The lectures will be mainly (but not completely) based on
Debraj Ray, Development Economics (1998), Princeton University Press (DE). You don't need to buy the book, but it has some fun extra material --- and it's a classic :-)! If you do buy it, I will autograph it for you.
I will be handing out slides and several updates to the book, which is being revised (after 27 years!) for a new edition. This material is in the links below and on the Class Material page. Every reading you need is on these pages.
You can also take a look at this essay:
Ray, D. (2010), "Uneven Growth: a Framework for Research in Development Economics," Journal of Economic Perspectives 24, 45-60.
TOPICS AND READINGS
I. Development Facts: An overview of the historical experiences of developing countries. Broad conceptual approaches to the meaning and explanation of underdevelopment.
DE, Ch 2: Overview, updated, required
II. Growth: Growth experiences and theories. The Solow and Harrod-Domar models. Convergence and divergence. Uneven growth.Structural transformation.
DE, Ch 3: Basic Growth Theory and Ch 4: Convergence
Additional Readings:
Mankiw, N.G., Romer, D. and D. N. Weil (1992), "A Contribution to the Empirics of Economic Growth," Quarterly Journal of Economics 107, 407-437.
Pritchett, L. (1997), "Divergence, Big Time," Journal of Economic Perspectives 11, 3-17.
III. Structural Transformation. We study how economic development proceeds by the movement of labor from one sector, such as agriculture, to another, such as industry.
DE, Ch 6: Structural Transformation
IV. Development Traps: Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and the Role of History. We study how self-sustaining vicious circles of low economic activity can coexist with other "virtuous" cycles of high-level activity. historical experience. The idea of backward and forward linkages is of special importance here.
Additional Readings:
Rosenstein-Rodan, P. (1943), "Problems of Industrialization of Eastern and Southeastern Europe,'' Economic Journal 53, 202-211
V. Frozen Accidents: The Persistence of History.
DE, Ch 8: Development Traps II
Additional Readings
Angrist, J. and A. Kreuger (2001), "Instrumental Variables and the Search for Identification: From Supply and Demand to Natural Experiments," Journal of Economic Perspectives 15, 69--85.
Sokoloff, K. and S. Engerman (2000), "History Lessons: Institutions, Factor Endowments, and Paths of Development in the New World," Journal of Economic Perspectives 14, 217--232.
Acemoglu, D., Johnson, S. and J. Robinson (2001), "The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation," American Economic Review 91, 1369--1401./p>
Alesina, A. Giuliano, P. and N. Nunn (2013), "On the Origins of Gender Roles: Women and the Plough," Quarterly Journal of Economics 128, 469-530.
VI. Demography and Economic Development. The demographic transition. Sources of high fertility today. Gender (im)balance and missing women.
Anderson, S. and D. Ray (2010), "Missing Women: Age and Disease," Review of Economic Studies 77, 1262--1300.
Munshi, K. and J. Myaux (2006), "Social Norms and the Fertility Transition," Journal of Development Economics 80, 1--38.
VII. The Distribution of Income and Wealth. Measuring inequality. Trends in inequality. The roots of inequality, and the effects of inequality.
DE, Ch 10: Economic Inequality
DE, Ch 11: Inequality and Development
VIII. Credit Markets and Development: Why credit markets are missing and why missing credit markets matter. Theories based on moral hazard, adverse selection and enforcement constraints. Microfinance.
DE, Ch 19: Credit Markets Part 1 (replaces Ch. 14 in book)
DE, Ch 20: Credit Markets Part 2 (replaces Ch. 15 in book)
IX. Land and Labor Markets
DE, Land Markets
Labor. DE, Ch.13
X. [Only if there is time] Conflict and Development:
DE, Conflict Part 1
DE, Conflict Part 2
Ray, D. and J. Esteban (2017), "Conflict and Development," Annual Review of Economics 9, 263-293.
Esteban, J., Mayoral, L. and D. Ray (2012), "Ethnicity and Conflict: Theory and Facts," Science 336, 858--865.
Mitra, A. and D. Ray (2014), "Implications of an Economic Theory of Conflict: Hindu-Muslim Violence in India," Journal of Political Economy 122, 719--765.