At the end of this course, students are able to: • Understand, compare and evaluate the main theoretical and empirical arguments on the economic impact of technological change • Build arguments linking technological change, labor markets and public policy based on theory and empirical evidence • Use analytical tools to understand, frame and discuss labor markets and welfare institutions and policies in the digital economy • Identify the mechanisms whereby technological change impacts upon political systems and political preferences, and assess the available evidence • Build arguments and identify scenarios on the potential impact of technological change on social and political phenomena, taking into account the different features of welfare regimes • Assess the relevance of different policy measures to address the potential consequences of technological change, and sketch out the design of adequate policy responses • Frame own ideas, views and arguments within appropriate theories, frameworks and language • Identify, plan, and analyse using applied statistics the effect of shocks on institutions, behaviour, and policies.

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The course is structured into two parts, of roughly 40 hours each. The first part deals with the economic and labour market impact of technological change, also providing an introduction to the study of comparative political economy, focusing in particular on varieties of democratic capitalism, and on institutions and actors in the digital economy. The second part inquiries into the policy and politics consequences of technological change, the related policy measures and responses, and the political support for the various political choices that can be made and are being made. This part includes the applied study of technological change and related shocks (such as offshoring and climate change, both of which have a strong technological change component) on institutions, behaviour and policy preferences, making use of statistical software such as Stata and R. For each part, assignments are to be delivered by students, as detailed in the “Assessment and grading criteria” section.

The course is mainly structured in a seminar mode through – whenever possible – a flipped classroom approach, as follows: • Introductory lectures • Introduction to class topics by the instructors • Classroom discussion based on readings done in advance of each class, on topics introduced by the instructors • Group discussions and elaborations in response to tasks assigned by the instructors during class, to be presented and defended in the classroom • Introduction to topics and readings by students in classroom, also based on readings chosen by students and assigned to the whole class (“bring your own paper” sessions) • Team and individual work and presentations, including presentation and discussion of abstracts for course videos and papers • Policy labs, devising policy solutions to some problems assigned by the instructors, as well as assessing trade-offs between different policy instruments • Statistical analysis carried out in dedicated class sessions

Readings to be done before each class (typically, 2 to 4 papers, policy reports, book chapters per class) will be made available for the download from the course webpage on the Portale della didattica well in advance of each class. A comprehensive and up-to-date syllabus will be made available after three weeks from the beginning of the course, in order to take into account the composition and interests of the class.

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Exam: Written test; Group essay; Group project;

