Development Microeconomics, 9 ECTS | Instructor: Alessandro Cigno

This is an intermediate-to advanced microeconomic theory course with a development focus. Given its substantial analytical content, this course presupposes a good grounding in intermediate microeconomics and familiarity with the standard tools of economic theory (analytical geometry, infinitesimal calculus and constrained optimization).

Recommended Preparation: Before joining the course, all students are strongly advised to review Chapters 1-6, 8-9, 14-16 and 19-23, as well as the Mathematical Appendix, of Varian, H. R., Intermediate Microeconomics, 9th ed., W. W. Norton & Co., 2014, to make sure that they are familiar with the fundamental concepts and methods of intermediate microeconomics. Students who will arrive late due to visa processes should also study the remaining chapters before arriving in Florence.

Course Material: Parts of the following textbooks are used in the course:

• Varian, H. R., Intermediate Microeconomics, 9th ed., W. W. Norton & Co., 2014
• Bardhan, P. and C. Udry, Development Microeconomics, Oxford University Press, 2001
• Cigno, A. and F. C. Rosati, The Economics of Child Labour: Education, Fertility and Infant Mortality in Developing Countries, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2024

Access the Course Website: The website for this course (which can be reached from here, or by searching here Development Microeconomics 2025-2026) includes reading material and mock exams. If you are not yet officially enrolled in the MSc, then you can access this website as a guest: Please follow the instructions at the bottom of this page under the heading Guest Access.

 

Health and Education Economics, 6 ECTS | Instructor: Lisa Grazzini

This course illustrates why both education and health are important determinants of human capital as key issues for individual well-being and economic development. It provides a critical approach to interpret economic phenomena referring to the educational and the health sector using the theoretical tools of public economics.

Access the Course Website: The website for this course (which can be reached from here, or by searching here Health and Education Economics 2025-2026) includes material on preliminary concepts and lectures slides. If you are not yet officially enrolled in the MSc, then you can access this website as a guest: Please follow the instructions at the bottom of this page under the heading Guest Access.

 

Human Development and International Cooperation | 6 ECTS, Instructor: Mario Biggeri

The website for this course (which can be reached from here, or by searching here Human Development and International Cooperation 2025-2026) includes lecture slides and additional teaching material. If you are not yet officially enrolled in the MSc, then you can access this website as a guest: Please follow the instructions at the bottom of this page under the heading Guest Access.

 

Statistical Inference, 9 ECTS | Instructor: Alberto Cassese

This course introduces the cornerstones of inferential statistics, including the concept of statistical models, tools for point estimation and interval estimation, statistical hypothesis testing, and linear regression.

Access the Course Website: The website for this course can be reached from here, or by searching here Statistical Inference 2025-2026. If you are not yet officially enrolled in the MSc, then you can access this website as a guest: Please follow the instructions at the bottom of this page under the heading Guest Access.

The material available in the website includes

• Notes on mandatory pre-knowledge, along with all course-related content.

• Tutorial materials, including links to video recordings.

• Statistical tables necessary for solving exercises.

• A few past written tests.

⚠ Important: Understanding the theory explained in the notes is crucial to mastering the course topics and to prepare to take the exam. Focusing only on past written tests is not sufficient to be well prepared.

Guest Access

Even if you are not yet officially enrolled in the MSc, you can access the above websites as a guest, which allows you to review preliminary materials, syllabi, and slides.

After reaching the course website, selects Guest Access (Accesso Ospiti). You will need a guest password to enter (Chiave). Please contact the course instructor to request the password for guests. For the above instructors, email addresses are alessandro.cigno@unifi.it, lisa.grazzini@unifi.it, mario.biggeri@unifi.it, alberto.cassese@unifi.it.

 

The website of the curriculum Development Economics.