Dipartimento di Economia
Università degli Studi di Perugia

The PhD program integrates skills typical of economic and business sciences with mathematical-statistical and econometric tools, and aims to provide autonomous applied research skills at an international level, to be used in academia, business consulting, and public institutions.

Three complementary curricula with a strong empirical orientation are offered:

• A. Economics and Institutions (E&I);
• B. Economics and Business (E&B);
• C. Quantitative Methods for Economics (QME).

This program is different from other economics PhDs due to the strong mathematical-statistical expertise of the faculty, which allows students to acquire specific skills in the use and development of advanced econometric tools (QME curriculum), in the analysis of the complex role that institutions play at the micro, meso, and macroeconomic levels (E&I curriculum), and -- together with the in-depth study of qualitative research methods -- in the analysis of governance structures, organizational frameworks, and tools for the strategic management of companies (E&B curriculum). Curriculum selection by the student occurs at the beginning of the first year.

The courses and exams scheduled in the first year provide a broad overview of advanced knowledge on the central themes of each curriculum.

In the second year, students deepen their knowledge, also through study abroad, and develop the preliminary version of their thesis.

In the third year, they finalize their research, validate it internationally, and begin the submission process to scientific journals.

In addition to traditional lectures, students have undertaken projects and "peer teaching" (presentations given by PhD candidates), cooperative learning, problem-solving, and brainstorming. Faculty members individually decide which teaching initiatives to favour and develop in the classroom.

The main tool that the PhD program uses as an opportunity for exchange and dissemination of its projects and research results is the "PhD Day" which takes place over one or two days entirely dedicated to this purpose. This event is open to all interested colleagues (in addition to the faculty board members) and represents a moment for gathering multidisciplinary feedback and suggestions, as well as contributing to the monitoring and evaluation of the progress of the PhD candidates' research activities.

Starting from the academic year 2022-2023, an additional dissemination day called "PhD Poster Day" has been established. This initiative involves the presentation of research projects in poster format and is open to faculty, PhD candidates from other programs, and Master's students.

Economics and Institutions (E&I)

The E&I curriculum aims to provide an advanced theoretical foundation in the core disciplines of economics, with in-depth analysis of topics concerning the institutional dimensions of economic systems. In particular, the focus is on the analysis of firms and industries, with specific reference to productivity, technological change, and internationalization strategies; the economic analysis of contracts; the study of the labour market and active labour market policies; the analysis of functional and personal income inequality and regional development gaps; the analysis of energy resource price regulation and the relationship between economic growth and the energy constraint; and the analysis of the supply and demand of natural resources and environmental goods.

Courses (Year 1): 24 ECTS Credits, 144 Hours

(*) In Italian and optional

Economics & Business (E&B)

The E&B curriculum aims to deepen the understanding of institutional variety, governance models, and management and administration systems of companies (from managerially-led to family-owned, including public and non-profit organizations), with particular reference to their decision-making and organizational processes aimed at achieving success. Special attention will be paid to strategy, with regard to the models and issues identified in internationalization paths as well as the innovation processes pursued. A further educational profile to be developed concerns the impact of regulatory changes on the development of internal skills and on administrative-accounting control methodologies, with the aim of supporting the international competitiveness of various business organizations.

Courses (Year 1): 24 ECTS Credits, 144 Hours

(*) In Italian and optional

Quantitative Methods for Economics (QME)

The QME curriculum provides advanced knowledge of quantitative tools for the analysis of large datasets in the economic and financial fields: statistical inference, multivariate analysis, micro and macro-econometric models, stochastic processes, causal inference, latent variable models. It trains professional and academic figures specialized in the development and application of mathematical-statistical models for the analysis of complex data. Furthermore, some of the modules are also mandatory for doctoral students in the other two curricula, and provide the necessary methodological foundations for the empirical analyses required for the completion of their respective programs.

Courses (Year 1): 24 ECTS Credits, 144 Hours

(*) In Italian and optional

Faculty

Students

Services

PhD students have free access to the following services:

• University databases;
• library loans from the University library network;
• funds for research activities;
• support from the Project Manager of the Department of Economics, Dr. Biro (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.);
• dedicated stations (2 rooms with 8 stations each);
• room 23 of the Department of Economics for teaching activities.

Regulation, forms and information

https://www.unipg.it/en/courses/phd-program

https://www.unipg.it/didattica/percorsi-post-laurea/dottorati-di-ricerca (In Italian, containing all the necessary administrative information)