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School of Social Sciences of the University of Trento

Doctoral programme in

Economics
and Management
30th cycle - 2014/2015 entry

An overview
of the Programme

Why the doctoral programme in

Economics and Management
The doctoral programme in Economics and Management (E&M),
sponsored by the Department of Economics and Management, was
established in 2004 with the aim of providing state-of-the-art research
training and advanced professional skills in economic and managerial
sciences. In addition to providing solid foundations in the relevant
disciplines, including a broad range of quantitative methods, the
programme places special emphasis on methodologies for rigorous
behavioural approaches to economic decision-making, ranging from
traditional techniques to recent developments in experimental methods
and computable economics.
In 2011 E&M joined the School of Social Sciences, a multi-doctoral school
that also offers programmes in Sociology and Social Research, in Local
Development and Global Dynamics and in Development Economics
and Local Systems. In addition to sharing common spaces, the School
is a valuable asset in that it pursues ever-increasing coordination and
exchanges across the three programmes, fostering interdisciplinary
connections and providing students a wide range of teaching and research
opportunities as well as a lively international and multi-cultural community.

The three-year Programme at a glance*

1st year 2014-15
October 2014
November-January
February
February-June
June
September
October 2015
2nd year 2015-16
November-January
February
October
3rd year 2016-17
February
June
November 2017
April 2018

Arrival and Crash course in Mathematics

Choice of the course plan and curriculum
Assignment of tutors
1st term courses
Exams
2nd term courses
Exams
Retakes
Confirmation/Request of change of curriculum
Admission to 2nd year
Seminar courses
Workshop on academic writing
Assignment of thesis and supervisor
Research project
1st Research paper
Admission to 3rd year
Workshop on academic writing
2nd Research paper
1st Graduation session
2nd Graduation session

* This is only an illustrative programme. The official programme will be distributed to students in due time.

Courses
E&M consists of a set of common mandatory courses and two curricula
with specialised courses.
The common courses are Behavioural economics, Microeconomics,
Macroeconomics, Statistics, Econometrics, and Organisation and
Management.
The curriculum in Behavioural Economics focuses on foundations
of decision-making and bounded rationality, and develops different
behavioural approaches to the economic analysis of individuals, markets,
and institutions, mostly based on experimental methods, computable
economics, and agent-based models and techniques.
Specialised courses include Experimental Methods, Computable
Economics, and Game Theory.
The curriculum in Management focuses on organisation theory and
organisational and social decision-making, industrial processes and
innovation management, organisation design and corporate governance,
and financial instruments and markets. Methods include simulations
for managerial decision-making and management practices and firm
performance. Specialised courses include Industrial Dynamics, Finance,
and Corporate Governance.

Cotutelle-de-these:
opportunities for co-tutorship of theses
E&M offers a limited number of scholarships for 2014/2015 entry to
shortlisted applicants who would like to obtain a double doctoral degree.
A cotutelle programme allows a doctoral student to obtain a double
doctoral degree within the framework of an agreement between the two
participating institutions. Each cotutelle-de-thse is carried out through
the cooperative supervision of two professors, one from the University
of Trento and one from the partner university. The student must fulfil the
respective requirements for a doctorate at both universities.
E&M offers cotutelle-de- these agreements with the following university
partners:
University of St. Andrews - UK
University of Jena - Germany

Facilities
The School provides doctoral students with:
a personal desk and internet connection in a room equipped with PCs
and personal productivity software
access to a certain number of licensed computer programs for special
needs
mailboxes
telephone access for local calls
access to a photocopier and printer
access to databases

Research with
the E&M Programme

Research opportunities
Departmental research is the backbone of a doctoral programme. The
Department of Economics and Management (DEM) offers doctoral
students many opportunities to develop their research projects in the core
fields of the doctoral programme as well as in other areas.
In the field of Behavioural Economics, research proposals are welcome
on issues related to Experimental economics, such as experimental
approach to strategic decision-making and game-theoretic analysis, tax
evasion, intertemporal decision-making, choice under risk and uncertainty.
Research projects are mainly developed in the Cognitive and Experimental
Economics Laboratory (CEEL http://www-ceel.economia.unitn.it/).
CEEL also offers to young scholars research training opportunities through
workshops, research grants, and partnerships with Ph.D. Programs.
The Algorithmic Social Sciences Research Unit (www.assru.economia.
unitn.it) welcomes research projects dealing with theoretical as well
as applied issues related with Computable economics, Classical
behavioural economics and Macroeconomics with particular focus
on business cycles, growth and development, the Simon-Velupillais
algorithmic approach to economic decision-making and processes and
the von-Neumann-Leontief-Sraffian production schemes.
The Macro and Finance group (MACFIN, http://www.unitn.it/
economia/32054/macfin) supports research on theoretical and
empirical models of macroeconomic connections with financial
markets; monetary and financial policies in particular in Europe;

problems of financial instability and stabilisation in a network analysis

approach.
In the Management field, research proposals are welcome on issues
related to:
The Strategy Entrepreneurship and Innovation Laboratory (STEIN
http://events.unitn.it/en/stein-lab) receives proposals on issues like:
micro studies on innovation; networks of innovation; patterns of
firms internationalization; organizational issues of global unbundling;
technical advancements and productivity growth; firms growth;
corporate governance in family business; organization of massively
distributed labour.
The MACFIN group also carries on research at the corporate and
banking levels, such as management and regulation of financial
intermediaries, corporate finance for small-medium firms, risk
management, pricing of financial instruments.
Quantitative methods are an important component of teaching and
research in E&M. DEM offers specialists in various fields such as
mathematical tools for individual and collective decision-making; statistical
methods and tools for dynamic geo-databases and spatial concentration
of economic activities; financial statistical methods for standard
and non-standard risk analysis management; stochastic processes;
timeseries econometrics applied to macro and financial data and models;
econometrics for panel data and micro-data.

