Development Economics II
Objectives
A. Knowledge and Understanding:
Solve theoretical models applied to development issues.
Understand causality and interpret empirical results in the development context.
Know the range of evaluation methods for development interventions.
Be able to think creatively about development interventions and measurement of outcomes.
B. Subject-Specific Skills:
Confidently discuss the literature in development economics.
C. General Skills:
Critically evaluate economic research.
General characterization
Code
2739
Credits
3.5
Responsible teacher
Pedro Vicente
Hours
Weekly - Available soon
Total - Available soon
Teaching language
English
Prerequisites
N/A
Bibliography
Banerjee, Abhijit V., and Esther Duflo (2011), Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global
Poverty, Public Affairs;
Collier, Paul (2009), Wars, Guns, and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places, Harper Collins Publishers;
Angrist, Joshua D., and Jörn-Steffen Pischke (2008), Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion,
Princeton University Press;
7
Duflo, Esther, Rachel Glennerster, and Michael Kremer (2006), Using Randomization in Development Economics
Research: A Toolkit, NBER Technical Working Paper 333.
Sachs, Jeffrey D. and Andrew M. Warner (1995), Natural Resource Abundance and Economic Growth, NBER,
Working Paper 5398.
Easterly, William, and Ross Levine (1997), Africa’s Growth Tragedy: Policies and Ethnic Divisions, Quarterly
Journal of Economics, 112 (4), pp. 1203-1250.
Acemoglu, Daron and Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson (2001), The Colonial Origins of Comparative
Development: An Empirical Investigation, American Economic Review, 91, pp. 1369-1401.
Besley, Timothy (2006), Principled Agents? The Political Economy of Good Government, Oxford University Press.
Teaching method
There will be two classes of 1 hour and 20 minutes per week, based partly on slides and blackboard notes.
For each topic, a general overview of the theoretical and empirical issues will be given, and some examples taken from
recent research will be studied in greater detail.
The participation of students will be strongly encouraged to foster discussion. Individual written work will encourage
students to gain research skills.
Evaluation method
Presentation of a research paper (20%).
Writing a proposal for a research design (30% of the grade): To be done individually.
Participation in class (10%)
Final exam (40%).
Subject matter
The focus of the course will be on the main current topics in the development economics literature. After a brief
methodological overview, the course will discuss natural resources and ethnic divisions. Good institutions will be
portrayed as improving development. We will then examine democracy and corruption. The remaining of the course
is devoted to assessing development interventions in governance.
Programs
Programs where the course is taught: