F1419 From Venice to Seoul. Rise, Resilience and Decline of Nations. Institutions, Policies and Culture
Zanalda Giovanni
This course offers an introduction to the economic history of development through the analysis of case studies ranging from Venice to contemporary emerging economies.
Section 1: We will review the main economic, political, and cultural determinants of the success of the Venetian empire in the midst of the second millennium. In this part of the course through a mix of lectures, guest speakers, and on site visits in Venice we will focus on case studies of policies and institutions that supported the governance of the city/empire, its economic and military success, e.g. “council of ten”, guilds, arsenale, mint, diplomacy and banks. One of the objectives of this section of the course is to explain how Venice managed to overcome endogenous and exogenous shocks whether political/military, economic, and/or environmental for several centuries as well as to identify the causes of its decline.
Section 2: In the second part of this course we will apply a similar historical methodology to study the rise (and decline?) of emerging markets/economies. We will examine the post-1960 growth of countries such as South Korea, Singapore, China, Turkey, and Brazil (or other countries according to students’ interest) with a particular emphasis on institutional aspects. We will try to understand how these countries have managed to embark on a rapid growth trajectory, whether and how they have been able to sustain it, and how they could overcome the “middle-income trap” and the mature economy syndrome which rising and developed economies (including Venice) have faced at certain point in time. In this part we will incorporate case studies of countries, institutions and corporations with policy analysis of reforms (e.g., liberalization; top-down/bottom up development; changing patterns of international trade and capital flows).
The main objective of this course is to help students to develop an historical sensibility to the study of an economy whether from the past as in the case of Venice or more recent as in the case of emerging markets. The focus on specific events, institutions, and policies in historical context will help students to demystify the complex nature of development, often presented in theoretical terms or out of context. To emphasize this hand-on approach each student will collaborate with other students on a project identified according to students’ interests and backgrounds – for instance students interested in cultural aspects could focus on the role of fashion/ design in the success of Venice as a tourist destination or of the recent success of Korea’s TV series productions; students interested in policy aspects could focus on the role of the mint in Venice, the opening up of Turkey and Korea or reforms in China.
Throughout the semester we will use a vast array of primary and secondary sources and visual material and take advantage among others of the Venetian archives and the Visualizing Venice initiative. For more contemporary case studies we will use academic sources; private sector, IMF, and World Bank reports and database; videos and media analyses.
Assignments and Grading
Class attendance
Class attendance is mandatory. Repeated late arrivals will impact your attendance grade.
Class participation
Active participation is essential. Be prepared to discuss assigned readings, material used in the classroom, and students’ presentations. I will keep track of active participation.
Presentations
Students will present assigned readings throughout the semester.
Written Assignments
Two short write-ups and presentations of two case studies: Each student will write a short response paper on TWO case studies and will lead the discussion during the hour of the corresponding class meeting. Guidelines and expectations will be discussed in class and posted on the course website
Final paper: Students will select a topic in accordance with the instructor. Guidelines and expectations will be discussed in class and posted on the course website. Final paper (13/15 pages) is due at the end of the semester.
Evaluation
Readings