2. Professors
  3. CAVALCA Guido Gabriele Giacomo
  4. Teaching

ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIES AND SUSTAINABILITY MODELS

Guido Gabriele Giacomo CAVALCA ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIES AND SUSTAINABILITY MODELS

0322900100
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STUDIES
EQF7
SOCIOLOGY AND POLICY-MAKING FROM A TERRITORIAL PERSPECTIVE
2024/2025

OBBLIGATORIO
YEAR OF COURSE 2
YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2011
SPRING SEMESTER
CFUHOURSACTIVITY
640LESSONS
GUIDO GABRIELE GIACOMO CAVALCA T Curriculum
Objectives
THE TEACHING AIMS TO DEEPEN KNOWLEDGE OF THE ECONOMIC MODELS THAT HAVE EMERGED IN RECENT DECADES AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE MARKET ECONOMY, BASED NOT EXCLUSIVELY ON PROFIT GOALS. LECTURES WILL BE DEVOTED TO THE TOPIC OF SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND CRITICISM OF THE REPRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION MECHANISMS OF CONTEMPORARY CAPITALISM.
THE TEACHING ACTIVITIES INTEND TO EXAMINE THE EXPERIENCES OF ORGANISING ECONOMIC LIFE THAT TRY TO COMBINE THE INTERESTS UNDERLYING THE TRADITIONAL ENTREPRENEURIAL LOGIC WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIO-ECONOMIC SYSTEMS, AND THOSE EXPERIMENTS THAT AIM, INSTEAD, AT OVERCOMING PURELY MARKET-BASED RESOURCE ALLOCATION MECHANISMS, PREFIGURING NEW SYSTEMS OF ECONOMIC EXCHANGE AND WORK ORGANISATION.
THE COURSE AIMS AT OFFERING THEORETICAL AND ANALYTICAL TOOLS THAT ALLOW TO RECONSTRUCT AND INTERPRET THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES, ORGANISATIONS, ACTORS AND FUNCTIONING MECHANISMS OF THESE MODELS IN THE LIGHT OF A DIFFERENT THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SOCIOLOGY AND ECONOMICS AND A CRITICAL READING OF THE CURRENT DEVELOPMENT MODEL. THE TEACHING ACTIVITY THEREFORE DEALS WITH ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES SUCH AS THE SOLIDARITY AND SOCIAL ECONOMY, THE ECOLOGICAL ECONOMY AND THE FUNDAMENTAL ECONOMY. THE TEACHING INCLUDES THE USE OF THE ANALYSIS OF BOTH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDIES, WITH A FOCUS ON ALTERNATIVE EXPERIENCES IN THE FIELD OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION AND THOSE OF SELF-MANAGEMENT.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
THE STUDENT WILL:
- WILL KNOW THE MAIN ECONOMIC THEORIES ON DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, THE LITERATURE CRITICAL OF THE CAPITALIST AND NEO-LIBERAL DEVELOPMENT MODEL, HISTORICAL MODELS OF ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIES;
- UNDERSTAND THE CRITICAL ASPECTS OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MODEL OF CAPITALISM AND ITS EFFECTS ON SOCIETY;
- WILL KNOW THE SOCIAL MECHANISMS OF ECONOMIC ACTION;
- WILL UNDERSTAND THE MEANING AND THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY;
- KNOW THE MAIN CONTEMPORARY ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC THEORIES TO CAPITALISM.

ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO:
- INTERPRET SOCIO-ECONOMIC PHENOMENA AND ARGUE THEIR MAIN THEORETICAL AND CRITICAL ASPECTS;
- IDENTIFY ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL POLICY PROPOSALS RELATING TO THE MOST RELEVANT PROBLEMS OF THE ECONOMY;
- COLLECT AND PROCESS DATA ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ON SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.

AUTONOMY OF JUDGEMENT
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO:
- EVALUATE CRITICAL ASPECTS OF SOCIAL THEORIES AND PHENOMENA;
- COMPARE DIFFERENT THEORETICAL MODELS;
- CRITICISE EXPLANATIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PHENOMENA ON THE BASIS OF SOCIAL THEORIES
- USE THEORIES TO INDEPENDENTLY DEVELOP INTERPRETATIONS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
THE TEACHING AIMS TO ENCOURAGE THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE LEARNING CONTENT THROUGH DISCUSSION OF SPECIFIC TOPICS.
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO
- CONCISELY COMMUNICATE SOCIOLOGICAL AND, MORE GENERALLY, SCIENTIFIC CONTENT;
- REPRESENT AND COMMUNICATE, BY MEANS OF WRITTEN TEXTS AND ORAL PRESENTATIONS, THE RESULTS OF THEIR OWN RESEARCH OR ELABORATIONS;
- ARGUE THEIR OWN CRITICAL REFLECTIONS ON SOCIAL ISSUES.

