Option A Knowledge and innovation policies

The content for option A is provided in the tables below. It is composed of blocks
of courses for all the corresponding cohort and of blocks in which students can
choose between different special focuses (SF).

The 1st year at University of Turin (Faculty of Political Sciences)
Students choosing option A spend a whole year at Turin. The year is structured
in five blocks aimed at providing in-depth comprehension of economic policy in the
field of the chosen option and from an interdisciplinary perspective. The objective is
to provide technical tools suited to the training of policy experts.
The first block deals with knowledge and innovation economics. It is directly
related to the option chosen by the student. It comprises three courses delivered
by world leading academics:
Economics of innovation (delivered annually by C. Antonelli) develops the
foundations of the economics of innovation, from the classical legacies to the
economics of complexity. It is introduced through the issues of total factor
productivity and the direction of technological change. An in-depth analysis of the
link between innovation and growth is considered, relying on a wide range of the
economics literature and especially the one deriving from Marx, Adam Smith,
Schumpeter, Marshall, Arrow and the evolutionary economists. Localized
technological change (irreversibility, procedural rationality, localized learning,
technological change as meta-factor substitution) are discussed, as well as the
economic complexity of technological change (creative vs adaptive reaction,
positive feedbacks in innovation, knowledge externalities, recombinant knowledge
production function technological knowledge as a collective activity, diffusion and
creative adoption, structure of innovation, and especially sectoral and national
systems of innovation). Policy issues related to these issues are addressed in detail
and illustrated by real life case studies and examples that provide the experience
which, combined with the theory, will give students expertise in actual innovation
processes.
Knowledge economics (delivered annually by A. Geuna) aims to develop a
critical knowledge of the fundaments of the economics of policy of knowledge with
particular emphasis on university research. The course introduces the student to the
principal institutions and policies in the area of research and innovation in the G7
countries. Particular attention will be paid to comparative analysis. The course
includes a thematic seminar on the economics and policy of the cinema industry. The
course is structured in four main modules. The first provides a brief introduction to
the economics of innovation with particular attention to the concepts of knowledge
and information. The second focuses on the higher education and research systems in
a set of European countries and the US (depending on the availability of guest
speakers it is hoped also to include Japan and China). Two courses are devoted to
discussion of Science and Technology Indicators for policy making. The third
module is devoted to critical analysis of important policy instruments such as
research assessment and foresight; how these policies were developed; how they
have been adapted in other countries; how effective they are and under what
conditions they can be applied. The final module examines in detail the relationship
between science and technology with a special focus on academic patenting and other
channels of knowledge transfer. The case of the movie industry will be one of the
sectors analysed in depth.
ICT economics (by P.-P. Patrucco, during Semester 2). This course aims to
develop theoretical and empirical skills for the analysis of technological convergence
in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). It aims also to analyse
the impacts of this process on organisation change and development of the firms and
local economies. The issues regarding ICT platforms will be studied in detail.
The second block will focus on the interdisciplinary perspective of economic
policies. It will introduce the question of development policy and discuss issues
related to Northern and Southern countries (including developing and emerging
countries) and local and global development. This block, entitled Institutions,
international markets and local policies is composed of two courses:
Sociology of international development (delivered annually by N. Negri) deals
with the social and political construction of markets on an international basis. It
examines the policies implemented in very different situations: the intervention of the
state in Chinese capitalism, the role of local economies, the importance of
networking in a global economy. It includes an introduction to the main theories of
development and an in-depth analysis of the role of institutions and social networks
(on the regulation of international trade, on transition processes, on emerging
capitalisms in Asia). Emphasis will be directed to (i) the link between economic
globalisation and territories, (ii) the new role of the state in the processes of
development, and (iii) the role of social capital and networks in the old and new
capitalisms.
