AØKA08088U Advanced Development Economics - Micro Aspects

Volume 2022/2023
Education

MSc programme in Economics – elective course

 

The PhD Programme in Economics at the Department of Economics:

  • The course is an elective course with research module. In order to register for the research module and to be able to write the research assignment, the PhD students must contact the study administration AND the lecturer.
Content

This course covers the microeconomics of development with focus on approaches to understanding the decisions of households and firms in developing countries. Since development is a field with a strong empirical tradition, most of the course is centered on discussing causal inference and evaluating the identification strategies used in the literature. Moreover, the exercise classes provide students with an opportunity for hands-on experience replicating selected studies using appropriate software packages, mainly STATA.

 

The course is organized around the following topics:

  1. Introduction: questions, data, and identification
  2. Poverty and inequality
  3. Agriculture and livelihoods,
  4. Risk, insurance, and shocks
  5. Disasters and climate change adaptation,
  6. Land markets and property rights,
  7. Credit and microfinance
  8. Jobs and labor markets,
  9. Health and nutrition,
  10. Education and skills,
  11. Migration.

 

The course aims to:

  • Provide the students with a critical overview of the recent literature and important debates within the micro aspects of economic development.
     
  • Provide insight into methodological issues that arise when doing research on microeconomics of development. The emphasis will be on how theoretical microeconomic hypotheses may be tested with data and how to identify causal relationships. One aim is through exercises to gain insight into what makes a good empirical study.
  • Provide students with a hands-on experience on working with micro-level survey data in combination with administrative and spatial data and how to replicate empirical results using relevant econometric software. This will hopefully prepare students for original independent empirical research and help identify possible interesting thesis topics.
Learning Outcome

After completing the course the student is expected to be able to:

 

Knowledge:

  • Account for the basic concepts used in micro development economics.
  • Define the key elements of the more recent theories and development models.
  • Critically discuss theories and empirical evidence on micro economic development.
  • Reflect upon ongoing professional debate in areas within the described topics.
  • Present and discuss existing theory and empirical evidence related to the topics.

 

Skills:

  • Analyze current economic development issues with use of relevant micro theories and empirical methods
  • Summarize and assess theory and empirical evidence on the economic characteristics and functions of selected markets in developing countries.
  • Empirically analyze existing data relevant for development micro economics.
  • Empirically analyze new data using relevant software.

  •  

Competences_

  • Apply theoretical and empirical knowledge about economic development in a competent, coherent and original way in relation to current challenges.
  • Master relevant model setups within development and implement existing empirical models in new contexts.
  • Plan and solve new and complex empirical model setups within micro development economics in a professional and responsible manner.

 

Textbook: Bardhan and Udry (1999). “Development Microeconomics”, Oxford University Press.

Series of academic articles listed in the course-reading list.

The course builds upon knowledge gained during the under-graduate course “Development Economics”. However, although it is recommended that the students have taken this course it is not a requirement to follow "Advanced Development Economics - Micro Aspects".

It is also recommended that the students familiarize themselves with the program package Stata, as exercises are carried out using this particular software. Links to relevant tutorials for Stata will be available on the course homepage.
The format of the course is a combination of lectures, exercises and student assignments.

In the lectures core concepts, theories, empirical measures and methods within the field of micro development are presented.

In exercises classes students work in groups to understand and discuss central papers in the syllabus. During the exercises, students will learn to replicate and extend central papers in the syllabus, which will be of direct relevance for the mandatory assignment and the exam.

Changes to teaching methods due to a pandemic crisis:
The teaching in this course might be changed to either fully or partly online due to a pandemic crisis. If changes are implemented please read the study messages at KUnet or the announcements in the virtual course room on Absalon (for enrolled students).
Schedule:
2 hours lectures a week from week 6 to 20.
3 hours of exercise classes one to two times a week from week 6 or 7 to 20.

