- Docente: Paolo Zagaglia
- Credits: 6
- SSD: SECS-P/02
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Ravenna
-
Corso:
Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
International Cooperation, Protection of Human Rights and Cultural Heritage in Mediterranean Sea and Eurasia (cod. 8516)
Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in International Cooperation, Protection of Human Rights and Cultural Heritage in Mediterranean Sea and Eurasia (cod. 8516)
Learning outcomes
A considerable share of the world's population lives on less than 2
US Dollar per day. The goal of this course is to better understand
the lives of the world's poor. Why do they remain poor? What
institutional distortions and failure of market mechanisms hinder
their quest to improve their well-being? Can policy really help the
world's poor, and by how far?
Economic theory will play a limited role in our overview of these
issues. Rather, we will look at the data and consider empirical
studies of the world's poor. We will discuss why poverty and
hunger, child mortality, low-levels of education, gender
inequality, environmental degradation, high fertility, and child
labor are pervasive in the developing world. We will also examine
the economic consequences of infectious diseases, such as malaria
and HIV. Finally, the course will discuss the issue of
international mobility of labour and capital, and their impact on
the least-developed countries.
Course contents
We will discuss the following key issues:
Economic development and economic growth: what they are, how they
are related
Measuring economic developments: issues and methods
The geography of world development
Beyond the scope for economic policy: the role of formal and
informal institutions
Income inequality, poverty and underdevelopment traps
Gender and economic development
What role for education?
Natural resources and phases of economic development
Structural change and economic development: the role of
technological advancements
The role of financial markets: transparency, structure and
international integration of developing countries
Development in a world of limited capital mobility: international
migration
Infectious diseases, wars and social instability in 'least
developed countries'
Readings/Bibliography
The students who attend the course can enjoy a reading list
including journal articles and book chapters. Here are the key
references:
World Development Report, several years/issues, including 2012:
"Gender Equality and Development", World Bank.
A. Banerjee and E. Duflo, Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of
the Way to Fight Global Poverty, PublicAffairs, 2012
A. Banerjee, R. Benabou, and D. Mookherjee, editors, Understanding
Poverty, Oxford University Press: March 2006
D. Karlan and J. Appel, More than Good Intentions, Plume, 2012
Banerjee, A.V. and Duflo, E. (2007). The Economic Lives of the
Poor. The Journal of Economic Perspectives. 21(1):141–167
Canning, David. “The Economics of HIV/AIDS in Low-Income Countries:
the Case for Prevention.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol
20:3 (Summer 2006): 121-142.
Edmonds, Eric and Nina Pavcnik (2005), "Child Labor in the Global
Economy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, Winter 2005.
Ben Jones and Ben Olken, “Do Leaders Matter? National Leadership
and Growth since World War II,” Quarterly Journal of Economics 120
(3), pp. 835-864, August 2005.
Olken, Benjamin, “Monitoring Corruption: Evidence from a Field
Experiment in Indonesia,” Journal of Political Economy 115 (2), pp.
200-249, April 2007.
Wade, Robert (1982) “The system of administrative and political
corruption: Canal irrigation in South India.” Journal of
Development Studies, 18(3), 287-328.
Banerjee, Abhijit: "Making Aid Work," Boston Review, July 2006
Kremer, M. (2002). "Pharmaceuticals and the Developing World,"
Journal of Economic Perspectives 16(4)
Kremer, M. "Population Growth and Technological Change: 1,000,000
B.C. to 1990," Quarterly Journal of Economics, August, 1993, pp.
681-716.
Guidolin, M. and E. La Ferrara (2007), “Diamonds are forever, Wars
are not. Is conflict bad for private firms?,” American Economic
Review, 97(5), 1978-93.
Blattman, C. And E. Miguel (2010), “Civil wars”, Journal of
Economic Literature, 48(1), 3-57.
Teaching methods
There will be a lecture series organized over an intense schedule.
Attendance is kindly encouraged. Interaction between the teacher
and the students will represent a key element of the course. The
students may be encouraged to prepare class presentations on
specific topics of interest.
Assessment methods
The assessment strategy of student performance will be discussed at
the beginning of the course. It may include a combined evaluation
of active participation, workshop presentation and/or final exam.
Teaching tools
The discussion will follow a set of slides prepared for the course.
These will, in turn, refer to material available online in the form
of working papers and reports distributed by international
organizations, such as the World Bank.
Office hours
See the website of Paolo Zagaglia