MPH_DEEC Development Economics

Faculty of Economics and Administration
Autumn 2011
Extent and Intensity
2/2. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Dr. Vasilis Panoutsopoulos (lecturer)
Dr. Vasilis Panoutsopoulos (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Petr Smutný, Ph.D.
Department of Business Management – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Contact Person: Mgr. Jana Nesvadbová
Timetable
Mon 11:05–12:45 S308
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
MPH_DEEC/01: Wed 7:40–9:15 S308
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 24 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/24, only registered: 0/24, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/24
Course objectives
Learning Outcomes:
The students will acquire a firm knowledge of the major issues in development as they have evolved in recent years, learn to analyze the process of development, form a sound judgment on what is important in the development process, and thereafter formulate sound policies to reduce poverty through income generation, improvements in the well-being and growth generation.
Syllabus
  • Course Description:
  • The course will start with a brief review the development thinking and practice at of the past half–century and the beginning of the 21st century, and explores the future of development economics.
  • The course will examine the issues in development economics that appear settled and those that require future attention. Settled issues have to do with the questions: What are the sources of growth? Does macroeconomic stability matter, and how can it be sustained? Should developing countries liberalize trade? How crucial are property rights? Is poverty reduction a function of growth and asset accumulation, or are poverty safety nets required? Can developing countries defer or downplay environmental problems? How closely should the state manage and regulate development?
  • The connections between the new institutional economics and development economics will be emphasized. Particular attention will be given to some issues that have been neglected in the theoretical institutional economics literature, in particular, (a) the persistence of dysfunctional institutions in poor countries, (b) institutional impediments as outcomes of distributive conflicts, (c) the collective action problems these conflicts exacerbate, and (d) a more complex and nuanced role of the state, to deal with the need for coordination. The analysis will focus on the effects of distributive conflicts among different social groups and asymmetries in their bargaining power, explaining institutional failures and drawing attention to the inevitable collective action problems at both state and local levels.
  • The course will review the development policymaking from a political-economy perspective.
  • Two pivotal questions related to economic development will also be examined: What are the forces that can explain the divergence in incomes across countries? What interventions are most likely to promote development?
Literature
    required literature
  • Frontiers of development economics : the future in perspective. Edited by Gerald M. Meier - Joseph E. Stiglitz. Washington: The World Bank, 2001, ix, 575. ISBN 0195215923. info
    recommended literature
  • 1. Srinivasan; Behrman, Handbook of Development Economics
  • TODARO, Michael P. and Stephen C. SMITH. Economic development. 10th ed. Harlow: Pearson Addison Wesley, 2009, xxvii, 861. ISBN 9781405874243. info
  • Development economics. Edited by Debraj Ray. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1998, xvii, 848. ISBN 0691017069. info
Teaching methods
Lectures and seminars
Assessment methods
Grading Criteria:
the students’ grade will be based on the following:
1. Three (or four) quizzes : 30% (or 40%)
2. Final Exam: 30%
3. Class Participation: 15%
4. Homework / Short Essays: 25% (or 15%)
The Homework/Short Essays will be based in recent/current articles published in economic journals. Specific instructions will be handed during the course.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2013.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2011, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/econ/autumn2011/MPH_DEEC