Introduction to Development Economics

Course Code

ECON 15500 91

Course Description

The course explores one of the most pressing global challenges: poverty. Through a microeconomic and empirical lens, students learn to analyze the economic lives of the poor, examining why poverty persists, and which interventions have been effective to sustainably improve the lives of poor people in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The course employs economic theory and econometric methods to analyze consumption, health, education, access to credit, entrepreneurship, and migration. The course places the microeconomic issues in the context of the macroeconomic context of economic institutions, e.g., security of property rights, and political institutions, e.g., electoral empowerment. Using both historical perspectives and contemporary studies, students learn about the frontier of knowledge at the frontier of development economics, emphasizing empirical research and data analysis. The course prioritizes close reading of accessible articles from top economics journals and includes data analysis interpretation exercises. Class discussions apply the frontier state of knowledge to real-world cases to prepare students for further study and careers in policy and economic development.

Course Criteria

Instructor(s)

Srinivasan Vasudevan

¹ UChicago students can self-register.

² Visiting students and pre-college students apply through the same application.