DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- FEDERICO FRATTINI
- Credits
- 8
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- SECS-P/06
Training objectives
- The module aims to provide students with an overview of a variety of developmental notions/experiences and relevant factors. Students will gain a general understanding of the developmental contexts and processes, and a specific knowledge of a number of relevant factors. Students will be also able to contextualize developmental factors and processes, to link an array of developmental elements, to analyse, discuss and interpret developmental phenomena.
Prerequisites
- No exam record is required, but, ideally, students possess a basic knowledge of microeconomics and macroeconomics.
Course programme
- The module focuses on a variety of developmental approaches, definitions and factors. The module further deepens the Chinese experience. Contents are structured into six parts —plus an introductory/general section (2 class hours, Federico Frattini: introduction; students’ opinion on teaching activities).
A | Economic growth (fundamentals), 8 class hours, Federico Frattini: Malthusian trap; modern economic growth; exogenous and endogenous growth.
B | Economic development, 18 class hours, Federico Frattini: early accumulation; industrial take-off and transition; imitation and alternative factors; change and cycles; disequilibria and cumulation; gaps, opportunities and historical contexts; catching up; deindustrialisation; globalisation.
C | Development in China, 7 class hours, Giorgio Prodi.
D | Human development, 9 class hours, Federico Frattini: definition, measurement, and corrections; capabilities and empowerment; education; health; migrations.
E | Sustainable development, 6 class hours, Federico Frattini: dimensions of sustainability; Sustainable Development Goals; politics, policies, and consensus.
F | Development institutions, 6 class hours, Federico Frattini: Bretton Woods and Washington Consensus; the United Nations and developmental goals; civil society and cooperation. Didactic methods
- Learning is structured into 56 class hours and 144 expected revision hours. Each lecture will cover one or more contents and will be accompanied by fundamental and/or recommended readings. Google Classroom will be used for supporting activities.
Learning assessment procedures
- The exam aims to test the learning outcomes against each learning objective. Learning assessment is based on a mixed written exam throughout the contents and materials covered in the module. The exam takes 30’ and consists of: 11 multiple-choice questions (2 points each, one correct answer, no penalty for missing or wrong answers); 1 open question expected up to 3000 character inputs (up to 10 points). The pass mark is 18/32 and it can be obtained adding specific results:
- general understanding of developmental contexts and processes (5 multiple-choice questions, up to 10 points);
- specific knowledge of a number of relevant factors (2 multiple-choice questions, up to 4 points);
- ability to contextualize developmental factors and processes (2 multiple-choice questions, up to 4 points);
- ability to link an array of developmental elements (2 multiple-choice questions, up to 4 points);
- ability to analyse and ability to discuss and interpret developmental phenomena (1 open question, up to 10 points).
Those students regularly attending classes can opt for taking the exam in two separate part tasks: a first task on module parts A and B; a second task on module parts C, D, E, and F. The pair of part tasks are structured as the same as the overall exam (11 multiple-choice questions and 1 open question). The overall mark of the multiple-choice written exam is obtained as a part-weighted average: 50% the first part task; 50% the second part task. Reference texts
- Contents and learning assessment refer to readings recommended during the class hours (and posted/shared in Google Classroom). In the digital version, the reference texts are freely available on the web, or subscribed by the University of Ferrara. In the printed version, the reference texts are available at the Library of Economics. It is possible to use remote connections to get access to the digital contents subscribed. Additional information on the contents and access are provided by the online training course (basic level) on the Unife Libraries resources and services (http://www.unife.it/economia/economia/corso-risorse-e-servizi-delle-biblioteche-unife).
A selection of readings will be posted in Google Classroom for each class, marking fundamental and/or recommended texts. Here below only the list of fundamental readings:
- Abramovitz M (1986) Catching Up, Forging Ahead, and Falling Behind. J Eco History 46:385–406.
- Baldwin R (2006) Globalisation: the great unbundling(s). Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneve. – Capp. 1, 2, 3.
- Fardella E, Prodi G (2017) The Belt and Road Initiative Impact on Europe: An Italian Perspective. China & World Economy 25:125–138.
- Kuznets S (1973) Modern Economic Growth: Findings and Reflections. Am Econ Rev 63:247–258.
- Myrdal G (1974) What Is Development? J Econ Issues 8:729–736.
Rodrik D (2016) Premature deindustrialization. J Econ Growth 21:1–33.
- Rostow WW (1959) The Stages of Economic Growth. Econ Hist Rev 12:1–16.
- Schumpeter JA (1947) The Creative Response in Economic History. J Eco History 7:149–159.
- Sen A (1983) Development: Which Way Now? The Economic Journal 93:745–762.
- UNDP (1990) Human Development Report 1990: Concept and Measurement of Human Development. United Nations Development Programme, New York. – Cap. 1.
- UNDP (2019) Human Development Report 2019: Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today – Inequalities in human development in the 21st century. United Nations Development Programme, New York. – Cap. 1.
- UNDP (2020) Human Development Report 2020: The Next Frontier – Human Development and the Anthropocene – Technical notes. United Nations Development Programme, New York.
- United Nations (1987) Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. United Nations, New York. – Cap. 2.
- United Nations (2015) Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations, New York.
- United Nations History of the United Nations. In: United Nations.
- United Nations UN System. In: United Nations. [+ summary table]
- World Bank (2005) Economic Growth in the 1990s: Learning from a Decade of Reform. World Bank, Washington, DC. – Cap. 1.
- Zamagni V (1999) Dalla rivoluzione industriale all’integrazione europea: breve storia economica dell’Europa contemporanea. Il Mulino, Bologna. – Cap. II.