Development policies
A.A. 2023/2024
Obiettivi formativi
The objectives of this course consist in enhancing students' ability to: understand and interpret the process of economic development and underdevelopment; consolidate their understanding of those elements of basic economic theory as applied to the problems of development; identify the key determinants of economic growth and development, with an emphasis on the distinction between proximate and deeper causes; and analyze how development policies can foster the long-term growth performance and the development path of a country, focusing on contemporary debates and challenges at stake.
Risultati apprendimento attesi
The course is intended to lead the student to:
- (judgment) develop an analytical method of thought in order to critically assess contemporary process of economic development and learn to evaluate choices and policies made by policy makers in order to foster development;
- (knowledge and understanding) consolidate the fundamental concepts of development economics and the rationales for different tools and policies adopted in the process of economic growth and development; gain adequate knowledge of the main stylized facts of economic development and growth of different nations in the world, focusing on the effects of the adopted policies in historical perspective and in contemporary debates;
- (ability to apply knowledge and understanding) possess the tools in order to identify and interpret the most critical issues in development dynamics in low and middle income economies and the causes of divergence among economic systems on the ground of key structural and contextual characteristics and of their significance for economic and human development.
- (judgment) develop an analytical method of thought in order to critically assess contemporary process of economic development and learn to evaluate choices and policies made by policy makers in order to foster development;
- (knowledge and understanding) consolidate the fundamental concepts of development economics and the rationales for different tools and policies adopted in the process of economic growth and development; gain adequate knowledge of the main stylized facts of economic development and growth of different nations in the world, focusing on the effects of the adopted policies in historical perspective and in contemporary debates;
- (ability to apply knowledge and understanding) possess the tools in order to identify and interpret the most critical issues in development dynamics in low and middle income economies and the causes of divergence among economic systems on the ground of key structural and contextual characteristics and of their significance for economic and human development.
Periodo: Terzo trimestre
Modalità di valutazione: Esame
Giudizio di valutazione: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Corso singolo
Questo insegnamento può essere seguito come corso singolo.
Programma e organizzazione didattica
Edizione unica
Responsabile
Periodo
Terzo trimestre
Programma
The course offers an introduction to the most important topics in development economics, with a special attention to policy design and evaluation.
In this first part, the course introduces the main concepts of interest for scholars and practitioners in development economics: how poverty is defined and measured, and how it has evolved in the last two centuries. Then, we will analyse the long-term drivers of development, discussing why some countries are poorer than others by looking to the economic literature that seeks to understand existing disparities across countries by going far back in history.
The second module of the course introduces the fundamentals of impact evaluation. We make an overview on the principles driving impact evaluation, introducing the main methods and focusing on quantitative techniques.
The last part of the course addresses the role of human capital for development. First, we discuss why investing in education is important from a private and a public perspective. Then, we will review key studies that present findings related to interventions on both the demand- and supply-side of education to improve children's educational achievements. Finally, the course explores the bi-directional relationship between health and economic growth in the context of developing countries.
L'ultima parte del corso esamina il ruolo del capitale umano nei processi di sviluppo. In primo luogo si analizza il ruoli dell'investimento in istruzione sia da un punto di vista privato che pubblico. Successivamente, vengono presentati i risultati di alcuni studi relativi a interventi volti a migliorare la
In this first part, the course introduces the main concepts of interest for scholars and practitioners in development economics: how poverty is defined and measured, and how it has evolved in the last two centuries. Then, we will analyse the long-term drivers of development, discussing why some countries are poorer than others by looking to the economic literature that seeks to understand existing disparities across countries by going far back in history.
The second module of the course introduces the fundamentals of impact evaluation. We make an overview on the principles driving impact evaluation, introducing the main methods and focusing on quantitative techniques.
The last part of the course addresses the role of human capital for development. First, we discuss why investing in education is important from a private and a public perspective. Then, we will review key studies that present findings related to interventions on both the demand- and supply-side of education to improve children's educational achievements. Finally, the course explores the bi-directional relationship between health and economic growth in the context of developing countries.
L'ultima parte del corso esamina il ruolo del capitale umano nei processi di sviluppo. In primo luogo si analizza il ruoli dell'investimento in istruzione sia da un punto di vista privato che pubblico. Successivamente, vengono presentati i risultati di alcuni studi relativi a interventi volti a migliorare la
Prerequisiti
There are no other formal prerequisites, knowledge of basic concepts of statistics is advisible.
Metodi didattici
Lectures present the main principals of development economics focusing on relevant policy issues in the field.
Materiale di riferimento
List of selected papers and book chapters. Full details available on Ariel:
· Roser, Max. 2021. "Extreme poverty: how far have we come, how far do we still have to go?" On VoxDev, https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty-in-brief.
· The World Bank, Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2018 - Piecing Together the Poverty Puzzle. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-and-shared-prosperity-2018
· Banerjee, Abhijit, and Esther Duflo. 2007. The Economic Lives of the Poor. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(1): 141-167.
· Diamond, Jared (2002), "Evolution, consequences and the future of plant and Animal domestication", Nature, Vol.418
· J. Sachs (2001). Tropical underdevelopment. NBER working paper. Available at: https://www.nber.org/papers/w8119
· Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson (2002), "The Reversal of Fortune". Quarterly Journal of Economics 117
· Nunn (2008). The long-term effects of Africa's slave trade. Quarterly Journal of Economics 123(1).
· Alesina, Giuliano, Nunn (2013). On the origins of gender roles: women and the plough. Quarterly Journal of Economics 128(1).
