Development Economics
Full course description
The long-run economic development of countries, as well as inequality within countries are the major topics of this course. The course will review the major conceptual approaches to economic development, and apply those to the actual experience of countries. In this way, the global variety of development experiences becomes a central to[pic of the course, addressing topics such as investment, trade, building institutions, population dynamics, education, health, and migration. The material that we cover suggests that inequality of the distribution of income resulting from differences across the population in terms of access to education, health services, or infrastructure can be a major obstacle to economic development. Throughout the course, public policy options for stimulating development are made central, especially in the assignment that students will carry out.
Course objectives
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To provide participants with an overview of the major characteristics of, and conceptual approaches to economic development and the public policies that are used to stimulate it; these topics include, inter alia, economic growth and population dynamics, education, health, migration, institutions, and environment.
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To deliver the skills needed to analyze real-world economic development experiences and approach them in a rigorous and critical way.
Prerequisites
SSC1027 Principles of Economics. Knowledge of basic quantitative concepts such as reading and working with graphs and simple equations is also a prerequisite.
Recommended reading
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A textbook on economic development (to be decided).
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Other reading materials will be indicated during the course.