Course List

This course examines the link between states and markets, between political institutions and their economic consequences. Students will be introduced to a variety of methods such as historical analysis, formal models, case studies and statistical analysis. This course seeks to answer several questions: (1) What is the role of government in the economy? (2) How has this role varied in time and across regions? (3) What do changes in this balance mean for political and economic institutions? Examples will be drawn from Eastern Europe, Russia, China, Brazil, and other parts of the developing world.

Why do some countries stay poor, while other countries' economies develop rapidly? To address this fundamental question, we will cover both political and economic elements of development and underdevelopment, focusing specifically on political and economic institutions. This course starts by examining whether, to what extent, and through what mechanisms institutions may cause development and underdevelopment. The rest of the course will be devoted to examining what policy interventions can effectively improve political and economic constraints on development and therefore enhance development. This course is highly application-intensive. The topics we study in the course are of interest not only to academics but also to policy-makers, development practitioners in government and non-government organizations, and donor agencies. The course is designed to provide students with both analytical and practical skills to prepare them to become both consumers and producers of research in development.