Economic geography

Course objectives

Knowledge and understanding: Students will be able to use the main structure instruments and concepts of the territorial and spatial analysis. The analysis will be focused about the most relevant economic categories. Applying knowledge and understanding: Students will be in condition to identify, to use and to apply the main rules and concepts to build an appropriate geographic and economic planning in relation to different scenarios. Making judgement: Students will know the main structures of the regional analysis and by them they will be in condition to compare different territories under a geographic and economic point of view. Communication skills: Students will be able to distinguish and to create different plans in relation to different regional approaches. Learning skills: Students will be able to understand the most significative relations between the economic dimensions of the space and the main structures of the international markets.

Channel 1
MARCO BROGNA Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
PROF. MARCO BROGNA TERRITORIO IMPRESA SVILUPPO CLASSIC THEORY OF LOCALIZATION INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE (4 hours) • Space, Territory, Region, Regionalization • Structuring, Deconstruction • Territorialization, Deterritorialization • Introduction to the classical analysis of the localization theory TRANSPORT COSTS AND SPACE DIFFERENTIATION OF PRODUCTION POTENTIALS (4 hours) • Minimization of transport costs as a locational principle. • Transport cost structure as a function of distance Industrial location in Weberian thought - Weber Model • Isard Model LOCALIZATION FACTORS ON MINIMUM TRANSPORTATION (4 hours) • The agglomerative principle  Agglomeration savings • The role of labor  Labor and production costs  Spatial variability of labor costs and critical isodapana • The limits of the Weberian approach  Mobility of the labor factor: Commuting, labor collection basin and O-D matrix LOCALIZATION AND MARKET AREAS (4 hours) • The division of the territory into market areas  Market areas in the Palander model • Production scale, market area, location  The market areas according to the partition of the territory in Isard's model  Optimal location route according to Moses LOCALIZATION OF SERVICE COMPANIES (4 hours) • Demand cone, threshold and flow  Christaller Theory  Lösch Theory • The Rango-dimension law THE NEW LOCALIZATION FACTORS TRANSACTIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS IN THE SPACE-TIME COMPRESSION: INTERNATIONAL DIVISION OF WORK AND MULTINATIONALIZATION (6 hours) • The transport cost structure and the Hoover model • Transport and communications Revolution • Reduction of transport costs • The reorganization of production according to the principles of deverticalization and production multilocalization: multinationalization and the International Division of Labor.  Model of development of multinational companies  DIL and center-periphery model BEHAVIORAL APPROACH: THEORY OF SPACE DIFFUSION AND INNOVATION (6 hours) • The behavioral approach: Industrial localization in Smith's model  Space-cost curve  Space-revenue curve • The role of information • The dissemination of innovation:  The Hagerstrand dissemination model: the neighborhood effect and the average information field; Hierarchical diffusion • Resistance to innovation  Logistic curve for the adoption of innovation  Barrier effects POST-FORDISM: FROM THE CLUSTER OF COMPANIES TO THE URBAN CLUSTER (4 hours) • New localization theories: from the single enterprise to the production system • The spatial division of labor • The large integrated and monolocalised enterprise (Ford) • Flexible specialization and post-fordism • Marshallian externalities and the advantages of proximity • Industrial districts and business clusters • The Italian industrial districts and the third Italy • The innovative clusters and the case of silicon valley GLOBAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS (4 hours) • Localization models of the various types of multinational companies • Localization, internationalization and product life cycle • The geography of foreign direct investment: the international division of labor and the center-periphery model • Global production networks e commodity chains • The territorial effects of multinational companies: territorial rooting and dual economies • The social consequences of the spatial division of labor • The paradoxes of globalization: local / global • The space of flows and the space of places INNOVATION SYSTEMS (4 hours) • The production of innovations • The dissemination of innovations • Neo-Schumpeterian approaches to regional development • The regional effects of innovation • Innovation systems • The territorial competitive advantage • The Milieux innovateur • Human capital and knowledge-based development • Creative capital: human capital and localization THE CITIES BETWEEN NEW CENTER AND NEW PERIPHERIES (4 hours) • Urban functions and interaction: city networks • Quaternary activities and global cities • Localization of ICT companies: the example of the Internet industry (hardware, software and content production) • social and functional segmentation of urban space; Fragmentation and reconfiguration of the city center and suburbs
Prerequisites
there are no prerequisites
Books
1) “Frammenti. Per un discorso sul territorio” di Attilio Celant, Editore Università La Sapienza da pag 1 a pag 201; 2) “Competitività, strategie di pianificazione e governance territoriale” di Marco Brogna e Francesco Maria Olivieri Editore Università La Sapienza.
Teaching mode
Frontal lesson
Frequency
attendance is not required
Exam mode
The final test is in an oral Exam about the following elements: 1) Rapid understanding of the question and classification in the right theoretical-scientific context 2) Mastery of the discipline and argumentative capacity 3) Ability to deepen and make important intradisciplinary links The highest rating available is 30/30 cum laude. Laude is given to students who will perform an excellent exam
Bibliography
BROGNA M., OLIVIERI F.M., COCCO V., A new tool of network enterprise in Italy: contratto di rete, The Future of Business: Technology, Innovation and Regulation, GBRS Conference, Roma, 2018. BROGNA M., OLIVIERI F.M.,Il problema territoriale di Roma Capitale, Bollettino della Società Geo-grafica Italiana, Roma, Serie XIII, Vol. IX, 2016. Andreano S., Benedetti R., La competitività delle province italiane: un’analisi spaziale delle variabili di rottura, Rivista di Economia e Statisti-ca del Territorio, Vol.1, Milano, edizione Franco Angeli, 2016
Lesson mode
Frontal lesson
  • Lesson code1017138
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseManagement and corporate law
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year2nd year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • SSDM-GGR/02
  • CFU6