Development Economics: Global Perspectives

Catalog description

The objective of this course is to provide students with a set of theoretical and practical skills to answer questions by understanding the microeconomic foundations of poverty in lower-income countries, and thereby learning how to design, implement and evaluate policies and programs. The course will start with a brief overview of development. We will then review the microeconomic foundations of household-and firm-level decision-making in low-income countries, before turning to issues that constrain and support development: human capital (health and education); financial capital (financial services); physical capital (land, the environment and infrastructure); technological innovations; and institutions.