LEARNING SKILLS
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO:
- USE TRADITIONAL AND ONLINE BIBLIOGRAPHIC TOOLS, COMPUTER RESOURCES OF STATISTICAL DATA;
- CARRY OUT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET COMPLEX SCIENTIFIC TEXTS;
- UPDATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE, USING SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE.
Prerequisites
THE TEACHING ASSUMES KNOWLEDGE OF THE MAIN TOPICS OF POLITICAL ECONOMY AND ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY ACQUIRED DURING THE THREE-YEAR DEGREE COURSE. NO PROPAEDEUTICITY IS REQUIRED.
Contents
THE TEACHING PROGRAMME IS MADE UP OF 3 MODULES DEDICATED TO SPECIFIC TOPICS.
IN THE FIRST MODULE (ECONOMIC THEORY AND CRITICAL THEORIES, 6 HOURS) THE MAIN ECONOMIC THEORIES ON THE FUNCTIONING AND DEVELOPMENT OF CAPITALISM AND CRITICAL THEORIES ON THE MARKET SYSTEM ARE TAUGHT.
IN THE SECOND MODULE (MODELS OF ECONOMIC ACTION AND SUSTAINABILITY, 18 HOURS), THE SUBJECT OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS ANALYSED FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY, CONSIDERED AS A MODEL OF CHANGE AND REFORM OF THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM, AND OF INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS AIMED AT DIRECTING PRIVATE ENTERPRISE TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT MODELS WITH LESS OR NO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE AND RESPECTFUL OF LABOUR REGULATIONS.
THE THIRD MODULE (ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC EXPERIENCES BETWEEN MARKET AND MUTUALISM, 16 HOURS) AIMS TO STUDY AND DISCUSS THE EXPERIMENTAL EXPERIENCES OF ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIES IN RECENT DECADES. IN PARTICULAR, IT EXAMINES THE EMERGENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC NETWORKS TO THE MARKET, AS WELL AS ENTERPRISES USING ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT MODELS, AND ENTERPRISES SUPPORTING ETHICAL SUPPLY CHAINS FROM THE PRODUCTION TO THE SALE OF PRODUCTS OR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES.

MODULE 1 - ECONOMIC THEORY AND CRITICAL THEORIES (6 HOURS)
- ECONOMIC THEORIES OF CAPITALISM (2 HOURS)
- ECONOMIC MODELS AND GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS (2 HOURS)
- ECONOMIC MODELS AND SOCIAL INEQUALITIES, SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND CRITIQUE OF DEVELOPMENT MODELS (2 HOURS)

MODULE 2 - ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND MODELS OF SUSTAINABILITY (18 HOURS)
- ECONOMIC GROWTH, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, MEANING OF SUSTAINABILITY (4 HOURS)
- RESPONSIBLE" AND "BENEFICIAL" ENTERPRISES, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY; SUSTAINABILITY BUDGETS (2 HOURS)
- MEASURES OF WELL-BEING AND SUSTAINABILITY (2 HOURS)
- GREEN ECONOMY AND CRITICAL ISSUES (2 HOURS)
- CIVIL ECONOMY (2 HOURS)
- BASIC ECONOMICS (2 HOURS)
- SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY (2 HOURS)
- ECOLOGICAL AND BIO-ECONOMICS (2 HOURS)

