This course considers the economic forces shaping the lives of the poor in developing countries. The goal is to begin to understand, at the micro level, why poverty perpetuates and how carefully designed policy can break the cycle. We start with the big picture: how poverty is defined and measured, how it varies across countries, and theories for why it varies so much. We then zoom in on the economic lives of the poor: the constraints they face, how markets work (and fail) for them, and how poverty affects their decisions. We cover multiple topics – including health and education, risk and investment, rural markets and institutions, migration, and gender – and throughout we study examples of real policies designed to reduce poverty, as well as methods used to evaluate their impact.
Jeteesha FOOLLEE,Jack WILLIS
Cours magistral seul
English
This is an in-depth lecture course. There are no formal prerequisites for this course. However, you will be expected to have a background in basic microeconomics and statistics, and an ability to read and understand research papers in development economics. The course will not be overly mathematical but will occasionally rely on formal tools from microeconomics and econometrics.
Autumn 2023-2024
Grades will be determined based on the following:
Short discussion paper of a reading on the syllabus (10%)
Midterm exam (40%)
Final exam (50%)
Banerjee, A. V., & Duflo, E. (2012). Poor economics: a radical rethinking of the way to fight global poverty. Paperback edition. New York, PublicAffairs.