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Apart from the core fields, DEM offers a wider range of other research
opportunities:
Economics of institutions, organisations and firms, business ethics,
corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, non-profit
organisations;
Behavioural cost management and decision-making, management
control systems;
Economics of globalisation, trade and emerging markets, global
imbalances, commodity market analysis and policies, and development
and poverty policies;
Environmental studies and sustainable local development; sustainable
tourism;
Macroeconomics and finance, theoretical and empirical models of
macroeconomic connections with financial markets; monetary and
financial policies in particular in Europe; problems of financial instability
and stabilisation in a network perspective;
Management and regulation of financial intermediaries, corporate
finance for small-medium firms, risk management, pricing of financial
instruments;
Household and labour economics, household choices especially
regarding employment, schooling, and gender issues;
Economic, business, and bank history;
Quantitative methods in various fields such as mathematical tools
for individual and collective decision-making; statistical methods
for dynamic geo-databases and spatial concentration of economic
activities; financial statistical methods for standard and non-standard
risk analysis management; stochastic processes; time-series
econometrics applied to macro and financial data and models;

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econometrics for panel data and micro-data.

Seminar meetings will be organized with DEM research groups in the
firstsemester of the second year.
Further information can be found on the Department website
www.unitn.it/economia.

Internationalization
The E&M programme has been designed to offer students the best
research environment and opportunities, which means first of all creating
astimulating international network.
E&M is part of the network IMPRS on Adapting Behaviour in a
Fundamentally Uncertain World and the International Max Planck Research
School organized by the Max Planck Institute Jena and other host
universities (http://www.imprs.econ.mpg.de)
The E&M faculty has developed extensive networks of international
relationships, which can help students organise visiting periods in foreign
institutions or co-supervisions.
In addition, E&M offers an intensive calendar of seminars and conferences
held by distinguished speakers, including international scholars such
as Michael Spence, Nobel Laureate in Economics 2001; J. Barkley
Rosser, James Madison University; Suh-Heng Chen, National Chengchi
University; John Driffill, Birkbeck University of London; Jonathan Leland,
NationalScience Foundation.University; John Driffill, Birkbeck University
of London; Jonathan Leland, National Science Foundation; Alan Kirman,
University of Marseille.

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Some practical
instructions

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Please read carefully the call for application on the School of Social
Sciences website www.unitn.it/en/drss
8 Scholarships available:
about 1, 200 euros a month
50 per cent increase of the scholarship for research abroad
additional funding for research expenses
E&M offers 8 full scholarships for three years, subject to satisfactory
academic appraisal. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit,
meaning that they will be offered to the top candidates of the final ranking:
6 scholarships sponsored by the University of Trento
1 scholarships co sponsored by the University of Trento and
Castello Sgr S.p.A.
1 scholarship sponsored by Institute for Economic Promotion, Bolzano
Chamber of Commerce on Analysis and evaluation of local public
policies and their impact on enterprises.

Admission requirements
Applications are invited from candidates, regardless of gender, age,
religion or nationality, who hold an Italian laurea specialistica (or
magistrale) or a Master degree or an equivalent degree qualification
obtained abroad and considered suitable by the Admission Committee.
Applications are also accepted from candidates who can certify that they
qualify to obtain their degree by October 31, 2014.
If conditionally accepted, the candidate must deliver full documentation
of his/her degree by November 15, 2014.

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Documents to be submitted
photocopy of the applicants identity card or passport
degree diplomas
curriculum vitae in English
research proposal
See detailed information on the Call for 2014/2015 entry:
www.unitn.it/en/ateneo/1963/announcement-of-selection

English Language requirements

The programme is conducted entirely in English and an excellent working
knowledge of that language, including a proven writing ability, is an
indispensable requirement for admission.

Selection procedure
Admission to the School is on a competitive basis.
The procedure consists of two stages. A shortlist of candidates is first
produced on the basis of the assessment of their curriculum, research
proposal, and reference letters. Shortlisted candidates are then invited
to an interview in Trento. Non-Italian candidates may be interviewed by
phone or videoconference.

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Fees
The PhD programme currently does not charge tuition. Admitted students
however are required to pay an annual student fee of about euro 120.
Participation in the selection process is subject to the payment of a non
reimbursable application fee of 15.00, by Bank transfer or credit card, as
indicated in the appropriate section of the application on line.
Deadline for applying: July 2, 2014 - 4.00 pm (Italian time)

For further information please contact

School of Social Sciences
via Verdi 26 38122 Trento (IT)
ph. + 39 0461 281369/2290/3756
fax: + 39 0461 282335
school.socialsciences@unitn.it

www.unitn.it/en/drss

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