|
Dartmouth College |
|
Department of Economics |
|
Development Economics at Dartmouth |
|
Background Development economics seeks to understand the causes and consequences of persistent poverty around the world today. For several years, the Economics Department has offered an advanced level course in Development Economics (economics 74). Because of the popularity of that course, the Economics Department has added a sequence with a culminating experience in Development Economics starting in academic year 07/08.
Students interested in development economics should begin with economics 24 after economics 1 and a course in statistics (econ 10 or equivalent). Economics 24 surveys a variety of applications of economics to problems prevalent in low income countries. Additional background in economics such as economics 21 and 20 helps students get the most out of the course. Economics 24 replaces economics 74. Students who have previously completed 74 should not take economics 24 and may use 74 in place of 24 for major, minor, or modified major requirements without special permission.
After completing economics 24, 20 and 21, students may take the culminating experience in development economics, economics 44, to fulfill the requirements for the major, the modified major, the minor in economics, or another major modified with economics. Students who desire additional, relevant coursework may combine economics 24 and 44 with labor economics (economics 27) or international trade (economics 39) to make a 3 course sequence within the major, minor, etc. Ordinarily, students who opt for a three course sequence should complete the additional course in labor or trade before taking 44. Courses Economics 24: Development Economics A majority of the world’s population lives on less than $2/day. The goal of this course is to better understand the lives of the world’s poor. What are their lives like? Why do they remain poor? Specifically, what price distortions and market failures hinder their quest to improve their well-being? Is there scope for policy to help the world’s poor? We do not answer these questions with anecdotes and abstract theory. Throughout this course, we examine detailed survey data of the world’s poor, and look at policies that have been attempted and evaluated scientifically. Economics 1 and Economics 10 (or equivalent statistics course) are prerequisites. Econ 20 and 21 are recommended but not required. Dist: SOC or INT. WCult: NW. Offered fall 08 and winter 09. A recent syllabus (not current) Economics 44: Topics in Development Economics (new course) This seminar considers microeconomic aspects of the causes and consequences of extreme poverty in the developing world. Recent research on topics such child labor, credit, education, environmental degradation, fertility, gender discrimination, health, HIV/AIDs, insurance, malnutrition, social capital, and technology adoption will be considered in depth. Topics vary from year to year. Students are required to write a major research paper. Prereqs: Econ 20, 21, and 24. Dist: SOC or INT. WCult: NW. Edmonds. Offered winter 09. A recent syllabus (not current)
Faculty Primary Faculty Eric Edmonds, Associate Professor of Economics Professor Edmonds studies the causes and consequences of child labor, low rates of school attendance and attainment, and illiteracy in low income countries. Edmonds is Director of an international research working group on child labor centered at the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn Germany and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is a frequent consultant on child labor related issues. Recent research projects include studies of children in bondage in Nepal, children in the informal sector in Guatemala, child trafficking in Nepal and India, the impact of trade reform on children in India and Vietnam, and the role of credit markets in schooling and child labor in South Africa. Professor Edmonds teaches econ 24 and 44. Related Faculty Debopam Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor of Economics Professor Bhattacharya is an econometrician whose research interest includes the application of econometric theory to household survey-data from developing countries. He teaches econ 20. James Feyrer, Assistant Professor of Economics Professor Feyrer's work examines the development process from an aggregate perspective. Specific interests include the macroeconomic implications of demographic change, the historic origins of modern institutions, and the determinants of capital flows between countries. He teaches econ 22 and 82. Douglas Irwin, Professor of Economics Professor Irwin's research focuses on past and current U.S. trade policy. He is the author of several books, most recently Free Trade under Fire. He teaches Econ 39. Meir Kohn, Professor of Economics Professor Kohn studies the history of economic development. He is currently engaged in two book projects: “How and Why Economies Develop and Grow: Lessons from Pre-industrial Europe and China” and “The Origins of Western Economic Success: Commerce, Finance, and Government in Pre-Industrial Europe.” He teaches econ 26. Nina Pavcnik, Associate Professor of Economics Professor Pavcnik examines the consequences of trade and trade policy changes for poverty, labor markets, and firm behavior in poor countries. She has worked on an array of countries including Chile, Colombia, India, and Vietnam. She teaches econ 39 and 49. Christopher Snyder, Professor of Economics Professor Snyder applies microeconomic theory to understand various issues related to the behavior of firms and the efficient design of incentive contracts and legal rules. Recently, he has studied the market for pharmaceuticals, among other specific issues trying to understand problems in the market for vaccines. Snyder is part of an advisory group that is designing a $1.5 billion advanced market commitment to spur the development and distribution to poor countries of a vaccine for pneumococcus, a disease responsible for 1.6 million deaths per year, mostly infants and young children. He teaches econ 21, 35, and 81. Jonathan Zinman, Assistant Professor of Economics Professor Zinman's research is on the nexus of psychology and economics. He employs randomized field experiments to study the determinants of consumer and entrepreneurial behavior in the U.S. and low income countries. Currently, he has field projects in Ghana, Peru, the Philippines, and South Africa. He teaches econ 26. |