The Doctoral Program in “Law and Management of Sustainability - LaMaS” is targeted to students who wish to delve into the legal and technical profiles of sustainability issues related to business, markets and finance.
In general, the programme aims to develop skills and abilities in the critical analysis of legal and business phenomena and a strategic vision in decision-making processes from an interdisciplinary perspective sensitive to sustainability issues that can help face future challenges.
Through the study of subjects in the following four broad areas, doctoral students acquire a solid, advanced theoretical grounding and understand how this knowledge can be applied in practice:
1. The legal and economic/business framework of sustainability: from the Bruntland Report to SDGs; the principle of sustainable development in the EU; sustainability and the fight against climate change; the impact of sustainability and the circular economy on the EU's internal market; social sustainability and European and international policies; environment and sustainability in economic initiative; sustainable economic activities; privatization of public services and sustainability.
2. Sustainability and business: sustainable enterprises; sustainable agricultural enterprises; business contracts and sustainability; competition and sustainability; intellectual property and sustainability; corporate governance from the perspective of sustainability; non-financial disclosure of sustainable enterprises; sustainable enterprise and the third sector; sustainable enterprise and new technologies; new sustainability-oriented business models; sustainable marketing and consumer behaviour; sustainability in insolvency and reorganization proceedings.
3. Sustainability and finance: sustainable intermediaries, markets, services and products; sustainability disclosure of financial intermediaries; sustainability in financial and insurance products; public funding and guarantees for sustainable enterprises; the role of stakeholders in sustainable development; the listing of sustainable financial products; the sustainability of digital trading platforms; Fintech for sustainability (and the sustainability of Fintech).
4. Sustainability and public administrations: privatization, outsourcing and co-production of public services; the protection of environmental and social interests in public evidence procedures: Sustainable Public Procurement and Green Public Procurement; CAM (minimum environmental criteria), technical specifications and labelling; social clauses and awarding criteria; agreements among public administrations, Third Sector entities and active citizenship: co-programming and co-design of activities of general interest with social, environmental, urban regeneration and cultural heritage enhancement purposes.
In-depth study of these topics aims to develop not only the doctoral student's aptitude for research but also his/her ability to work in teams, to engage in scientific debate and discussion, to take part in the organization of conferences and seminars, and to contribute to the advancement of sustainability studies.
Moreover, the doctoral programme is designed to give the department greater visibility and relevance, nationally and internationally, so as to attract undergraduates from the University of Siena and other Italian and foreign universities: its inclusion in Marie Sklodowska-Curie doctoral networks, its interdisciplinarity and international approach, its links with institutions and research centres, the stable inclusion of prominent scholars from outside the department, both Italian and foreign, the training of new researchers and the broadening of research topics studied by internal faculty will contribute to the development and innovation of teaching and research within DISAG.
The doctoral programme is also important in terms of aligning research with the highest European standards, broadening students' study and career prospects, and enabling their movement within Europe. Moreover, the programme will enable DISAG to take a prominent position within existing collaborative relationships with European bodies dealing with sustainability law, such as the 'Sustainability Law' Research Group at the University of Oslo.
Lastly, with reference to the objectives included in the University's 2022-2024 strategic plan, establishment of the doctoral programme will improve the ISPD (Standardized departmental performance indicator) value attributed to DISAG (from the current value of 76.5 to 90); the value decreased with respect to the previous evaluation mainly due to the lack of a doctoral programme with administrative headquarters in the department.