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| Semester | spring semester 2019 |
| Course frequency | Every spring sem. |
| Lecturers | Mattia Fochesato (mattia.fochesato@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | 1. What is economic inequality? How do we measure it? Why do we care? 2. Power, hierarchies and inequality in the very long run: from hunter gatherers to the Industrial Revolution 3. Gender inequality in historical perspective 4. Slavery and inequality from ancient times to 19th century US 5. Trends of global economic inequality in the last three centuries 6. The political economy of contemporary and future inequality |
| Learning objectives | The goal of this course is to present a long run historical analysis of the main determinants (and consequences) of economic and social inequality in human societies. During the course the students will be provided with the theoretical economic insights, and the empirical tools necessary for measuring and understanding the nature and the consequence of wealth and income inequality in the past and present times. A focus on the archaeological and historical methods implemented to assess past economic inequality will also be part of the learning outcomes. These tasks will be accomplished through the analysis of relevant facts in the history of humankind. These include, for example, the rise of hierarchy, power, and inequality in prehistoric and ancient societies, the effects of technology, nature, and institutions on income and wealth distribution in late medieval and early modern Europe, gender inequality since the early modern times, and the persistence of slavery in the industrialized world. Finally, the global trends of social and wealth inequality in the last three centuries will be analyzed. |
| Bibliography | The readings of the course will consist in a series of academic papers and book chapters. Some of the texts used are 1. B. Milanovic, Global Inequality. A New Approach for the Age of Globalization. Harvard University Press, 2016. 2. W. Scheidel, The Great Leveler, Princeton University Press, 2017. 3. T. Piketty, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Harvard University Press, 2013. |
| Weblink | Weblink |
| Course application | Registration: Please enrol in MOnA. EUCOR-Students and students of other Swiss Universities have to enrol at the students administration office (studseksupport1@unibas.ch) within the official enrolment period. Enrolment = Registration for the exam! |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Module: Electives (Master's Studies: Business and Economics) |
| Assessment format | end-of-semester examination |
| Assessment details | Final grades in the course will be determined as follows: - 70% two take-home written assignments; - 30% in-class presentation of a selected academic paper. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Registration: course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Business and Economics , studiendekanat-wwz@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Faculty of Business and Economics |