LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at providing a proficient understanding of the main economic models that describe how firms determine the level of productive investments undertaken and the stock of capital actually employed in the production of goods and services. Students will be guided in the appraisal of the analytical and formal tools that make it possible to represent in a synthetic and abstract way the optimal choice of firms regarding the decision to buy and install additional production capacity. Moreover, the course of Macroeconomics takes a detailed overview of the main economic models that describe the occurrence and effects of a financial crisis. Students will learn the mechanisms through which a financial crisis is transmitted to the real economy by depressing income and employment. Furthermore, the course covers the main economic models that describe the behaviour of the central bank in determining interest rates and the money supply. Students will understand the analytical and formal tools that allow a synthetic and abstract representation of the monetary policy of the central bank. In addition, students will be aware of the choices and objectives of the central bank in the aftermath of a situation of financial crisis.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the main theoretical models that describe the functioning of financial and monetary markets. At the end of the course, the student will be able to assess the extent and effects of the main imperfections that characterize the financial markets as well as to handle the analytical frameworks that describe the behavior of the central bank in relation to the determination of monetary aggregates and interest rates. Without neglecting the empirical implications of the theoretical models taken into consideration, particular emphasis will be given to the formal structure of the various topics covered during the course. In this way, the student will not only be able to reproduce the theoretical frameworks explored durung the classes but also to try to build new models.

PREREQUISITES

Students are supposed to be proficient with basic microeconomics and macroeconomis.
 

TEACHING METHODS

The course is given through frontal lessons.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

FIRST PART: FINANCIAL ECONOMICS

I. INVESTMENT

1. Investment and the Cost of Capital

2. A Model of Investment with Adjustment Costs

3. Tobin’s q

4. Analyzing the Model

5. Implications 435

6. Empirical Application: q and Investment

7. The Effects of Uncertainty

8. Kinked and Fixed Adjustment Costs

II. FINANCIAL MARKETS AND FINANCIAL CRISES

1 A Model of Perfect Financial Markets

2 Agency Costs and the Financial Accelerator

3 Empirical Application: Cash Flow and Investment

4 Mispricing and Excess Volatility

5 Empirical Application: Evidence on Excess Volatility

6 The Diamond-Dybvig Model

7 Contagion and Financial Crises

8 Empirical Application: Microeconomic Evidence on the Macroeconomic Effects of Financial Crises

SECOND PART: MONETARY ECONOMICS

III. MONETARY POLICY

1 Inflation, Money Growth, and Interest Rates

2 Monetary Policy and the Term Structure of Interest Rates

3 The Microeconomic Foundations of Stabilization Policy 588

4 Optimal Monetary Policy in a Simple Backward-Looking Model

5 Optimal Monetary Policy in a Simple Forward-Looking Model

6 Some Additional Issues Concerning Interest-Rate Rules

7 The Zero Lower Bound on the Nominal Interest Rate

8 The Dynamic Inconsistency of Low-Inflation Monetary Policy

9 Empirical Applications: Independence of the Central Bank, Inflation and Iperinflation

10 Seignorage and Inflation

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The official textbook is Romer, D. (2019), Advanced Macroeconomics, 5th edition, McGraw-Hill (ISBN: 978-1-260-18521-8). Futher material will be indicated by the teacher during the lectures where appropriate.