3th September - 15-18 - AULA VIII (accesso Via Ranzani, 1), Piano Terra, Edificio in Bo - viale Berti Pichat 6-6/2, Viale Carlo Berti Pichat, 6-6/2 - Bologna
4th of September - 15-18 - AULA VIII (accesso Via Ranzani, 1), Piano Terra, Edificio in Bo - viale Berti Pichat 6-6/2, Viale Carlo Berti Pichat, 6-6/2 - Bologna
8th September - 9-13 - AULA VII (accesso Via Ranzani, 1), Piano Terra, Edificio in Bo - viale Berti Pichat 6-6/2, Viale Carlo Berti Pichat, 6-6/2 - Bologna
9th September - 9-13 - AULA V (accesso Via Ranzani, 1), Piano Terra, Edificio in Bo - viale Berti Pichat 6-6/2, Viale Carlo Berti Pichat, 6-6/2 - Bologna
10th of September - 10-13 - AULA A. RUFFINI - Accesso da Via Belmeloro 8/2, Piano Primo Interrato, Edificio in Bo - via F. Selmi 3, Via Selmi, 3 - Bologna
10th of September - 14-17 - AULA 2 - PATOLOGIA GENERALE, Piano Primo Interrato, Edificio in Bo - via San Giacomo 14, Via San Giacomo, 14 - Bologna
11th of September - 9-12 - AULA CELIO (via Zamboni 38), Piano Terzo, Palazzo Riario Scarselli, VIA Zamboni 38 - Bologna
11th of September - 13-16 - AULA 2 - PATOLOGIA GENERALE, Piano Primo Interrato, Edificio in Bo - via San Giacomo 14, Via San Giacomo, 14 - Bologna
16th of September - 9-13 - AULA 2 - PATOLOGIA GENERALE, Piano Primo Interrato, Edificio in Bo - via San Giacomo 14, Via San Giacomo, 14 - Bologna
Notice — Introductory Economics (Crash Course), A.Y. 2026/2027 — Online attendance
Several students have asked whether the lectures will be available online, as a hybrid format was apparently communicated for the first weeks of introductory courses. Please note that I took over this course at the end of August so I am not fully aware of what was arranged by my previous collegue. I am currently waiting for the Virtuale space to be set-up for live online streaming. Any confirmed arrangement will be announced on this page by Thursday, September 3, please check here before the first lecture (Thursday, Sept 3, 15:00–18:00).
In the meantime:
The slides of each lecture will be posted on this website right after class. The first two lectures cover introductory material (course presentation and math refresher) that can be caught up from the slides.
You are welcome to email me questions on the material at any time: paolonicola.barbieri@unibo.it
Lectures will not be recorded: if online attendance is activated, it will be live only.
Reminder: admission to the final exam requires attendance of at least 80% of the lectures (attendance is recorded at every lecture). Live online attendance, if activated, counts as attendance. Exceptions to the attendance requirement may be granted on a case-by-case basis to students facing documented constraints (e.g., a delayed arrival in Bologna at the start of the semester, or work commitments. If this is your situation, please email me before the course starts so we can discuss your case).
Introduction to the course
Math refreshener
Introduction to Economics: The market and the agents
The consumer (budget constraint, preferences and utility function)
The Optimal Choice, the demand and the Slutsky equation
Acting active in the market (Buying Selling), Intertemporal Choices, Assets and Uncertainty
Consumer's surplus, market demand and equilibrium
Game Theory and Behavioral Economics
Market structure: Cost functions, Perfect competition, Monopoly and Oligopoly
Asymmetric information, Externalities and Public Goods
Session 1 — Thursday, September 3, 15:00–18:00: Course presentation and principles of economics; Math refresher (equations, lines and parabolas, derivatives, optimization).
Session 2 — Friday, September 4, 15:00–18:00: Introduction to the market; The consumer: budget constraint, preferences and utility function.
Session 3 — Tuesday, September 8, 9:00–13:00: Optimal choice and demand.
Session 4 — Wednesday, September 9, 9:00–13:00: The Slutsky equation; Buying and selling, intertemporal choice, assets, and choice under uncertainty.
Session 5 — Thursday, September 10, 10:00–13:00: Consumer surplus, market demand, elasticity, equilibrium and taxes.
Session 6 — Thursday, September 10, 14:00–17:00: Costs, perfect competition, monopoly, and oligopoly.
Session 7 — Friday, September 11, 9:00–12:00: Game theory and behavioral economics.
Session 8 — Friday, September 11, 13:00–16:00: Asymmetric information, externalities, and public goods; Review and question bank.
Session 9 — Wednesday, September 16, 9:00–13:00: Final exam.