· Gertler, P., Martinez, S., Premand, P., Rawlings, L.B., Vermeersch, C.M.J. (2016), Impact Evaluation in Practice, Second Edition, Washington, D.C.: World Bank (selected chapters)
· Duflo (2001). Schooling and labor market consequences of school construction in Indonesia: Evidence from an unusual policy experiment. American Economic Review, 91(4)
· Osilia, Una Okonkwo and Bridget Terry Long 2008. Does female schooling reduce fertility? Evidence from Nigeria. Journal of Development Economics 87(1),57-75
· World Bank (2018). World Development Report. Learning. Chapters 2 and 3. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2018
· Glewwe, P., Muralidharan, K. (2016). Improving education outcomes in developing countries: evidence, knowledge gaps, and policy implications. In Handbook of the Economics of Education y Sections 3, 4 and 5 required
· Jensen, R. (2010). The (perceived) returns to education and the demand for schooling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 125(2), 515-548.
· Baird, S., McIntosh, C., & Özler, B. (2011). Cash or condition? Evidence from a cash transfer experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 126(4), 1709-1753.
· Banerjee, Cole, Duflo and Linden. 2007. "Remedying Education: Evidence from Two Randomized Experiments in India". The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 122(3):1235-1264.
· Ortiz-Ospina, E. and Roser, M. "Global Health", Our World in Data: https://ourworldindata.org/health-meta.
· Dupas, Pascaline, and Edward Miguel. "Impacts and Determinants of Health Levels in Low-Income Countries", 2017, Handbook of Field Experiments, (eds.) Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee
· Acemoglu, D., & Johnson, S. (2007). Disease and development: the effect of life expectancy on economic growth. Journal of political Economy, 115(6), 925-985.
· Poor Economics, Chapter 3: Low-Hanging Fruit for Better (Global) Health? (pp.41-70)
· Tarozzi, A., Mahajan, A., Blackburn, B., Kopf, D., Krishnan, L., & Yoong, J. (2014). Micro-loans, insecticide-treated bednets, and malaria: evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Orissa, India. American Economic Review, 104(7), 1909-1941.
· Augsburg, B., Caeyers, B., Giunti, S., Malde, B., & Smets, S. (2023). Labeled loans and human capital investments. Journal of Development Economics.
· Roser, Max. 2021. "Extreme poverty: how far have we come, how far do we still have to go?" On VoxDev, https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty-in-brief.
· The World Bank, Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2018 - Piecing Together the Poverty Puzzle. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-and-shared-prosperity-2018
· Banerjee, Abhijit, and Esther Duflo. 2007. The Economic Lives of the Poor. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(1): 141-167.
· Diamond, Jared (2002), "Evolution, consequences and the future of plant and Animal domestication", Nature, Vol.418
· J. Sachs (2001). Tropical underdevelopment. NBER working paper. Available at: https://www.nber.org/papers/w8119
· Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson (2002), "The Reversal of Fortune". Quarterly Journal of Economics 117
· Nunn (2008). The long-term effects of Africa's slave trade. Quarterly Journal of Economics 123(1).
· Alesina, Giuliano, Nunn (2013). On the origins of gender roles: women and the plough. Quarterly Journal of Economics 128(1).
· Gertler, P., Martinez, S., Premand, P., Rawlings, L.B., Vermeersch, C.M.J. (2016), Impact Evaluation in Practice, Second Edition, Washington, D.C.: World Bank (selected chapters)
· Duflo (2001). Schooling and labor market consequences of school construction in Indonesia: Evidence from an unusual policy experiment. American Economic Review, 91(4)
· Osilia, Una Okonkwo and Bridget Terry Long 2008. Does female schooling reduce fertility? Evidence from Nigeria. Journal of Development Economics 87(1),57-75
· World Bank (2018). World Development Report. Learning. Chapters 2 and 3. Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2018
· Glewwe, P., Muralidharan, K. (2016). Improving education outcomes in developing countries: evidence, knowledge gaps, and policy implications. In Handbook of the Economics of Education y Sections 3, 4 and 5 required
· Jensen, R. (2010). The (perceived) returns to education and the demand for schooling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 125(2), 515-548.
· Baird, S., McIntosh, C., & Özler, B. (2011). Cash or condition? Evidence from a cash transfer experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 126(4), 1709-1753.
· Banerjee, Cole, Duflo and Linden. 2007. "Remedying Education: Evidence from Two Randomized Experiments in India". The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 122(3):1235-1264.
· Ortiz-Ospina, E. and Roser, M. "Global Health", Our World in Data: https://ourworldindata.org/health-meta.
· Dupas, Pascaline, and Edward Miguel. "Impacts and Determinants of Health Levels in Low-Income Countries", 2017, Handbook of Field Experiments, (eds.) Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee
· Acemoglu, D., & Johnson, S. (2007). Disease and development: the effect of life expectancy on economic growth. Journal of political Economy, 115(6), 925-985.
· Poor Economics, Chapter 3: Low-Hanging Fruit for Better (Global) Health? (pp.41-70)
· Tarozzi, A., Mahajan, A., Blackburn, B., Kopf, D., Krishnan, L., & Yoong, J. (2014). Micro-loans, insecticide-treated bednets, and malaria: evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Orissa, India. American Economic Review, 104(7), 1909-1941.
· Augsburg, B., Caeyers, B., Giunti, S., Malde, B., & Smets, S. (2023). Labeled loans and human capital investments. Journal of Development Economics.
Modalità di verifica dell’apprendimento e criteri di valutazione
Written exam (1 hour and 30 minutes). The exam covers all the topics presented during lectures and review sessions and it consists of a series of open-ended questions which may include calculations, discussion of results or comments on the literature presented during the course. The exam may also include some multiple choice questions.
Siti didattici
Docente/i