Courses in international development are jointly offered by the ARE and Economics Departments. They
consist of a one-year sequence usually taken in the second year of the program.
The Fall semester course (ARE 251, Econ 270A) focuses on the microeconomics of development. It is under
the responsibility of Professors Ligon and Sadoulet.
The Spring semester (ARE 252, Econ 270B) focuses on development programs and development strategies. It
is under the responsibility of Professors Miguel and Finan.
ARE and the Economics Department jointly host a weekly Development Seminar open to anyone on campus who
is interested in attending. This is a forum for students to see the work of faculty from the UC
Berkeley campus and from universities across the world, and for advanced graduate students to present
work to a broader audience.
ARE and the Economics department jointly sponsor a development lunch, open to all students with interest in the subject from the two departments and the faculty associated with the field. It is held weekly for students to present their current works on development economics.
Weekly workshops are held for students working on their dissertations with development faculty in ARE,
where students rotate in presenting their current research. This allows faculty to collectively advise
students, and students to cooperate in helping each others in their research.
The field examination in Development is taken upon completing the development courses. It is a three
hour written examination that takes a broad perspective on issues in and recent contributions to the
field. A reading list is issued in advance to help students prepare for the
examination.
