Giorgio Fagiolo
Giorgio Fagiolo
Teaching
Here you can find a list of the courses I am currently teaching and download syllabi, slides, and other stuff related to the courses.
Agent-Based Computational Economics
Overview
This course is intended to serve as a broad introduction to the huge literature using agent-based computational approaches to the study of economic dynamics. It is organized in three parts. The first one (“Why?”) will discuss the roots of the critiques to the mainstream paradigm from a methodological, empirical and experimental perspective. We shall briefly review the building blocks of mainstream models (rationality, equilibrium, interactions, etc.) and shortly present some of the evidence coming from cognitive psychology and experimental economics, network theory and empirical studies, supporting the idea that bounded rationality, non-trivial interactions, non-equilibrium dynamics, heterogeneity, etc. are irreducible features of modern economies. In the second part (“What?”) we shall discuss what ACE is and what are its main tools of analysis. We will define an ABM and present many examples of classes of ABMS, from the simplest (cellular automata, evolutionary games) to the most complicated ones (micro-founded macro models).The third part (“How?”) aims at understanding how ABMs can be designed, implemented and statistically analyzed. We shall briefly present the basics of programming, by both discussing the pros and cons of using simulation platforms (Matlab, NetLogo, Swarm, LSD, etc.) vs. computer languages (Java, C++, etc.) and providing some simple “hands-on” applications to cellular automata. Finally, we will see how the outputs of ABMs simulation should be treated from a statistical point of view (e.g., Montecarlo techniques) and we will discuss two hot topics in ABM research: empirical validation and policy analysis.
Economic Networks: Theory and Empirics
Overview
This course introduces the “science of networks” for economists. The first part of the course discusses examples of real-world networks in hard and social sciences. We ask why networks are important for economists and what are the main network-related questions as far as models and empirical analyses are concerned. We then present more formally graph theory and explore network statistics. We finally move to models of network formation and present some relevant applications to economics (e.g. trade networks).
Advanced Microeconomics: General Equilibrium Theory (M.Sc. in Economics)
Overview
In this module we present an introduction to general equilibrium theory. Textbook: Mas-Colell, Whinston, Green (1995), Microeconomic Theory, Oxford University Press. Relevant chapters: Compulsory: 10,15,16; Optional: 17.
