Political Economy of Development - Not offered in AY 2022-23

This course is a graduate-level seminar that introduces students to contemporary research on the political economy of development. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach and examines readings from both economics and political science.

The materials cover the following three components:

i) the theoretical debates on the determinants and mechanisms of growth and development;

ii) research designs and methods such as experiments and instrumental variable regressions used to empirically evaluate the effects of various factors on the development outcome;

iii) country cases that either support or challenge the existing development theories. 

 The primary mode of instruction for this course is sectional teaching, which combines lectures with student presentations and discussions. The lectures equip students with the basic theoretical knowledge and methodological tools to be able to read contemporary development literature. Student presentations delve deeper into the literature and country cases to identify possible directions in which the existing scholarship can be advanced. The aim of the course is to equip students with necessary knowledge and skills to conduct independent research and build on the current state of knowledge in the field and in doing so, promote research on development from a political economy perspective.