Development Economics
Module Code: EC4041
Module Title: Development Economics
- ECTS Weighting: 15
- Semester/Term Taught: Michaelmas + Hilary Term
- Contact Hours: 44 hours of lectures and 10 hours of tutorials
- Module Personnel: Lecturers – Professor Andrea Guariso / Lecturer - Professor Gaia Narciso
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module, students will be able to:
- Identify and understand the key issues developing country economies face;
- Formulate a balanced, critical judgment on the status of the debate around these issues;
- Confidently discuss papers in the field of Development Economics;
- Critically evaluate contributions to the field of Development Economics;
- Solve theoretical models commonly used in the field of Development Economics.
Module Content
The course will cover a range of topics in the field of Development Economics. The focus will be mostly on the micro-level and the module will build around the evidence provided by the most recent empirical research in the field.
We will begin Michealmas Term by discussing the main methodologies – experimental and quasi-experimental - used in the field. We will then provide an overview of the key challenges facing low-income countries and we will zoom into a set of topics of relevance to developing country economies including education, climate, agriculture, and gender.
During Hilary Term we will study how informal markets operate in developing countries and we will discuss the functioning of credit and insurance sectors, with an emphasis on how social norms can affect economic outcomes. Next, we will cover issues related to health and migration. We will then cover some benchmark theories of democratization and institutions. Next, we will analyse recent contributions on colonial origins and civil conflict.
Active participation of students will be sought.
Recommended Reading List
This module will cover state-of-the-art contributions in the fields of Development Economics. A detailed reading list will follow.
Module Pre Requisite
EC2010 (old module); EC2110 & EC2111 (new modules)
Assessment Details
The overall grade for the course is based on the end-of-year examination (60%) plus two pieces of project work to be handed in during the year (40%).
Module Website
Blackboard