Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società

DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION (M-Z)

Development Economics and International Cooperation (M-Z)

Anno accademico 2021/2022

• ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY OF DEVELOPMENT - ENRICO LUZZATI CHAIR (CPS0537)

Sommario insegnamento

• Obiettivi formativi
• Risultati dell'apprendimento attesi
• Modalità di insegnamento
• Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento
• Attività di supporto
• Programma
• Testi consigliati e bibliografia
• Note
• Strumenti didattici

Obiettivi formativi

The course offers a snapshot of key issues related to development through the lens of economic analysis. It is therefore a necessary pillar for the multidisciplinary vocation if AGIC as it will provide general economic skills required to operate in the context of development and international cooperation.

After the course, students are expected to understand general economic reports and statistics such as those edited by the World Bank. To this purpose, students will get familiar with the most common theories and methods to understand and measure development, poverty, inequality, migration and population dynamics.

They will also acquire basic knowledge of the 'theory and practice' of microfinance, and will be briefly introduced to quantitative and experimental tools to measure the impact of a programme/policy/project in the context of developing countries. 

Risultati dell'apprendimento attesi

- Good knowledge of economic analysis of development issues, which will be critically evaluated, using expert judgement.

- Good understanding of general statistics measuring growth, inequality, human development, population dynamics in comparative framework.  

- Good comprehension of general statistics measuring growth, inequality, human development, population dynamics.  

- Good knowledge of the basic theoretical and practical issues related to microfinance.

- Familiarity with basic concepts of counterfactual impact evaluation and behavioural experiments in developing countries.

Modalità di insegnamento

#18 lecture classes

Interaction professor-students, students-students and, in general, participation is hihgly encouraged. To avoid the usual teacher's "monologue", a relaxed envirornment where students can feel free to ask questions or comment during the lectures will be set up.

*** COVID-19 EMERGENCY (Constantly updated): unless sudden institutional changes happen during the course, this course will entirely be taught in PRESENCE. Lecture slides will be posted in the ad-hoc moodle page to which enrolled students can access freely. The moodle website of this course will also offer extra resources (e.g. student-teacher forum).

Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento

Written exam, composed of 2 parts*:

The grade for this 6-credits module “Development Economics and International Cooperation” = grade in SECTION A * (1/2) + grade in SECTION B * (1/2)

The finalgrade of the entire 12-credits course “Sociology and Economics of Development” will be the average of the grades obtained in the 2 modules: Development Economics and International Cooperation – prof P. Conzo; Global and Local Development – prof. F. Barbera.

* there is no distinction between students who attended the courses and those who did not. 

Attività di supporto

There will be tutorials on specific topics . Visit and enrol to the moodle page of this course for further details: Development Economics - M-Z - 21-22 

Programma

The first part of the course (11 lectures of 2h each) will cover traditional topics in development economics including measuring development (GDP, GNI, PPP, HDI, etc.), comparative economic development, convergence hypothesis, poverty (Headcount index, poverty lines, poverty gap) and poverty traps, growth theories (Rostow, Harrod-Domar, Lewis and Solow), population dynamics (Malthusian poverty trap, demographic transitions and fertility), inequality (Gini, Lorenz, Kuznets) and migration (Todaro). 

The second part of the course (7 lectures of 2h each) will focus on theoretical and practical issues related to microfinance including the characteristics of credit markets in development countries, why these markets often fail and how the incentive schemes proposed by microfinance projects might mitigate market failures. In the second part of the course introductory notions of counterfactual impact evaluation as well as of behavioural/experimental economics will be provided in the specific context of microfinance and project evaluation. Case studies will be presented as potential applications of such concepts.  

A detailed syllabus containing the list of lecture days and topics will be uploaded at the beginning of the course. 

Main textbooks:

PART 1

- Todaro, M. P., & Smith, S. C. (2015). Economic development. Boston: PearsonAddison Wesley

- Banerjee, A. V, & Duflo, E. (2012). Poor Economics. Penguin Books.

PART 2

- Armendáriz, B., & Morduch, J. (2010). The Economics of Microfinance. MIT Press. 

Further details and additional material will be provided in each lecture.

** Note: a detailed syllabus with all the topics and the specific book chapters (and pages) to study will be uploaded at the beginning of the course. 

Note

PLEASE ENROL BOTH TO THIS COURSE HERE ON CAMPUSNET AS WELL AS ON THE MOODLE COURSE ALSO IF YOU DO NOT INTEND TO ATTEND THE CLASSES - this will easy communication between the instructor and the students.

The link to the moodle page of this course is: Development Economics - M-Z - 21-22

Tentative timetable: 

• Surname starting letter from M to Z: 22 Sept. 2021 - 29 Oct. 2021
• Surname starting letter from A to L:  03 Nov. 2021 - 17 Dec. 2021 (note: no classes 8-10 Dec. 2021).

• Materiale didattico
• Bacheca appelli
• Vai a Moodle
• Visita i forum