I problemi della didattica dell’economia

The aim of the paper is to analyse some issues of teaching basic Economics in the Italian universities. During this period the university reform is changing the structure and the characteristics of the undergraduate and post graduate curricula but that may or shall require a change in the same teaching of the disciplines. This issue could be of interest for the Italian universities given two different strand of phenomena. The first is tied to the problems underlined by the data about the length of studying period and the exit in the labour market, the second is the importance of finding new techniques of teaching which promote the interest in the economics by the students. The first part of the paper outlines some problems of teaching economics in Italian universities, the remainder of the paper is devoted to single out some of the critical choices which must be made for the syllabus of basic economics. To begin with micro or macro issues is perhaps the first choice to be made with different problems for teaching and learning. The role of the history of economic thinking and or the role of economic history is a second issue for shaping a course but it is important too to clarify and explain the underlying approach to political and social problems. Correct incentives to learn economics may come even from underlining the benefits of the market rather than the market failures or the failing market.