Methods and models for economic decisions - XLI Ciclo | Università degli studi dell'Insubria

Tipologia di corso
Dottorato

Modalità di accesso
Programmato

Durata
3 years

Sedi
Varese

Lingue
inglese

Struttura proponente
DIPARTIMENTO DI ECONOMIA

Descrizione del corso

Topics and goals

A significant part of economic analysis focuses on decision-making processes. Consumers and producers, workers and firms, banks and managers, households and policy makers continuously make decisions which are economically relevant. Economists are interested in understanding, predicting or modifying the processes underlying these decisions.

The analysis of human decisions relies on methods and models that differ significantly across various fields of economic research. For instance, classical decision theory is largely based on mathematical models, while more recent research in behavioral decision theory often relies on experimental methods. Econometric tools are used to investigate the determinants of specific decisions, such as those concerning labor, transports, health or charity. Computational methods are used to simulate how economic agents interact, and to investigate the economic effects of their interactions.

The PhD program in Methods and Models for Economic Decisions trains young researchers to master the variety of theoretical and applied approaches that are used in economics for analyzing decision-making processes. In the first year of the program, students attend compulsory courses to acquire a broad set of research skills (from theory to data analysis), that allow them to tackle the complex phenomena related to decision making. During the second and third year of the program, students focus on their own research under the supervision of one or more faculty members and participate in seminars and reading groups in their field of interest.

The program strongly encourages students to spend part of their PhD period abroad and supports them in gaining international experience. The central goal of the program is to create independent researchers, who can then pursue an academic career in leading universities or obtain research positions in private firms or international organizations.

The courses are taught in English, and the program lasts three years. At the end of the third-year students submit their PhD dissertation, which is usually made of three research papers.

The PhD program is hosted by the Department of Economics of the University of Insubria, which has been granted the “Departments of Excellence” award and funding plan for the period 2023 – 2027 by the ANVUR (Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes), ranking 8th among the Italian departments of economics and statistics.

For more information see: https://www.phd.eco.uninsubria.it/

Ongoing PhD Research Plan 2025/2026.pdf

Aree scientifiche: 13-Economics and Statistics

Settori scientifico-disciplinari: ECON-01/A, ECON-02/A, ECON-03/A, ECON-04/A, ECON-05/A, ECON-06/A, ECON-07/A, ECON-09/A, ECON-09/B, STEC-01/B, STAT-01/A, STAT-02/A, STAT-04/A, MATH-03/A, MATH-03/B, MATH-06/A, INFO-01/A

Coordinatore: Mastrogiacomo Elisa

Anno Accademico: 2025/2026

Ciclo: XLI ciclo

Cosa ti occorre sapere

Admission requirements

Master Degree (second or single cycle, national or foreign title).

Assessment criteria for admission

Graduation final mark: for graduands the final mark will be estimated with the arithmetic average mark of the exams.
Master thesis: applicants must submit the full thesis or at least an extended abstract.
Research project: applicants must submit a research proposal.
Publications and conference presentations: applicants must send pdf copies of max 10 publications
Training activities and professional experiences-
Any other assessable qualifications, including language and computer skills certifications, and up to 3 recommendation letters.

Only applicants awarded with a minimum of 40 points on the qualification assessment are admitted to the interview.

Applicants are interviewed on their scientific interests and their motivations for applying to this specific PhD program. The interview can be evaluated up to a maximum of 60 points and is considered as passed only if the applicant obtains at least 40 points. The interview, which is public, tests the basic knowledge of economics and quantitative topics, as well as the knowledge of English, and could involve a discussion of possible research lines related to the PhD. Applicants can have the interview in English or Italian.

The selection of the new cohort of PhD students will be completed in September, their enrolment procedure will be completed in October and they will officially start their activities in November.

Partnerships

The PhD program in Methods and Models for Economic Decisions participates in the inter-university PhD programme in Sustainable Development and Climate change (PhD SDC), coordinated by IUSS – Pavia (Curriculum 2: Socio-economic risk and impacts), with co-funded scholarships for the a.y. 2021/2022 – cycle 37, the a.y. 2022/2023 – cycle 38, the a.y. 2023/2024 – cycle 39 and the a.y. 2024/2025 – cycle 40. Reference persons for the Department of Economics – University of Insubria: Elena Maggi, Eugenio Caverzasi, Anna Cecilia Rosso

Iscriversi

Positions: 6
- with Scholarships: 5
- without scholarship: 1

You can enroll after a selection process based on qualifications and an oral examination (see section on Admission requirements).

Applications can be submitted by Italian and non-Italian citizens who have completed or are completing their graduate studies.

Frequentare

Teaching and research program

In the first year, students attend the program’s courses at the Department of Economics of Insubria University, which is located in Varese. These courses are not the standard first-year courses in quantitative methods, microeconomics, macroeconomics, but cover the specific and more advanced topics in decision theory addressed by the doctoral program.

Courses focus on three main areas of research: (i) the economic theory of decision making, in the mainstream as well as behavioral version; (ii) econometric techniques to analyze economic decisions observed either in the laboratory or in the field; (iii) the study of economic indicators of risk and inequality associated with the outcome of collective choices. Additional courses related to the program’s topic are taught by external professors visiting the Economics Department. Lectures are taught in English, held in presence and student’s attendance is compulsory.

During the first year, students also identify a research area for their dissertation and the members of the PhD board who will act as thesis supervisors, eventually pinning down the topic of their first research paper.

The second and third years are entirely dedicated to research. Students work on their research papers and are expected to attend seminars and other training events held at the Department of Economics. In addition, students are strongly encouraged to spend part of the second and third years in foreign universities and research institutions to gain international experience. They can choose among universities having specific exchange programs with Insubria University, such as the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena (DE), the University of Hohenheim (DE) and the University of Bordeaux (FR), as well as among other leading institutions in their field of research.

