Course 2013-2014 a.y.

Go to class group/s: 31

CLEAM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - CLEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - CLEACC (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01) - BIEMF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/01)

Course Director:
SELIM GULESCI

Course Objectives

This course provides an introduction to the study of development economics. The central aim of the course is to present key theoretical models and related empirical evidence that shape our thinking of economic interactions and policy-making in developing countries.

The course begins by giving an overview of theories of economic growth in order to identify, both theoretically and empirically, the drivers of economic growth. The first part of the course discusses the roles of physical and human capital in growth, and the links between health, education, and poverty. The course then analyzes markets and institutions in developing countries, with a focus on how informal and semi-formal institutions have developed to make up for market imperfections in developing countries. In particular, the structure of land, labor, credit and insurance markets in developing countries is introduced with a view towards understanding how imperfections in these markets affect the lives of the poor and the economy at large, and shape economic policy-making. The course has a strong applied focus. For each topic, simple theoretical models are introduced to derive testable predictions, followed by a review of the empirical results and their implications for policy.

Course Content Summary

• Theories of economic growth
• Poverty and undernutrition
• Human capital
• Social capital
• Agricultural productivity
• Financial development and microfinance
• Self-employment and firm growth
• Corruption
• Environmental policies and development
• Program evaluation and policy design

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

Students have two options. They may take the exam in two written parts: 1st partial exam and 2nd partial exam and each part accounts for 50% of the grade (students must pass both partial exams in order to receive a final grade). Alternatively, they may take a general written exam covering the entire course material.

Textbooks

Teaching in the course is done mainly from journal articles. The reading list and lecture notes are posted on the Agenda You@B.

The following textbooks are used throughout the course:

• D. RAY, Development Economics, Princeton Univ. Press, 1998
• A.V. BANERJEE, E. DUFLO, Poor Economics, PublicAffairs, 2011

Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)

Last change 29/03/2013 14:54