Course Description:  This course introduces students to real-world experiences of developing countries.  It explores broad trends using real-country examples and provides theoretical tools to analyz

Course Description:  This course introduces students to real-world experiences of developing countries.  It explores broad trends using real-country examples and provides theoretical tools to analyze these real-world experiences.  A detailed list of topics covered in this course includes:  1) Patterns of development; 2) Measuring economic growth and development; 3)   States and markets; 4) Inequality and poverty;  5)  Population;  6) Education;   7) Financial development, foreign debt and crisis.   

Academic  Objectives:   After completing this course, successful students will have acquired a broad understanding of the main patterns of economic development, the main mechanisms driving countries from poverty to prosperity and the role played by public policy.  

The Research Project:  

Students are required to choose a country and write a research project summarizing, discussing and analyzing the main development challenges faced by the country.  The project must focus and deal with the topics discussed in class, avoiding discussions of topics that were not studied in class.  The project must have a minimum length of 12 pages including bibliography and figures.