The overall schema can be seen at KUnet:
MSc in Economics => "courses and teaching" => "Planning and overview" => "Your timetable"
KA i Økonomi => "Kurser og undervisning" => "Planlægning og overblik" => "Dit skema"

Timetable and venue:
To see the time and location of lectures and exercise classes please press the link under "Timetable"/​"Se skema" at the right side of this page (F means Spring).

You can find the similar information in English at
https:/​/​skema.ku.dk/​ku2223/​uk/​module.htm
-Select Department: “2200-Økonomisk Institut” (and wait for respond)
-Select Module:: “2200-F23; [Name of course]”
-Select Report Type: “List – Weekdays”
-Select Period: “Forår/Spring”
Press: “ View Timetable”

Please be aware:
- The study administration allocates the students to the exercise classes according to the principles stated in the KUnet.
- It is not possible to change class after the second registration period has expired.
- The student is not allowed to participate in an exercise class not registered.
- The exercise class is taught in English and it is expected that the students ask questions in English, so foreign students are included in the dialog.
- The schedule of the lectures and the exercise classes can change without the participants´ acceptance. If this occure, you can see the new schedule in your personal timetable at KUnet, in the app myUCPH and through the links in the right side of this course description and the link above.
- It is the students´s own responsibility continuously throughout the study to stay informed about their study, their teaching, their schedule, their exams etc. through the curriculum of the study programme, the study pages at KUnet, student messages, the course description, the Digital Exam portal, Absalon, the personal schema at KUnet and myUCPH app etc.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 28
  • Class Instruction
  • 42
  • Preparation
  • 112
  • Exam
  • 24
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Individual
Collective
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)

 

Feedback is obtained throughout the semester by:

  • The lecturer answering questions in class.
  • The lecturer giving oral feedback on written questions from groups.
  • The teaching assistant giving oral feedback on written exercises in exercise classes.
  • Student peer feedback on one assignment.
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Portfolio, 48 hours
Type of assessment details
The exam is a written assignment consisting of two parts:
• Part 1: The first part is based on the (one) mandatory assignment worked on during the course. The student can use the peer feedback received during the course to improve this assignment. This can be done before the exam period begins, where the assignment must be worked on individually.
• Part 2: The second part is a new assignment given in English. The new assignment correspond to approximately a 24 hours assignment.

Please be aware that:
• The students are allowed to communicate about the given problem-set for the new assignment but must work on the assignment individually.
• The plagiarism rules must be complied.
• All parts must be answered in English and all parts must be uploaded to Digital Exam in one file.
Exam registration requirements

To qualify for the exam the student must no later than the given deadlines during the course:

  • Hand in written programming files where two-third of the files have to be approved.
  • Hand in one mandatory assignment.
  • Provide useful written peer feedback based on specific criteria to the mandatory assignments of two other students.

 

Please be aware of:

  • The teaching assistant and/or the lecturer control the assignments and the feedback.
  • The programmingfiles, the assignment and the peer feedback must be written individually.
  • The assignments and the peer feedback must be written in English.
  • The mandatory assignments and the peer feedback are part of a portfolio exam. See “Type of assessment"
Aid
All aids allowed

for the written exam.

Information about allowed aids for the re-examination, please go to the section "Re-exam".

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
for the written exam.
An oral re-examination may be with external assessment.
Exam period

The regular exam takes place:

24 June 2023 from 9 AM to 26 June 9 AM

 

Exam information:

More information is available in Digital Exam from the middle of the semester. In special cases decided by the Department, the exam can change to another day and/or time than announced. 

More information about examination, rules, aids etc. at Master (UK) and Master (DK).

Criteria for exam assesment

Students are assessed on the extent to which they master the learning outcome for the course.

 

In order to obtain the top grade “12”, the student must with no or only a few minor weaknesses be able to demonstrate an excellent performance displaying a high level of command of all aspects of the relevant material and can make use of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.

 

In order to obtain the passing grade “02”, the student must in a satisfactory way be able to demonstrate a minimal acceptable level of  the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.