Globalisation, robotics and the future of work

Summary

This course introduces students to economic globalisation with an emphasis on the role of digital technology and its impact on the future of work.

Content

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Keywords

Globalisation, Economics, Future of Work, Robotics

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Define economic globalisation and its usual impacts
• Illustrate various theories of globalisation and why it has changed
• Explain the essential economics necessary to understand past, present, and future globalisation
• Assess / Evaluate the likely impact of digital technology of future globalisation and the future of work
• Compare different perspectives on how and why globalisation changed
• Illustrate the link between financial crises and the choice of exchange-rate regime

Transversal skills

• Communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines.
• Demonstrate a capacity for creativity.
• Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
• Access and evaluate appropriate sources of information.
• Make an oral presentation.

Teaching methods

The course is organized in lectures, class discussions and presentation. Lectures will provide the basic factual and theoretical knowledge needed to understand globalisation and its impacts. Students will have the opportunity to apply their apply the knowledge during classroom discussions and group work. Lectures will include several class discussions of recent economic events, Students will be divided in groups to work on a project to be presented in the last week of the semester

Expected student activities

In-class and out-of-class group work

Assessment methods

• 30% Problem sets
• 30% Mid-term exam (closed book)
• 40% Final Exam (closed book)

Resources

Bibliography

The Great Convergence: Information technology and the new globalisation, Richard Baldwin, 2016, Harvard University Press

The Globotics Upheaval: Globalisation, robotics, and the future of work, Oxford University Press, 2019.

Various articles and readings posted on moodle

Ressources en bibliothèque

• Economics of European integration / Baldwin (additionally requested)
• The Great Convergence / Baldwin
• The Globotics Upheaval / Baldwin

Notes/Handbook

Slides: The slides will be available on the class web site.

Moodle Link

• https://go.epfl.ch/MGT-464