A substantial share of the world’s population is living in poverty. The goal of this course is (1) provide some basic ideas about the lives of the poor around the world, (2) consider why poverty persists and evaluate the effectiveness of various social and economic interventions that help alleviate it, and (3) engage in a set of academic exercises, including discussing existing theories on economic growth, critical reading of recent academic papers, and writing clear research proposals or papers, in order to gain a deeper understanding of academic research in development economics.

We will cover topics ranging from macroeconomic growth theories, the persistence of historical events in current development, and the determinants and the role of both formal and informal institutions in lifting countries out of poverty. We will also discuss the role of several types of capital (human, physical, financial, social, and mental) that help to explain underdevelopment in some cases and fast development in others, and further explore some potential directions for development policy and research.