Over the last few years, students in their second or third year have spent research periods in the following institutions: Duke University (US), Stony Brook University, New York (US), University of Nottingham (UK), University of Kent (UK), FSU of Jena (DE), University of Bordeaux (FR), University of Lille (FR), University Jaume I, Castellón (ES), University of Granada (ES), Technical University of Ostrava (CZ).

From the second year onwards, students are also encouraged to present their research papers at internal seminars and international conferences, and then submit them to international journals.

Studiare

Curricular activities (min. 144 hours)

PHD MMED ACTIVITIES A.A. 2025/2026

FIRST PERIOD (November – December 2025)
COURSE TITLE	HOURS	CFU	PROFESSOR	SSD	AREA
Advanced Econometrics for Decision Making	12	1.5	Seri	ECON-05	Economics Econometric techniques for economic decisions
Applied econometrics: causality and policy evaluation	20	2.5	Castelnovo – Montorsi – Porro – Sonedda – Vezzulli	ECON-05	Economics: Econometric techniques for economic decisions
Transport decision making and sustainability	12	1.5	Maggi	ECON-04	Economics: Applied Microeconomics
Introduction to Macro Agent Based models	12	1.5	Caverzasi	ECON-01	Economics: Macroeconomics
Introduction to MATLAB	8	1	Moretto	STAT-04	Computational methods for economic decisions
STATA Laboratory for financial and economic analyses	10	1.25	Tanda	ECON/09-B	Computational methods for economic decisions
Advanced Mathematical Methods for Economic Decisions	10	1.25	Tarsia	STAT-04	Mathematics/Statistics Quantitative tools for economic decisions
SECOND PERIOD (February – May 2026)
COURSE TITLE	HOURS	CFU	PROFESSOR	SSD	AREA
Decision making in historical-economic perspective	12	1.5	Brambilla	ECON-01	Economics: Macroeconomics, Historical perspective
The economics of altruistic decisions and charitable giving	10	1.25	Galmarini	ECON-01	Economics: Microeconomics
Applied econometrics: Health Economics	18	2.25	18	ECON-03	Economics: Applied microeconomics
Networks: Theory and Applications	12	1.5	Vanni	STAT-04	Mathematics/Statistics Quantitative tools for economic decisions
Optimization with applications to finance and economics	16	2	Rocca	STAT-04	Mathematics/Statistics Quantitative tools for economic decisions

Transversal activities (min. 24 hours)

Course	Year	Hours	Faculty	Description
“Innovation Camp” for Insubria PhD students - A deep dive into innovation and execution	1 or 2	20	Fasano, Pisoni, Vezzulli, Farao, Ronchetti, Capelli, Bellucci, Ferrari	DAY 1: Knowledge valorization. IP management and protection. DAY 2: Introduction to startup world: legal frameworks and the capital raising process. DAY 3: The Lean Startup approach with hands-on. Value proposition, business model canvas and customer journey. DAY 4: Communication of the idea. Pitch structure. Soft skills for pitching. Mentoring activities (proposed idea). DAY 5: Pitch refinement session. DAY 6: Final presentation of business ideas.
Safety in the laboratory	1	14	Ref. Sacchi	Legal aspects. Working with videoterminals. Working with chemicals. Working with lasers and radioactive sources. Biohazard.
Artificial intelligence	Any	8	Ref. Fasano	Foundations of AI. The AI act. Applications (Biology, Surgery, Medicine, Economics, Humanities, Astrophysics, Materials science)
Research integrity	Any	12	Ref. Cosentino	The course aims to promote knowledge of the principles and standards defined in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (https://allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/European-Code-of-Conduct-Revised-Edition-2023.pdf), providing essential tools for their application in various contexts where scientific research is conducted. It takes into account the roles of the different figures involved in various capacities, their tasks and responsibilities, as well as the pressures each may face from time to time. The code applies to all scientific and humanities disciplines and promotes the importance of honesty and collaboration in the research process. The research community has the responsibility to formulate principles, ensure the quality and integrity of research, and actively respond to situations where forms of scientific misconduct occur. The code aims to strengthen this responsibility and provide tools to prevent and – if necessary – recognize and manage violations of research integrity.
Academic writing and publishing	Any	8	Ref. Vezzulli	By the end of the course, students should be able to: craft texts in different genres (e.g., summary, problem statement, annotations, etc.); produce an original academic research paper in your field of studies; practice analysis in written form through synthesis of academic papers; provide constructive feedback to peers on their written work, and address issues identified by the instructor and peers when revising one’s own written work.
Personal branding	Any	12	TLC	At the end of the course, the participant will be able to effectively manage their presence on social media by creating high-quality content and will know how to communicate in an official capacity to best promote themselves on their personal and professional channels.
Public speaking	Any	8	TLC	The course introduces important elements of successful presentations including effective listening, presentation organization, and logical structure; informative and persuasive speech; use of visual aids, research, and evidence; ethical considerations; and techniques for building confidence in public speaking. Objectives: to increase confidence and poise when speaking to audiences or groups; to expand student’s abilities with computer mediated communication in order to better prepare them for future presentations online; to enrich students’ ability to master all components that make a speech successful: understanding timing, figuring out how much practice is needed, ensuring deliverables are clear, and being able to meet deadlines.
Project management	Any	8	TLC	How to start, define and organize a project; how to develop a project plan, including scoping, sequencing tasks, and determining the critical path; how to assess, prioritize and manage project risk; how to execute projects and use the earned value approach to monitor and control progress