Utviklingsøkonomi II

More than a billion individuals, mostly in low and middle income countries, live on less than $1.25 a day. The aim of this course is to broadly address the question: why are poor countries poor? In particular, we seek to identify both features of the organization of a poor economy as well as its external environment that could generate, perpetuate, and alleviate poverty at the macro-level. A mix of theoretical and empirical studies are utilised for this purpose. Among other topics, the following are highlighted:

• What are the relationships among growth, inequality, and poverty?
• What are the empirical patterns of growth?
• What are the deep determinants of economic development?

A candidate who has completed his or her qualification should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

• Has an understanding of the long-run drivers of differences in income levels across countries
• Can outline the main patterns of development in the world in recent decades
• Is able to explain how to measure poverty and inequality as well as how these phenomena influence and are influenced by economic growth
• Can provide an overview of major structural characteristics of poor economies
• Knows the big picture in terms of financial flows to and from developing countries
• Understands important drivers behind international economic migration

Skills

The candidate

• Has the ability to formulate precise and relevant problems within development economics
• Is able to investigate, analyze, and present topical issues within the field
• Master analytical methods in the form of relevant economic models
• Can acquire and develop further knowledge and skills within the field