Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2024 - ECON 355W D100

Economic Development (4)

Class Number: 2777

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Oct 11, 2024: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

    Oct 16 – Dec 3, 2024: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 17, 2024
    Tue, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    ECON 103 with a minimum grade of C- or ECON 113 with a minimum grade of A-; ECON 105 with a minimum grade of C- or ECON 115 with a minimum grade of A-; 60 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Analysis of theories of economic development. Consideration will be given to the requirements of successful development, to aspects of international co-operation, and to procedures of economic planning. Problems of emerging countries and models of various developing economies will be studied. Students with credit for ECON 355 or ECON 455 may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Quantitative.

COURSE DETAILS:

Description: This course is an introduction to development economics. The main goal is to analyze and understand the sources of economic growth and development or lack thereof in poor countries. Both theoretical foundations and empirical evidence will be covered. This course is designated writing intensive (W) which requires completing short writing assignments on a frequent basis.

Topics

Week  Topic    Due Dates   
1: Sep. 2-6 • Introduction to Economic Development
• Larry Summer Memo
• Case Study: Comparative Economic Development: Pakistan and Bangladesh		 Read Chapter 1
2: Sep. 9-13 • Comparative Economic Development
• Case Study: Institutions, Colonial Legacies and Economic Development: Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoire		 Read Chapter 2
3: Sep.16-20 • Poverty, Inequality and Development
• Case Study: India: Complex Challenges and Compelling Opportunities		 Read Chapter 5

Assignment 1 - Sep 20
Topics of Presentation posted
4: Sep.23-27 • Population Growth and Economic Development
• Case Study: Twins Growing Apart: Burundi and Rwanda		 Read Chapter 6
Assignment 2 – Sep.27
5: Sep.30-Oct. 4 • Urbanization and Rural Urban Migration: Theory and Policy
• Case Study: Rural -Urban Migration and Urbanization in Developing		 Read Chapter 7
Assignment 3- Oct. 4
6: Oct.7-11 Midterm 1 Midterm 1 Exam-Oct. 8
7: Oct.14-18 • Human Capital: Education and Health in Economic Development
• Case Study:Pathways out of poverty-
Progresa/Oportunidades in
Mexico		 Read Chapter 8
8: Oct.21-25 • Agricultural Transformation and Rural Development
• Case study: The need to Improve Agricultural Extension for Women Farmers: Kenya and Uganda		 Read Chapter 9
Assignment 4-Oct.25
9: Oct.28-Nov.1 • The Environment and Development
• Case Study: The role of Development NGOs: BRAC and the Grameen Bank		 Read Chapter 10
Assignment 5- Nov. 1
10: Nov.4-8 • Foreign Finance, Investment, Aid and Conflict Read Chapter 14
Presentations -Due on Nov. 8
11: Nov. 11-15 • Presentations  
12: Nov.18-22 • Presentations  
13: Nov.26 • Presentations  

Important websites:
Countries and Regions (www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/regions.htm)
World Bank Development Data and Statistics (www.worldbank.org/data/)
International Monetary Fund (www.imf.org)
IMF World Economic Outlook (www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2012/01/index-htm)
United Nations Economic and Social Development (www.un.org/ecosocdev/)
United Nations Statistics Division (unstats.un.org/unsd/)
United Nations Development Program (www.undp.org)
Human Development Report (hdr.undp.org)

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Learning Outcomes At the end of this course, a successful learner will demonstrate the ability to:
• Describe and analyze the features of less developed economies and the developmentchallenges they face.
• Understand the concept of inequality, the significance of agriculture in developingcountries, poverty and population issues, and the importance of foreign aid.
• Examine significant policy options available to government and internationalorganizations to address economic development challenges.
• Analyze empirical evidence on the patterns of economic development.
• Comprehend journal articles in the area of economic development.

Grading

  • Class Participation 15%
  • Assignments 25%
  • Midterm Exam 20%
  • Presentation 15%
  • Final Exam 25%

NOTES:

Assignments:
There will be five assignments posted ahead of time on Canvas. Each assignment has 5% weightage.

Class Participation:
The class participation will be evaluated based on in-class activities done in a group. There will be multiple group discussions held during the term. You must actively participate to earn points. The group discussions will be based on a topic assigned by the instructor. You can make a group of three members sitting around you and sign up on the attendance sheet after the discussion is over. You can have different group members for each group discussion session.
The instructions for each group discussion will be provided by the instructor during the class. If you are not present during that time, you will not earn any points. Active participation by answering the questions accurately in class and submitting the answers on Canvas will ensure full credit for each session. If you are present in the class but do not participate, then no credit will be awarded.

Midterm Exam:
The midterm exam will be held in the class on October 8 and will cover Chapters 1,2,5 and 6 from the textbook. Any additional content that is uploaded on Canvas will also be included in the exam. If you are sick and miss the exam then the weight will be shifted to the final exam. There will be no make-up midterm exam.

Final Exam:
The final exam will be cumulative. The final exam will be held during December 5-17 and the Registrar’s office will schedule the date and timings of the exam.

Presentation:
The topics and schedule of the presentation will be posted by September 20 on Canvas. The students will choose from the topics in the list. If you have any topic of interest related to Economic Development not mentioned in the list, then you must get approval from me. You must work together in a group of three members.
• The presentations must be presented in MS PowerPoint.
• Each presentation must be 10 minutes long and must include two scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles related to the topic in the references. At the end of thepresentation, questions will be asked.
• All the students must submit their presentations in PDF format on Canvas by 11:59 P.M.on November 8.
• A marking rubric will be posted on Canvas ahead of time. You must include thereferences in the presentations based on the 7th edition of APA style guide.
It is the responsibility of each student to make sure that the content of the presentation is not generated by ChatGPT. If any plagiarism is found using a software program, no credit will be given to the student whose work is plagiarized.
If you are unable to give a presentation on the scheduled day for a valid medical or personal reason, with the validity as assessed by the instructor, then you will have the opportunity to submit the recorded presentation. You must communicate it to the group members and the instructor via email at least 24 hours BEFORE the presentation or you will get zero for the presentation.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Required Text:
Todaro, Michael and Stephen Smith, Economic Development, 13th Paperback ed., Pearson Addison-Wesley, 2022. ISBN-13: 9781292453323

Articles for discussion:
Duflo, E. (2012). Women empowerment and economic development. Journal of Economic
literature ,50(4): 1051-79. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.50.4.1051
Sen, A. (1990). More than 100 Million Women Are Missing, The New York Review of Books. 20(37):
61 – 66.
Easterly, William.(2007).Inequality does cause underdevelopment. Journal of Development Economics
84 : 755–776.
World Bank Group. (2023). World development report 2023. World Bank Publications.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Please note that, as per Policy T20.01, the course requirements (and grading scheme) outlined here are subject to change up until the end of the first week of classes.

Final exam schedules will be released during the second month of classes. If your course has a final exam, please ensure that you are available during the entire final exam period until you receive confirmation of your exam dates. 

Students requiring accommodations as a result of a disability must contact the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) at 778-782-3112 or caladmin@sfu.ca.

***NO TUTORIALS DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES***

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.