Local development (delivered annually by N. Negri and F. Barbera) has two main
objectives: (i) to explain local development from an economic, social, political and
cultural point of view; (ii) to describe some of the main experiences of local
development in Italy (including clusters and new policies for local development) and
in developing countries (micro-credit, conflict management, management of
environmental resources, etc.).
These first two blocks will provide a widely interdisciplinary approach to economic
policy, completed by a third block to provide students with expertise
in quantitative methods for social sciences (by C. Carota). It provides quantitative
tools to understand papers published in economic journals (optimisation, basis of
econometric modelling, applications).
The fourth block has two special focuses, during Semester 1. Students must choose
one from:
1. SF1-T: Cultural industries and global markets (by W. Santagata), which
analyses policies and development of cultural industries, as well as the link between
the cultural and economic patterns of local development, within a multidisciplinary
approach. The issues addressed include culture and the models of local sustainable
development, the theory of cultural clusters, the role of collective property rights,
the dynamics of culture, tourism and development. The sectors studied include:
material industries (including industrial design, fashion, gastronomy), content
sectors (movie industry, television, radio, publishing, advertising), patrimony
(museums, architecture, performances, theatres and contemporary arts), and in
relation to both developed and developing countries, with a special emphasis on
China, India and the Middle-East. Data from the main international agencies: EU,
UN, UNDP, UNESCO, WORLD BANK and WIPO will be exploited.
2. SF2-T: The global economy and multinational corporations (by G. Balcet) aims
at providing conceptual and analytical tools (i) to understand the origins, trends and
impacts of globalisation at the micro and macroeconomic levels and (ii) to deal with
the policy implications of globalisation at the national and international levels. The
lectures include a historical survey on foreign direct investment (FDI) and
multinational corporations (MNC) since 1870, the study of MNC patterns, the joint
ventures and cooperative behaviours, the globalization of technology and innovation,
the mutual impacts of MNCs on emerging countries. Case studies will be addressed
to illustrate key questions, with a special focus on the automotive industry.
The fifth block will address languages. Introductory French will be mandatory for
students who have not studied the language previously. The opportunity to study
Italian (beginners or advanced levels) and advanced English will also be offered.
These five blocks will provide top level and consistent training on knowledge and
innovation policies and on key development issues, with their originality being a
truly interdisciplinary approach. They will include economics, sociology, history and
political science (double Masters degrees in political science and economics
will be awarded by Universities of Turin and Paris 13 respectively). Consistent with
the aim of the EPOG Masters course, this will provide both specific expertise and
a systemic understanding of economic policies in a globalised economy.
All courses will be delivered in English at the University of Turin, except possibly
the special focuses (fourth block). For the corresponding courses, the teaching
language will be governed by the number of students that have opted for each
focus. At least one of the two special focuses will be taught in English, i.e. at least
one full course will be taught in English at University of Turin.
Course details (teaching hours, ECTS, teaching staff) for the 1st year.
Semester 3 at University of Paris 13
The approach at University of Paris 13 is an extension of the specialised, systemic
and interdisciplinary approaches developed at the University of Turin. The 3rd
semester aims to deepen the knowledge of the students in the chosen option and
to create a common culture on economic policy for the whole years intake of
EPOG students (aside from the chosen option).
The 3rd semester is structured in six blocks (+ the induction month, in
September), which are interdisciplinary and include the participation of a range of
professionals, allowing students to confront the theories with real-life expert
experience.
The first block deals with firms and organizations. The course is given by a
leading and worldwide renowned economist in its field (B. Coriat). It is designed to
provide to the students the arguments and methods of up to date theories of
organizations. Starting with the pioneering works of Cyert, March and Simon, the
course includes the contributions of Penrose and of the Resource Based theory of
the firm, and goes until the most salient contributions of evolutionary theories
(Dosi, Marengo, Nelson and Winter). The links between organisational theories
and the different notions and concept of organisational innovations are
systematically explored. Finally are presented the visions of organisations as
institutions. This course allows to link and put into perspective different approaches
addressed during the first year in Turin.
