adoption yields, Increasing yields and network externalities/The competition between networks: an introductory model/Network externalities and path dependency: stochastic processes and interpretative extensions/Network externalities in strategic interaction models/Critical and economic policy implications -
10. Geography of technological innovations, Localised increasing yields and agglomeration of innovative activities/Agglomeration economy and innovation process/Intersectoral differences in geographical concentration -
11. Institutions and public policy Innovative institutions and activities: innovative systems, innovative institutions and activities / Interaction between companies and organisations / National innovative systems and the globalisation process / Sectoral innovation systems / Knowledge market failure and public intervention: the Arrow model / Traditional tools of public intervention in a neoclassical context / Evolutionary approach to public policy / International technological competition Italy

Recommended Bibliography

- Malerba, Economia dell’innovazione, 2014, Carocci editore
- Anderson, Makers. Il ritorno dei produttori, 2013, Rizzoli Etas
- Chapters from books, selected scientific articles, notes takes during the lectures.

Methods of Provision

Conventional

Teaching Methods

Our teaching is structured in hours of frontal teaching, discussion of case studies and exercises on software. Frontal teaching consists of theoretical lessons and discussion of scientific articles. During the course, students are offered the opportunity to be involved in case study projects to be carried out in the classroom and in a collective way, so that they can verify and consolidate their understanding of the topics dealt with in the lesson. Attendance is optional, recommended, and the final test will be the same for attendants and non-attendants.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

The students' learning of the notions and tools dealt with in the classroom will also be monitored during the course, through the provision of written tests and the presentation/discussion of scientific articles. In the final exam, the verification of learning will be carried out through an oral test on the knowledge of reference texts and the analysis of issues discussed in classroom. The score of the examination is given by a vote expressed in /30. During the examination, the written tests and the projects in the classroom, the students' ability to apply the knowledge acquired is verified in order to interpret and understand current issues in a broad and structured manner.

Contacts/More Information

E-mail: alessandro.marra@unich.it
Web page: https://economia.unich.it/visualizza.php?type=persona&id=147
Days and hours of student reception: thursday 10-12 hours, available on the web page above

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

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