Development Policies

This year, the topics covered in the course include:

• Development gap and its dimensions;

• Measures of development: construction, strengths, and weaknesses;

• Macro-theories of development and growth: Harrod-Domar, Lewis, poverty traps;

• Structural adjustment policies;

• Trade liberalization and its effects of income and inequality;

• Institutions and their role in development;

• Political economy of developing countries (a brief introduction);

• Methodology of development policy evaluations;

• Applications to: property rights, credit markets, health care, education policies.

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

• Critically analyze a given measure of development (either at a macro- or a micro- level);

• Read, interpret, and synthesize a formal argument and evidence concerning a specific development problem and/or policy;

• Read and critically analyze a given development policy evaluation report.

Lectures, exercise classes, student presentations.

Contribution to the teaching profile

The course aims at developing (through the application to specific development problems and policies) the skills of students in:

• Reading, interpreting and synthesizing formal arguments and evidence concerning major development problems and policies;

• Critically analyzing various measures of different dimensions of development (both at macro- and micro- level);

• Reading and critically analyzing the existing policy evaluation reports on specific development policies.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

No mandatory textbook for the course. Lecture slides and suggested readings will be posted on the UV platform.

Contacts

Email: gani.aldashev@ulb.ac.be

Method(s) of evaluation

• Other

Other

The assessment is based on:

• Presentations in small groups based on a take-home assignment (40% of the final grade);

• Final written closed-book examination (60% of the final grade).

Active participation in discussions during the course (quality of comments weighs more than their quantity) will provide a student with bonus points towards the final grade.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

See the explanation above

Language(s) of evaluation

• english