The second block deals with Law, economics, institutions of intellectual property
and innovation with an interdisciplinary perspective including economics and law.
It will be taught by experts in these fields and comprises three courses:
Economics of risk, innovation, R&D and intellectual property (by C.
Carpentier) rehearses the basis of intellectual property right (IPR) and reviews the
recent related theories and debates, especially the progressive extension of IPR to
various fields of activity. Economic and legal stakes will be discussed. The possible
models of IPR for the next decades are presented along with their possible economic
consequences in terms of innovation, emergence of new markets, reinforced
financialisation of the economy. The feasibility of alternative models is examined.
Policy implications are discussed taking account of the national and international
dimensions of IPR. In order to provide an up-to-date state-of-the-art, this course
relies on several recent articles.
Industrial property law (by D. Bastien, S. Lynde and A. Lebkiri) is taught by
professionals (lawyers and experts in IPR). It develops the issues of trademarks (S.
Lynde) and design and patent law (D. Bastien and A. Lebkiri), examined from a
theoretical point of view in order to explain the legal rules of industrial property,
validity conditions, registration of trademarks, design, patents and revocation of
trademarks, designs and patents. The issues will be addressed from a practical point
of view, relying on legal decisions made by courts of justice.
Institutions of Intellectual property (by D. Bastien, J. Michel, C. Lepeltier and
B. Dumont) will be taught by professionals and an academic (B. Dumont). Each
intellectual property institution will be covered: the French National Institution of
Intellectual Property (INPI), the European Patent Office (EPO), the Office for
Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), and the World Intellectual Property
Office (WIPO). After a theoretical approach to these institutions, professionals from
the institutions present their professional views, including EPO (J. Michel, Former
Vice-President of the EPO) and INPI (C. Lepeltier, legal expert at INPI). The
struggle against counterfeiting is considered from a theoretical, applied and
international perspective. New workshops will be organised each year with different
professionals addressing different questions.
The third block will add to students knowledge and skills in quantitative
methodologies and comprises two courses:
Econometrics of qualitative variables (by L. Miotti). This course will introduce
students to econometric analysis, models and tools appropriate for qualitative
variables. Applications for dealing with knowledge and innovation variables and with
policy assessment will be considered.
Datamining (by C. Carpentier) will develop skills in data exploration and analysis
in order to deal with complex and heterogeneous sets of data that characterise the
fields of expertise corresponding to option A. Coding of data, synthesis of the
information, and creation of indicators are some of the objectives of this course.
Principal component analysis and multiple component analysis are the two main
tools presented. Computations using these tools will be performed using real data on
innovation. The link will be made between datamining and econometric approaches.
In the fourth block, students choose one from four special focuses (SF):
SF1-A: Economics of knowledge and culture is composed of three courses:
Cultural economics (by O. Guillon), Policies of creative industries (by F.
Benhamou and N. Moureau) and Education economics and policy (by D. Flacher
and H. Harari-Kermadec). The former presents an economic analysis of cultural
sectors from a macroeconomic (economic evaluation of cultural activities, role in
economic growth, place in international trade), and an industrial organization (market
structure of each cultural field, with a special focus on the effects of digital
technologies on cultural industries) perspective. It discusses national and
international cultural policies (access to culture, diversity preservation, tax systems
and implementation and the related policies promoted by UNESCO, OECD and EU).
Education policies are presented in relation to the various national systems and the
emergence of a worldwide higher education market, which is leading to deep
transformations in both demand and supply side. A major emphasis is put on the
effects of higher education on the labour market, on inequalities, on the polarisation
of higher education. In addition to the theory, this topic will include applied articles
and data analysis.
