About the Program

PhD in Comparative Analysis of Institutions, Economics and Law:

The IEL - Institutions, Economics and Law International Ph.D. is an educational and research three-year programme  offered by the University of Torino and based in Torino at Campus “Luigi Einaudi”. Different departments of the university (Economics and Statistics, Law, Economic, Social, Mathematical and Statistics Sciences and Regional and Urban Studies and Planning) contribute to the programme. This aims to train PhDs in the economic analysis of law and institutions from the viewpoint of economics, which is the main discipline of the programme. At the end of the three-year period and through the writing of the research thesis, the PhDs will have acquired the theoretical and methodological tools to analyze the role of institutions in the economy and systems and legal phenomena from the point of view of economic analysis. Topics such as the efficiency of judicial systems, the protection of copyright and the relationship between legal systems and economic growth are examples of specific topics researched by law and economics.

The program is divided into three years: the first is dedicated to the acquisition of advanced theoretical and quantitative methods for research in law and economics. The second and third years are dedicated to writing the thesis, under the supervision of a professor chosen from among the members of the faculty. As with all Italian doctorates, it is possible to spend between 6 and 12 months visiting a foreign research institution.

The final thesis will consist of three chapters: each shall be written as an independent scientific article, intended for submission to an international scientific journal.

Curriculum and Organisation

During the first year, all the Ph.D. students are required to follow courses and to pass the relative exams, which are distributed over three terms. The courses of the first term include mathematics, statistics and basic econometrics, microeconomics, game theory, comparative law and economic history. The courses of the second and third term include law and economics, economics of judicial systems, growth and development, art and heritage law and economics, empirical analysis with STATA, experimental economics and topics in competition law.

These courses are intended to provide students with hints about possible topics for their thesis.

The second and third years will be devoted to writing the thesis. Students are expected to end the first year with a project of thesis to be proposed to a potential supervisor, chosen within the faculty of the programme.

Students may activate a co-tutorship, which implies to have a co-supervisor, residing in a foreign university. Visiting periods may be intended to cooperate with the co-supervisor.