This course will focus on the role of accessibility, infrastructure and mobility in regional economics, and will discuss among others the following topics:

• The role of accessibility for location choices of households and firms
• The trade-off between agglomeration economies and negative transport externalities (congestion, noise, pollution)
• Public investments: effects on regional growth, economic assessment
• Political economy aspects related to regional/transport policies

Current scientific papers dealing with the previously mentioned topics will be discussed in addition to the corresponding theories.

The goal of the course is to familiarize students with the theories of regional economics, in particular the role of acccessibility. After completing the course, students should be able to formulate, defend and critically reflect arguments related to the course contents (accessibility, location choices, infrastructure investments, etc.). 

In the event of more than two absences - for whatever reason - no assessment is made.

• Presentation of theoretical approaches and relevant literature with reference to current research results
• In-depth discussions on the connection between theory and real-world applications
• Short presentations of scientific papers
• Various exercises to illustrate and anchor the theory
• The course ends with a written examination in the last unit

A total of 100 points can be achieved in the course The assessment consists of the following components:

• Class participation (max. 20 points)
• Summary and presentation of a scientific paper (max. 30 points)
• Final exam (max. 50 points)

Minimum points for each grade are as follows:
      5    -
      4    61
      3    71
      2    81
      1    91

Active class participation (20 points) 

The assessment of the student's participation will be based on the following aspects: 

• Active participation in class discussions through questions and contributions
• Quality of feedback and quality of questions raised in response to the summaries of the other students

Presentation of a scientific paper (30 points)

Each student summarizes a scientific article in the form of a short (poster) presentation (5-10 minutes). Students are asked to related the contents of the article to course contents (if possible). Students in the Englisch Bachelor program are allowed to form teams of two students. 

The topics will always be distributed for the subsequent lecture. 

It is expected that the summary contains the following elements: 

• Which research question is being investigated? 
• Why is this research question relevant? Which research gaps are being closed?
• Which methodology and data are being used?
• What are the findings? 

Exam (50 points) 

The exam will take place on campus on the last date of the course. The exam will test the students' ability to apply the learned theories and concepts (e.g., for a student's home region). The scientific papers prepared by students during the course are not directly part of the exam but will usually illustrate the topics taught in class and enhance their understanding 

Attendance in the 1st course unit is obligatory.

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Institute für Multilevel Governance and Development

E-Mail: stefanie.peer@wu.ac.at