SF2-A: Intellectual property in ICT is about deepening the knowledge and skills
developed during the first year at the University of Turin and addresses specific but
key issues for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) economics and
policies. Copyright and the industries of culture (by F. Benhamou) examines
the specific regimes of intellectual property applied to the cultural industries with an
emphasis on the music and publishing (with a in-depth case study of e-books)
industries and on patrimony management. The policies of Internet regulation
(including net neutrality and access to private data) are discussed. Open-source
software versus copyright/patented software(by P.-A. Mangolte and A. Lebkiri)
addresses similar questions from the perspective of the software industries, including
theoretical aspects (by P.-A. Mangolte) and the working experience of A. Lebkiri
(lawyer and expert in IPR). Finally, the course on Norms, standards and
competition (by I. Liotard) shows how IP could be used by firms in a strategic way
for the creation de facto and de jure standards. The role of standards in ICT
sectors and the standardization mechanisms through SSO (standard setting
organization) and illustrated with several case studies.
SF3-A: Intellectual property in medicines and biotechnologies examines the
economic and public policies related to intellectual property in the fields of health
and biotechnology. The course on Pharmaceutical patents, TRIPS and public
health (by B. Coriat) is dedicated to the study of the evolution and the role played
by pharmaceutical patents as regards public health issues, especially in developing
countries. It includes a presentation of the pharmaceutical sector, patenting strategies
in this industry. The origins and impacts of TRIPS agreements, especially on
developing countries patent laws, are addressed and illustrated, in particular
regarding the treatment of pandemics. The course onSeeds, agriculture and
biodiversity (by H. Tordjman, A. Alegre de la Soujeole and I. Clment-Nissou)
focuses on the intellectual proporty rights in the agricultural field. Emphasis will be
put on the economics, legal framework and implications of genetically modified
organism with an international perspective. Finally, with a special focus on the fields
of biotechnology and health, the course on Exclusivity, public domain and
Intellectual commons (by F. Orsi and D. Meshaka), deals with the question of the
strengthening of IP as one of major phenomenon of the globalisation, analyses the
debate and controversy about the consequences on the production and the access to
knowledge and proposes a detailed analysis of the concepts of public domain and
intellectual commons as alternatives to exclusive property. The latter two courses
have input from both academics and professionals: A. Alegre de la Soujeole is
Managing Director at SICASOV, I. Clment-Nissou is Project Manager in
International Relations at CNIS and D. Meshaka is Director of IP and licensing at
Ipsogen SAS.
SF4-A: Intellectual property law focuses on more oriented on legal knowledge
and skills. It will comprise three parts: Law of contracts (by D. Bastien, lawyer)
which will provide an overview of the main principles for students who are new to
this area, and highlight intellectual property law relating to contracts (license
agreements, assignment agreements, confidentiality agreements, research and
development agreements, etc.) based on theoretical and legal analysis of a real
contracts. The course on Copyright (by G. Julia, Associate Professor in Law)
discusses different copyright systems, emphasizing on the specificities of the French
model and its contemporary evolution, and considers new approaches to copyright.
Finally, the class on Financing risk and innovation (by C. Cezanne, Associate
Professor of Economics) introduces an economics approach related to the special
focus. This course will highlight the role of innovation in the competition among
firms and countries in the age of globalisation, and the public and private modalities
of financing the risk related to innovation (including intellectual property law) and
corresponding calculation modes.
The fifth block is includes a group of seminars (joint seminars) for all the students
aimed at creating a common culture on economic policies interdependencies.
The sixth block concentrates on languages.
The 3rd semester will provide (i) improved knowledge in innovation policies for
students taking option A at the University of Turin. It will deepen the
interdisciplinary aspects emphasising law and economics, and will have inputs
from professional practitioners. It will offer also (ii) a broader approach to the
interdependencies among economic policies in a globalised economy.
All the mandatory courses will be taught in English (i.e. blocks 1, 2, 3 and 5). At
least one of the special focuses (block 4) will be taught in English, allowing
students who want to study only in English to be able to do so.
Course details (teaching hours, ECTS, teaching staff) for Semester 3.
Semester 4: Masters dissertation.