Economics and Statistics - English version

 

Description of the Educational Project

 

The PhD program in Economics and Statistics arises from the need to offer advanced training and research capabilities explicitly designed to contribute to the study and interpretation of the profound economic, technological, and social transformation processes currently underway. Against a backdrop of persistent widening economic and social disparities and growing concerns regarding the environmental sustainability of existing production and consumption models, the pandemic crisis has further exacerbated these issues, accelerating pervasive processes of ecological transition and digital transformation.

The pursuit of objectives such as environmental preservation, climate change mitigation, and the promotion of responsible use of natural resources—supported by the integration and large-scale adoption of advanced digital technologies (including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, robotics, blockchain, etc.) aimed at improving efficiency, productivity, and quality of life through automation, connectivity, and facilitated access to information—entails radical and permanent systemic impacts. Understanding these impacts requires moving beyond traditional economic interpretative models and quantitative analysis tools in favor of innovative, diversified, and interdisciplinary approaches capable of capturing the complexities and interconnections among various socio-economic dimensions (environmental, social, institutional, economic-financial, and technological).

These transformation processes involve a set of actors, resources, production sectors, technologies, governance levels, and social interactions characterized by relationships and linkages (technological, social, cultural, institutional, and territorial) that tend to co-evolve over time. Consequently, studying these phenomena and their socio-economic implications, generating robust scientific evidence, and producing research outputs that are useful and transferable—to businesses, financial institutions, and policymakers—require, from the outset, the adoption of a holistic, interdisciplinary, and participatory perspective in which sustainability and inclusiveness constitute guiding principles. Within this framework, the demand for highly trained professionals, such as PhD graduates equipped with theoretical and applied knowledge and skills to address socio-economic and environmental challenges with the necessary ecosystem-based approach, will grow rapidly across all levels: enterprises, institutions, public bodies, research centers, and the education system.

In this context, Economic and Statistical Sciences (and thus the disciplinary areas related to CUN Area 13, namely the SECS family of Scientific Disciplinary Sectors) represent the natural and predominant link for structuring a doctoral-level educational offering characterized by research trajectories that place individuals, organizations, digital and innovation ecosystems, and complex systems at the center, while adopting advanced quantitative methodologies and techniques.

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Examples of Teaching and Research Activities

 

By way of illustration, teaching and research activities may address:

• Changes in technology and knowledge transfer mechanisms, with particular reference to innovation management and ecosystems, as well as issues related to entrepreneurship;
• Transformations in production systems associated with ecological and digital transitions and the increasingly pervasive use of artificial intelligence;
• The impacts of ongoing transformation processes on regional development, as well as the design and implementation of public policies aimed at governing these processes;
• Advanced quantitative-statistical tools and methods, and the impact of their widespread adoption on business strategies and market functioning;
• Models and tools for predictive analysis and risk prevention (financial, operational, and environmental);
• The role of cultural and creative industries as relational infrastructures supporting social capital development and behavioral change;
• The relevance of experimental and computational methodologies as contributions to the advancement of economic sciences.

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Course Objectives

 

The PhD in Economics and Statistics aims to train highly qualified professionals with advanced and strongly interdisciplinary competencies in economics and statistics, fostering the acquisition of both vertical and horizontal knowledge and skills essential for addressing rapidly evolving contexts with a systemic approach.

PhD graduates in Economics and Statistics will possess a comprehensive understanding of the functioning of economic-financial systems and will be able to identify, plan, and manage strategies suitable for addressing increasingly complex contexts. Particular emphasis will be placed on advanced models of sectoral, territorial, and global growth and development, considering relevant dimensions (finance, sustainability, innovation) and their intersections.

The educational and research pathway will prioritize the conceptual and applied ecosystem approach, which is more modern, innovative, and consistent with the most recent strategic policy and management frameworks. Graduates will acquire advanced quantitative training for theoretical and empirical analysis of complex economic phenomena and their implications for local authorities, businesses, and other public and private entities.

Special importance will be given to acquiring knowledge and research skills aimed at understanding the functioning of real and financial markets, principles of public intervention for macroeconomic and sectoral planning and regulation, and principles of sustainability and circularity. Furthermore, training activities in quantitative disciplines will enable the acquisition of knowledge and skills related to the use of advanced statistical tools for constructing and analyzing models and addressing issues concerning economic policy design, business management, market analysis, and, more broadly, the identification of patterns within economic data (e.g., big data, artificial intelligence).

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Career Opportunities

 

Career prospects for PhD graduates in Economics and Statistics include academic positions in Italian and foreign universities, as well as roles in high-profile non-academic research institutions such as international organizations, central banks, and public and private data collection agencies.

Thanks to the acquisition of knowledge relevant to economic activity in terms of content and statistical-mathematical methods, PhD graduates will be able to address problems related to economic policy design, business management, market analysis, and, more generally, the identification of patterns within economic data (e.g., big data, artificial intelligence).

The skills acquired during the program and the ability to adopt innovative approaches to problem-solving will make PhD graduates in Economics and Statistics highly specialized professionals, also employable in private companies with research and development departments.