Political Economy of Development

Catalog description

The course adopts a comparative approach to the study of development, that is, how societies achieve prosperity and well-being. Through a political economy framework, it examines how political institutions affect economic outcomes, and how economic conditions influence politics. The course studies the relationship between democracy, inequality, and development; the role of foreign aid and natural resources in political and economic development; the legacies of colonialism; and economic theories of civil conflict, among other things. Students will become acquainted with both qualitative and quantitative research methods.