Course: Topics in Development Economics

« Back
Course title Topics in Development Economics
Course code MRS/UGTD
Organizational form of instruction Lecture + Exercise
Level of course Master
Year of study 1
Semester Summer
Number of ECTS credits 6
Language of instruction English
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Vollmer Sebastian
Course content
For lectures: Students gain an overview of important contributions and in-depth knowledge about current developments related to the topic. Furthermore, students learn to read, critically assess, and discuss the scientific literature on the topic. For seminars: Students learn to read and critically assess scientific literature on a particular issue in development economics, develop a coherent argument addressing their research question, improve their academic writing, and learn how to present their work in front of an academic audience. - More specifically, the course covers the following topics: - What is development? An introduction - Income measures of development - Alternative measures of development - History of underdevelopment - Growth theory - Political institutions and development - Development and inequality - Globalization and development

Learning activities and teaching methods
unspecified
Learning outcomes
The courses deal with different aspects of a relevant economic topic in the field of development economics on the basis of a current issue.

Prerequisites
unspecified

Assessment methods and criteria
unspecified
written exam
Recommended literature
  • Angrist, Noam, Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, and Dean Jolliffe. (2021). Why Is Growth in Developing Countries So Hard to Measure. Journal of Economic Perspectives 35(3): 215-242.
  • Bruederle, Anna, and Roland Hodler. (2018). Nighttime Lights as a Proxy for Human Development at the Local Level. PloS one 13(9): e0202231.
  • Funke, Manuel, Moritz Schularick, and Christoph Trebesch. (2020). Populist Leaders and the Economy. Kiel Working Paper 2169. Kiel, Germany: Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
  • Chancel, Lucas, and Thomas Piketty. (2021). Global Income Inequality, 1820-2020: The Persistence and Mutation of Extreme Inequality. World Inequality Lab - Working Paper N° 2021/1.
  • Lang, Valentin F., and Marina Mendes Tavares. (2018). The Distribution of Gains from Globalization. IMF Working Paper 18/54. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester
Faculty: Faculty of Science Study plan (Version): Global Development Policy (2025) Category: Social sciences 1 Recommended year of study:1, Recommended semester: Summer