INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS OF ART AND CULTURE I

The course Introduction to the Economics of Art and Culture is taught in two modules, in order to enable students to learn both the general foundations of microeconomic theory and the application of these foundations to a wide field such as that of cultural production and consumption.
In the first module the main arts and cultural sectors are taken into consideration according to the perspective of economic theory, focusing in particular on the analysis of the demand and supply of arts, culture and entertainment. For this reason, the first module will introduce students to the main concepts of microeconomics.

Knowledge of the general foundations of microeconomic theory (in particular, analysis of supply and demand) and of their application to different aspects of cultural production and consumption in the cultural and creative sector.

No preparatory courses are foreseen.

1. Introduction to economics of the arts: the economic value of cultural activities.
2. Fundamentals of microeconomics: consumers' and firms' behaviour.
3. Utility functions and principles of the decision-making process of consumption; substitution effects and income.
4. Supply theory and production decisions. Supply of cultural goods and of creative work.
5. Public intervention in the cultural sector.

Guido Candela, Antonello E. Scorcu, Economia delle arti, Zanichelli, Bologna 2004 ed edizioni successive, capitoli 1-6 (pp. 5-128) ad esclusione dei box a pp. 42-44, 67-68.

D. Bernheim, M. Whinston, Microeconomia, Mc-Graw Hill Italia, 2013, ai capitoli 1-8 (Concetti di base; Domanda e offerta; Principi e preferenze; Vincoli, scelte e domanda; Dalla domanda al benessere; Tecnologia e produzione; Costi; Massimizzazione dei profitti).
The textbook microeconomics is OPTIONAL for students who attend classes regularly (i.e., attend at least 70% of the hours provided in the module): during the lessons main concepts will be provided, although students can verify the concepts in the textbook. The textbook is instead MANDATORY for non-attending students.
For non-attending students there is also a supplementary text: Françoise Benhamou, The Economy of Culture, the Mulino, Bologna 2012, pp. 15-45, 125-156.

Handouts and further references will be made accessible on Moodle during the course.

The written exam, lasting 1.5 hours, consists of 4 open questions on theoretical and applied aspects addressed during the course.
Examples of questions will be presented in class.

Frontal lessons.
Projections of audiovisual material.
Discussions in class
Individual and collective study and reflections.
Students are encouraged to attend classes.
The main language of the course is Italian.

Italian

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development