Two - Year Master Degree in Economics

During the course, students will learn how to apply economic concepts and methodologies to relevant issues in monetary and financial economics, related in particular to monetary policy implementation and effectiveness and to the analysis of interest rate determination. Moreover, students will learn how to autonomously apply rigorous economic thinking with the support of quantitative methods, in order to formulate personal judgements on economic and financial developments and related policy issues. Students will also learn how to effectively organize ideas both in written and oral form, possibly with the help of presentation of scientific papers during the course.

The main topics are:: 1. Monetary policy analysis with VAR models. Vector autoregressive (VAR) models are one of the main tools of applied econometric analysis in macroeconomics. In this course, we will introduce technical aspects of VAR modelling and apply them to the empirical analysis of the monetary policy transmission mechanism. 2. Empirical analysis of the term structure of interest rates. The study of the links between interest rates on bonds with different maturities is crucial for monetary policy and the analysis of financial markets. In this course, the main modelling techniques and empirical estimation and forecasting of the term structure of interest rates will be presented, in the perspective of the “expectations theory” of the term structure. 3. Financial returns, risk and consumption choices in a macroeconomic perspective. The analysis of financial returns, risk factors and the determinants of returns differentials among financial assets are key themes of the literature developed from the Consumption Capital Asset Pricing Model (CCAPM). Recent empirical studies provided evidence in contrast with the implications of the basic theory, motivating several extensions. In this course, both the basic models and more recent extensions will be presented, with a focus on the empirical methodology and results.