Development Economics A
Module Code: ECU44031/ECU44033
Module Name: Development Economics A
- ECTS weighting: 10/5
- Semester/term taught: Semester 1
- Contact Hours: 22 hours of lectures and 5 hours of tutorials
- Module Personnel: Lecturer – Professor Andrea Guariso
Module Learning Aims
The module will cover a range of topics in the field of Development Economics. The focus will be mostly on the micro-level and the lectures will build around the evidence provided by the most recent empirical research in the field.
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to:
5 ECTS:
- Identify and understand key issues that 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;
10 ECTS:
- Provide your contribution to the debate, by working on your own research proposal.
Module Content
The module will be structured in two main parts.
The first part will focus on methodology. We will discuss the most common methodologies – experimental and quasi-experimental – used in the field. Although you might be already familiar with some of these methodologies, from statistics or econometric modules, we will focus here on how to concretely apply them within the field of Development Economics.
In the second part we will then zoom into a set of topics of relevance to developing country economies, which will include psychological wellbeing, education, gender, and climate. We will discuss questions such as:
- What is the relationship between development and psychological wellbeing?
- Does poverty affect stress levels and cognitive functions?
- Does (mis)perception on returns to schooling affect actual educational investment decisions?
- Do school subsidies work in raising school enrolment?
- What are the historical origins of cross-cultural differences in beliefs and values regarding the role of women in society?
- Is it possible to modify social norm that constraint female labour force participation?
- What are the implication of climate shocks on the risk of violence and conflicts across the globe?
- What is the impact of air pollution on child mortality?
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
EC2110 & EC2111 Intermediate Economics
Assessment Details
5 ECTS:
The overall grade for the course is based on the end-of-year examination (60%) plus one referee report (40%).
10 ECTS:
The overall grade for the course is based on the end-of-year examination (40%) plus two pieces of project work: one research proposal (40%) and one referee report (20%).
Module Website
Blackboard