Issues in Development Economics 7,5 Credits

Course Contents

The objective of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of 1)why standars of living are much higher today than they were 50, 100, 200 years ago 2) what account(s) for the differences in standards of living and growth across the globe and 3) what can be done to increase the pace of development in the less developed parts of the world. The course starts with the concepts of development, an overview of the relative characteristics of developing countries, and how these characteristics tend to re-enforce the persistence of under-development. This is followed by an introduction to the mainstream theories of economic development. These theories are discussed and evaluated with respect to their policy implications, the plausibility of the underlying assumptions and the empirical evidence. How the interaction between institutions, law, finance and entrepreneurship contributes to the wealth of individuals and nations is discussed at length.

Important elements of the course are:

• characteristics of underdeveloped nations and the underdevelopment trap;
• an introduction to the development as economic growth, including Rostow's stages of Growth, Harrod-Domar's Growth Model, Solow's Exogenous Growth Model, and Romer's Endogenous Growth Model;
• an introduction to development as a structural change including Arthur Lewis' dual economy model;
• an introduction to institutional economics and underdevelopment such as the colonial origins of underdevelopment, the De Soto effect of underdevelopment,
• an introduction to institutions, entreprenuership and development;
• the interaction between law, institutions, finance, entrepreneurship and economic development;

Prerequisites

30 credits in Business Administration or Economics including Macroeconomic 7,5 credits at G1N level and Microeconomics 7.5 credits at G1N level

Level of Education: Undergraduate G1F
Course code/Ladok code: ECMK13
The course is conducted at: Jönköping International Business School Last modified 2014-12-16 08:12:03