ECON 7058 - Development Economics PG

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2023

This is an intermediate postgraduate course in development economics. During the weekly seminars, we will cover the following topics: the meaning and measurement of economic development, growth theories, poverty and income distribution, the role of geography and institutions, fertility and population growth, the role of credit markets and microfinance, health and nutrition, education and female empowerment.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ECON 7058
    Course Development Economics PG
    Coordinating Unit Economics
    Term Semester 1
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Incompatible ECON 3501
    Assumed Knowledge ECON 7071 and (ECON 7241 or ECON 7011)
    Restrictions Available to MFin&BusEc, GCertAppEc, GDipIT&D, GDipAppEc, MAppEc, & MITD students only
    Course Description This is an intermediate postgraduate course in development economics. During the weekly seminars, we will cover the following topics: the meaning and measurement of economic development, growth theories, poverty and income distribution, the role of geography and institutions, fertility and population growth, the role of credit markets and microfinance, health and nutrition, education and female empowerment.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Mandar Oak

    Course Coordinator: Dr Jesmin A Rupa
    Office: Nexus Building, Level 03, Room 3.33
    10 Pulteney St, SA 5005
    Consultation location and time: 
    Location: Nexus Building, Level 03, Room 3.33
    Wednesday 11:00 am – 12.00 pm
    Wednesday 2 pm – 3pm
    Email: jesmin.rupa@adelaide.edu.au

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

    1. Demonstrate familiarity with some central themes and issues of economic development.
    2. Demonstrate the understanding of the difference between growth and development, major growth theories, the measurement of inequality, significance of agricuture in developing countries, poverty and inequality issues the World is facing, female empowerment, agriculture, food and nutrition in developing economies, corruption and how it impacts the economic development.
    3. Analyse empirical evidence on the patterns of economic development.
    4. Read critically the journal literature in the area of economic development.

    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1,2,4

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    1,2,4

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    2,3

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    1

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    2,4

    Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency

    Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.

    4

    Attribute 7: Digital capabilities

    Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.

    3

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    3,4
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Textbook 1: Ray, Debraj: Development Economics.
    Princeton 1998.

    There is a new edition of some chapters & the lecturer will upload them in reading materials whenever needed.

    Textbook 2: Understanding poverty ; 2006. Banerjee, Abhijit V.; Benabou, Roland.; Mookherjee, Dilip. 2006. An online version of this book
    can be accessed through the UOA library, free of charge.

    Other reading materials will be provided by the lecturer.
    Online Learning

    The following websites provide useful insights on current trends in development issues:
    www.worldbank.org
    www.adb.org
    www.wfp.org
    www.povertyactionlab.org

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Learning in this course is through lectures, tutorials, personal and group study and online learning.

    The lectures will provide you with the necessary understanding of the material to be able to solve the exercises you will be given during  tutorials or exams.

    Tutorials represent an important learning component of the class. The tutorials consist of 11 weekly sets of problems. Students are expected to work through the assignments independently (or as a group if the question mentions so) and prepare solutions to be discussed or presented during the tutorial time. The tutorial questions will include problem-solving exercises, policy issue discussions and exercises with spreadsheets on actual data.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Students in this course are expected to attend all lectures throughout the semester plus one tutorial class each week. In addition, the workload for this class is designed for 9 hours per week of independent study.
    Learning Activities Summary
    Teaching & Learning Activities Related Learning Outcomes
    Lectures 1,2
    Tutorials 3,4

    Lecture Schedule

    Lecture Schedule
    Week 
    1-2 History, institutions and patterns of economic growth & development
    3-4 Theories of Economic Growth
    5-6 Poverty and Inequality
    7 Female Empowerment
    8-9 Agriculture, Food and Nutrition
    10-11 Credit and Insurance
    12 Corruption and Development
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Due Date/Week Weight Length Learning Outcomes
    Assignment Week 7, April 29, 2022 at 11:59pm 25% tbd 1,2
    Final Exam Exam period 50% 3 hours 1,2
    Tutorial Presentations Throughout the course 25% 50 minutes 3,4
    Total 100%
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Attendance is expected for all tutorials.
    Assessment Detail
    Tutorial Presentations (25%)
    Students are expected to source materials for the answers to the tutorial problem sets together with their assigned group members. Constructive feedbacks will be given by non-presenting groups of the tutorial day to the presenting groups followed by general in-class discussions. The quality of tutorial prsentation will be assessed by the tutor. Remote learning group will have group presentations online via Zoom.

    Assignment (25%)
    Assignment will be based on Analyses of journal articles relevant to the topics covered upto Week 6. Due date of assignment submission will be in April 29, 2022 at 11:59pm (Week 7).

    Final Exam (50%)
    There will be a 3 hour exam.
    The final exam will cover the full set of material developed in this course. This includes all materials from the lectures and other readings, as well as discussions and exercises considered in the tutorials.
    Submission

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

    Additional Assessment
    If a student receives 45-49 for their final mark for the course they will automatically be granted an additional assessment. This will most likely be in the form of a new exam (Additional Assessment) and will have the same weight as the original exam unless an alternative requirement (for example a hurdle requirement) is stated in this semester’s Course Outline. If, after replacing the original exam mark with the new exam mark, it is calculated that the student has passed the course, they will receive 50 Pass as their final result for the course (no higher) but if the calculation totals less than 50, their grade will be Fail and the higher of the original mark or the mark following the Additional Assessment will be recorded as the final result.
  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.