ECON 204
Economics of Developing Countries Fall 2018
Division II Difference, Power, and Equity
Cross-listed ENVI 234
This is not the current course catalog

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The leaders of poor countries almost universally proclaim “economic development” to be their eventual destination, but it is not easy to visualize the journey. Is rapid economic growth sufficient to generate development, or do governments need to pro-actively invest in health and education? Can agriculture support incomes and provide jobs, or is urban industrial development a prerequisite? How do households in poor countries insure themselves against adverse outcomes? Can policies enable entrepreneurship and innovation in such economies? Is it true that corruption is major obstacle? Has the climate crisis upended our traditional models to the point where we need to rethink the notion of development? The class will introduce these and other issues, as analyzed by economists.
The Class: Format: lecture/discussion
Limit: 25
Expected: 25
Class#: 1168
Grading: no pass/fail option, no fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: short essays/assignments; exam; final group project, including a 15-page paper
Extra Info: may not be taken on a pass/fail basis; not available for the fifth course option
Prerequisites: one ECON class at Williams or prior course deemed equivalent by the Economics Department
Enrollment Preferences: first-year and sophomore students
Distributions: Division II Difference, Power, and Equity
Notes: DPE: This course provides a setting for students to learn about the causes and consequences of poverty in developing countries. It requires students to engage with questions of political and economic power, stressing attentiveness to how market relationships may not generate welfare-maximizing opportunities for poor and marginalized populations. Through exercises and a group project, the course builds analytical and empirical skills for diagnosing and addressing constraints on economic development.
This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
ECON 204 Division II ENVI 234 Division II
Attributes: GBST African Studies
GBST Economic Development Studies
POEC Comparative POEC/Public Policy Courses

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