Public Policy C253 / ARE C253

Fall 2007

 

International Economic Development Policy: Theory, Methods, and Case Studies

Credits:  3 units

 

Mechanics

 

Offered by: Alain de Janvry and Elisabeth Sadoulet.

Time:  Friday 10-12am

Place:  Echeverry Hall 3105

 

Enrollment: Maximum of 30 students in Masters and Ph.D. degrees.

Prerequisites:  Microeconomics and econometrics at the MasterÕs level, or consent of instructors.

 

Office hours:      

Alain:  Friday 4:00-5:00 pm, Giannini Hall 211

            Elisabeth: Friday 4:00-5:00 pm, Giannini Hall 213

 

Contact addresses:          

Alain:  alain@are.berkeley.edu

            Elisabeth:  Sadoulet@are.berkeley.edu

 

Requirements

 

Three quantitative case studies: to be developed by teams of two

Three policy notes: individual

Final examination: closed books

 

Contributions to course grade:

1. Three quantitative case studies: 3x15 = 45% of grade

2. Three policy notes: 3x5 = 15% of grade

3. Final examination: 40% of grade

 

Course outline

Reading list (subject to change)

Assigned readings marked *

 

1.  Policy issues in development

*Bardhan, Pranab. 2005. ÒHistory, Institutions, and Underdevelopment.Ó Chapter 1 in P. Bardhan, Scarcity, Conflicts, and Cooperation: Essays in the Political and Institutional Economics of Development, MIT Press. http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/chapters/0262524295chap1.pdf

*Human Development Report 2005, Chapter 1: ÒThe State of Human Development.Ó

      http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/HDR05_chapter_1.pdf

David Lindauer and Lant Pritchett. 2002. ÒWhatÕs the Big Idea?  The Third Generation of Policies for Economic GrowthÓ. pp. 1-39.  http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/economia/v003/3.1lindauer.pdf   

 

2.  Poverty assessment

*World Bank. 2006. Poverty Manual

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/WBI/WBIPROGRAMS/PGLP/0,,contentMDK:20284296~menuPK:461269~pagePK:64156158~piPK:64152884~theSitePK:461246,00.html

*Ravallion, M., and S. Chen. 2007. ÒChina's (uneven) progress against poverty.Ó Journal of Development Economics 82(1): 1-42. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BUSI/all.html#f

 

3.  Inequality and vulnerability assessment

World Bank. 2006. Poverty Manual

World Bank. 2005. Zambia: Poverty and Vulnerability Assessment. Human development Report, Africa Region. http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0001457/PVA_Zambia_June2005b.pdf

 

4. Human development and social protection programs

Cohen, Joel, and David Bloom. 2005. ÒCultivating Minds: Educating all Children is not only Urgent but also Feasible Within the Next Few Years.Ó Finance and Development 42(2): 8-14

Strauss, John, and Duncan Thomas, 1998, ÒHealth, Nutrition, and Economic DevelopmentÓ, Journal of Economic Literature, 36(2): 766-817.

 

5. Targeting of social programs

Coady, David, Margaret Grosh, John Hoddinott. 2002. ÒThe Targeting of Transfers in Developing Countries: Review of Experience and Lessons.Ó Washington D.C.: The World Bank.

      http://www1.worldbank.org/sp/safetynets/Primers/Targeting_paper.pdf

Ravallion, Martin. 2003.  ÒTargeted Transfers in Poor Countries: Revisiting the Trade-offs and Policy OptionsÓ, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3048. link

Conning Jonathan and Michael Kevane. 2002.  ÒCommunity-based targeting mechanisms for social safety nets: A critical reviewÓ. World Development 30(3):375-394.    

     

6. Environment and development policy

World Resources Institute. 2005. Four Steps to Greater Environmental Income. In World Resources 2005, The Wealth of the Poor, Washington, DC: World Resources Institute: http://pdf.wri.org/wrr05_ch4.pdf

UNISFERA. 2004. Payments for Environmental Services: A survey and assessment of current schemes. Montreal. http://www.cec.org/files/PDF/ECONOMY/PES-Unisfera_en.pdf

 

7.  Agriculture for Development: WDR 2008

Joachim von Braun, (2005) The World Food Situation, International Food Policy Research Institute: http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/agm05/jvb/jvbagm2005.pdf

DIFID. 2005. Growth and Poverty Reduction: The Role of Agriculture. London: UK Department for Economic Development: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/growth-poverty-agriculture.pdf

Hazell, Peter, Colin Poulton, Steve Wiggins, and Andrew Dorward. ÒThe Future of Small Farms: Synthesis PaperÓ.  Background paper for the WDR 2008, November 2006 pdf

Reardon, Thomas and Julio A. BerdeguŽ. The Retail-Led Transformation of Agrifood Systems and its Implications for Development Policies. Background paper for the WDR 2008, November 2006 pdf

 

8 and 9.  Impact analysis of development projects

Ravallion, M. ÒThe mystery of the vanishing benefits: An introduction to impact evaluation.Ó  World Bank Economic Review, Sep, 2001, V15(N1):115-140. link          

Kim, J., H. Alderman, and P. Orazem. 1999.  "Can Private School Subsidies Increase Enrollment for the Poor? The Quetta Urban Fellowship Program."  The World Bank Economic Review, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 443-65 link                                                                                                                          

World Bank site on Impact Evaluation: http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/impact/index.htm

 

10. Microfinance institutions

Morduch, J. 1999. "The Microfinance Promise." Journal of Economic Literature, V37 N4:1569-1614. Jstor

Roodman, David and Uzma Qureshi. ÒMicrofinance as BusinessÓ. Center for Global Development Working paper 101, October 2006. link

 

11.  Migration and development

The World Bank. Global Development Prospects 2006, in particular chapter 3. link

David J.McKenzie. ÒBeyond Remittances: The Effects of Migration on Mexican HouseholdÓ, in International Migration, Remittances, and the Brain Drain Edited by Maurice Schiff and Caglar Ozden, 2005, Palgrave Macmillan link

 


12. Decentralization and local governance

Bardhan, Pranab. Decentralization of Governance and Development The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Volume 16, Number 4, 1 November 2002, pp. 185-205(21). link

Oates, Wallace. ÒFiscal Decentralization and Economic Development: Some Reflections.Ó Journal of Applied Economics pdf

 

13. Development strategies and country case studies

Hausman, Ricardo, and Dany Rodrik. 2006. ÒDoomed to Choose: Industrial Policy as PredicamentÓ.

      http://ksghome.harvard.edu/~drodrik/doomed.pdf

Gulati, Ashok, and Shenggen Fan. 2005. The Tiger and the Elephant. IFPRI.

 

14. Policy debate on foreign aid

Sachs, Jeffrey. 2005. The End of Poverty. New York: The Penguin Press.

Easterly, William. 2006. The White ManÕs Burden. Chapter 11. ÒThe Future of Western Assistance.Ó New York: The Penguin Press.

Kristof, Nicholas. 2006. ÒAid: Can it Work?Ó New York Review of Books 53(15): October 2006.

      http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19374