Students are invited to delve into current issues of Economic Geography, with an emphasis on global economic restructuring triggered by the restructuring of production factors.

The aim is to understand the processes of crisis/restructuring of production and the resulting spatial rearrangements, as they are reflected in the global shift of centers of accumulation and development.

The course focuses on the Global Shift and the multi-dimensional developments it initiates. It is about the transformation of the economy through global production networks, which include multinational corporations, national governments, supranational organizations, interest groups and technological developments.

The issues that emerge from this process are analyzed in the following teaching units:

• The shift in the global economic center of gravity in manufacturing and services today (towards India and China) – The changes it brings for the developed and emerging world
• The restructuring of economic activity and production factors – The new geography of manufacturing and services – The relocation of production lines, distribution centers, consumption, and investments
• The causes of accelerating Global Shift and implications for the developed and developing world – The role of multinational corporations, states, labor, consumers, civil society and their interactions
• The winners and losers of Globalization – Where is the Value created in global production networks concentrated?

Lectures (3 hours per week)

Written final exam with development questions.

It is possible to combine the written final exam with an optional group or individual assignment (corresponding to 30% of the final grade in the course), with a mandatory oral presentation in class.