PIA 2510 - ECONOMICS OF DEVELOPMENT

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
We use basic conceptual frameworks from economics and quantitative methods to examine economic development issues. We begin by discussing Amarthya Sen's concept of 'development as freedom' and measures of development such as the Human Development Index. We examine when the market and government can serve as appropriate mechanisms to allocate resources within the economy. We discuss the institutions that are needed to ensure that markets function well. We study innovations, such as disclosure programs, that reduce corruption. We examine gender-sensitive pro-poor strategies, such as micro-credit programs, the granting of property rights to women, investment into girls' schooling and women's reproductive health. We study World Trade Organization provisions that assist or impede poor countries' access to drugs in combating AIDS and other public health crises. We review the rules of the WTO that attempt to balance free trade and countries' ability to protect public health and the environment. We discuss the role of international trade (e.g., OECD subsidies for agriculture), foreign aid and debt in encouraging or impeding economic development. Students will be graded on policy memos that are well written, based on quantitative and qualitative evidence, and oral briefings that recommend solutions to development challenges faced by governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations or corporations.
Academic Career: GRAD
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: Letter Grade
Course Requirements: PREQ: PIA 2024 and 2025 or PIA 2026 or 2027; Graduate School of Public and International Affairs

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