Two different sets of rules, for attending and non attending students, are envisaged. Attending students have to: • attend at least 80% of sessions (21 out of 27); • do (before or after class, as instructed) all the readings indicated in the syllabus that will be made available on the Portale della didattica; • actively participate to classroom discussions started by the instructors or (as invited by the instructors) by the students on the day’s readings; • actively participate to group discussions, debates and elaborations based on tasks assigned by the instructors in classroom; • when indicated, prepare (individually or in team) presentations; • when indicated, choose (individually or in team) papers for the whole class to discuss and be ready to justify and defend their choice; • present and discuss in class abstracts for each course video or paper to be realized/written; • participate in policy lab(s) on devising policy measures and responses to assigned (group) tasks; • deliver on time and following the rules set out in the syllabus videos and short papers. For attending students, the evaluation of the course is multidimensional and structured to test students’ preparedness across a number of topics and tasks. First, to test the capacity of students to approach analytically, apply empirically and discuss in an academic setting the study of the topics dealt with in part 1 of the course, as well as defend their own arguments and work, students will be divided in groups and will have to deliver a 10-minute (max) video at the end of part 1 of the course. Each video will be broadcast in class and then discussed first by another group – selected as formal discussant by the instructors after the presentation – and finally by the whole class. The group which made the video will then reply to discussant. This assignment (video preparation, response to discussants, as well as discussion of other videos) counts for 30% of the total grade. Second, to test the capacity of students to develop their own arguments based on scientific literature and empirical evidence, they will be further divided in smaller groups of 2/3 and will have to write a paper on a topic agreed with the lecturers, dealing with topics dealt with in part 2 of the course. This paper must develop a convincing argument, based on empirical evidence – which may be based on statistical analysis – and the application of the analytical tools learned in class. Papers should not be only descriptive, but aim to answer a clear research question and test a hypothesis, or make a case. Relevant literature and empirical sources must be properly acknowledged and referenced. Once agreed upon, paper abstracts will be presented to the class in a dedicated session. Final academic papers (4,000-5,000 words references excluded) will then have to be delivered two weeks after the end of the course. This assignment will count for 30% of the grade. Third, an in-class individual written assessment at the end of the course will test the students’ factual knowledge of theories, approaches, and issues discussed in class, and will count for the 30% of the grade. The class and the instructors may agree that this assignment be split in two assessments, each at the end of each module. Finally, participation in class discussions and group tasks, as well as in policy lab(s) and applied statistical sessions, will count for the remaining 10% of the final grade. For non attending students, the assessment envisages a two-hour closed book written test comprised of four open questions to be answered through four short essays. Each essay is marked on a range between 0 and 30, the final mark is their arithmetic mean. Questions span across the whole material (readings, lectures, slides) listed in the syllabus and uploaded on the Portale della didattica, with the exception of “further readings”, and aim to assess the knowledge of theories, and analytical frameworks modelling the complex relationships linking technological change, labour markets, social policy and the welfare state, and political behaviour, as well as the available evidence supporting various possible claims on such relationships. Also, they aim to ascertain the students’ skills and abilities in assessing the relevance of different policy measures to address the potential multifaceted consequences of technological change. Short essays should be about one page long (approximately, between 300 and 500 words) each, and develop an argument based on the relevant literature (which should be acknowledged) listed in the syllabus. The assessment is based on the ability to craft a convincing argument making use of the relevant literature in an analytically sound and rigorous way, as well as using the appropriate scientific language and terminology. Sample test questions are made available on the Portale della didattica. For attending students, the grade is comprised of the following weighted dimensions: • 30% video (quality and clarity of the argument, response to discussants, as well as discussion of other videos) • 30% paper (academic quality of the paper) • 30% written assessment • 10% participation in class discussions; participation in group tasks in class and in policy lab Evaluation matrix (x: correspondence; X: high correspondence) Understand, compare and evaluate arguments on economic impact of technological change: Video (X) Written assessment (X) Group tasks and policy lab (x) Build arguments linking technological change, labor markets and policy: Video (X) Written assessment (X) Group tasks and policy lab (x) Understand, frame and discuss labor markets and welfare in the digital economy: Video (X) Written assessment (X) Group tasks and policy lab (x) Identify mechanisms of impact of technological change on political systems and political preferences, assess the evidence: Paper (X) Written assessment (X) Group tasks and policy lab (x) Build arguments and identify scenarios on the potential impact of technological change on social and political phenomena: Paper (X) Written assessment (X) Group tasks and policy lab (x) Assess relevance of policy measures to address consequences of technological change, design adequate policy responses: Paper (X) Written assessment (x) Group tasks and policy lab (X) Frame ideas and arguments within appropriate theories, frameworks and language: Video (X) Paper (X) Written assessment (X) Group tasks and policy lab (X) Identify, plan, and analyse using applied statistics the effect of shocks on institutions, behaviour, and policies. Paper (X) Written assessment (x) Group tasks and policy lab (X) For non attending students, the assessment envisages a two-hour closed book written test comprised of four open questions to be answered through four short essays. Each essay is marked on a range between 0 and 30, the final mark is their arithmetic mean. Questions span across the whole material (readings, lectures, slides) listed in the syllabus and uploaded on the Portale della didattica, with the exception of “further readings”, and aim to assess the knowledge of theories, and analytical frameworks modelling the complex relationships linking technological change, labour markets, social policy and the welfare state, and political behaviour, as well as the available evidence supporting various possible claims on such relationships. Also, they aim to ascertain the students’ skills and abilities in assessing the relevance of different policy measures to address the potential multifaceted consequences of technological change. Short essays should be about one page long (approximately, between 300 and 500 words) each, and develop an argument based on the relevant literature (which should be acknowledged) listed in the syllabus. The assessment is based on the ability to craft a convincing argument making use of the relevant literature in an analytically sound and rigorous way, as well as using the appropriate scientific language and terminology. Sample test questions are made available on the Portale della didattica.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.