MODULE 3 - ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC EXPERIENCES BETWEEN MARKET AND MUTUALISM (16 HOURS)
- RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND ENERGY COMMUNITIES (2 HOURS)
- THE AGRARIAN QUESTION IN EUROPE; AGRI-FOOD PRODUCTION, ETHICAL SUPPLY CHAINS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LABELS; SOLIDARITY PURCHASING GROUPS (4 HOURS)
- OFF-MARKET ACTIVITIES, SUBJECTS, MOTIVATIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION (2 HOURS)
- COOPERATIVE FORMS OF WORK ORGANISATION; RECOVERED ENTERPRISES (4 HOURS)
- THE SEM TERRA MOVEMENT (4 HOURS).
Teaching Methods
THE COURSE CONSISTS OF LECTURES (APPROXIMATELY 24 HOURS) AND SEMINARS (APPROXIMATELY 16 HOURS). THE LECTURES WILL ENABLE THE STUDENT TO ACQUIRE THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE AND PART OF THE KNOWLEDGE CONTAINED IN THE REFERENCE TEXTS. THE SEMINARS CONSIST OF DISCUSSIONS BASED ON THE READING OF TEXTS PROVIDED BY THE LECTURER AND AIM TO DEEPEN SOME TOPICS OF PARTICULAR RELEVANCE AND TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ABILITY TO APPLY THE CONTENTS OF THE COURSE TO THE ANALYSIS OF CONCRETE CASES.
ATTENDANCE IS NOT COMPULSORY, BUT IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.
Verification of learning
THE EXAMINATION CONSISTS OF AN ORAL TEST IN WHICH STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO EXPLAIN THE MAIN THEMES OF THE COURSE, MAINSTREAM ECONOMIC THEORIES, CRITICAL THEORIES OF CAPITALISM AND THEORIES OF SUSTAINABILITY, AND TO ILLUSTRATE ONE OF THE ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIC EXPERIENCES PROPOSED IN THE THIRD MODULE.
THE ORAL EXAMINATION MUST ALSO TEST THE STUDENT'S EXPOSITORY AND ARGUMENTATIVE SKILLS.
STUDENTS WILL BE ASKED TO WRITE AN ESSAY DEMONSTRATING THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE CRITICAL LITERATURE ON CAPITALISM AND SUSTAINABILITY AND THE EXPERIENCES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EXAMINED IN THE FIRST TWO MODULES OF THE COURSE.
THE MINIMUM MARK FOR THE ORAL EXAMINATION (18/30) IS A MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE OF ECONOMIC THEORY OF CAPITALISM AND SYSTEMIC CRITIQUE.
THE MAXIMUM MARK (30/30) IS ACHIEVED WHEN THE STUDENT SUCCEEDS IN CORRECTLY ILLUSTRATING AND DISCUSSING THE TOPICS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND MODULES OF THE COURSE AND IN GIVING A COMPLETE AND THOROUGH ACCOUNT OF ONE OF THE EXPERIENCES RECALLED IN THE THIRD MODULE. EXCELLENCE (HONOURS) REQUIRES IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF THE COURSE, GOOD CRITICAL SKILLS AND EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION SKILLS.
THE FINAL MARK WILL DEPEND ON THE DEPTH AND ACCURACY OF THE ARGUMENTS PRESENTED AND ON THE STUDENT'S ABILITY TO PRESENT THE CONTENT EFFECTIVELY AND TO CRITICALLY DISCUSS THE ARGUMENTS PRESENTED.
Texts
REFERENCE TEXTS:
MARIO SALOMONE, 2014, AL VERDE! LA SFIDA DELL’ECONOMIA ECOLOGICA, CAROCCI
LAVILLE J.-L., CATTANI A. 2006 DIZIONARIO DELL'ALTRA ECONOMIA, SAPERE 2000
PER LA PARTE DI APPROFONDIMENTO SU ESPERIENZE DI ECONOMIA ALTERNATIVA (MODULO 3) UNO A SCELTA TRA:
SEMENZIN M., 2019, LE FABBRICHE DELLA COOPERAZIONE, OMBRE CORTE
MARCHETTI A., 2022, IL MOVIMENTO BRASILIANO SEM TERRA UNA LUNGA LOTTA CONTADINA CONTRO IL LATIFONDO E LE MULTINAZIONALI, CAROCCI

IN-DEPTH TEXTS:
BERTELL L., DERIU M., DE VITA A., GOSETTI G., 2013, DAVIDE E GOLIA. LA PRIMAVERA DELLE ECONOMIE DIVERSE, JACA BOOK.
BROCCHI D. (2022) BY DISASTER OR BY DESIGN? DALLA CRISI MULTIPLA ALLA GRANDE TRASFORMAZIONE SOSTENIBILE, MIMESIS
AA.VV., 2022, PLURIVERSO. DIZIONARIO DEL POST-SVILUPPO, ORTHOTES EDITRICE, NAPOLI (A CURA DI BENEGIAMO M., DAL GOBBO A., LEONARDI E., TORRE S.)
CHIAPPERO-MARTINETTI E., 2022, LA SFIDA DELL'UGUAGLIANZA. DEMOCRAZIA ECONOMICA E FUTURO DEL CAPITALISMO, FONDAZIONE GIANGIACOMO FELTRINELLI.
More Information
THE TEACHER RECEIVES BY APPOINTMENT TO BE AGREED BY E-MAIL; DURING TEACHING HE RECEIVES EVERY WEDNESDAY FROM 10:30 TO 11:30.
Lessons Timetable

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