The goal of this course is to understand the microeconomics underlying key international development problems and the tools researchers use to study them and to design related policy interventions. It focuses on both theoretical interpretation and empirical estimation of microeconomic models of individual, household, farm, market and non-market institutions that relate to a range of issues attracting both researchers and policy makers.
The course has two main components. The first is a series of lectures on theoretical and empirical techniques used by researchers in development microeconomics. The second is a series of discussions on some concrete empirical studies of development policies taken from high quality research around the world. Both components will be interwoven for each and every development issue considered, giving students ample opportunity to learn the foundations and directly apply them to constructively analyse the real-world policy design.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
On completion of the course, students will be able to
- Understand the microeconomic foundations and estimation techniques used to study some of the key development problems
- Apply these techniques to constructively analyse and design related policy interventions
- Design high quality research in development microeconomics
Indicative Assessment
In-class group presentation (10%), Constructive policy briefs (20%), Research assignment (30%), Final examination (40%)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
4 hour lecture per week.
Prescribed Texts
The primary textbook for this course is
Poor Economics: Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. A. Banerjee and E. Duflo. PublicAffairs (2011)
This book, however, will not provide full reference of the material covered in this course. The course material will also draw on the following three books supplemented by journal articles, book chapters, and technical papers on the relevant issues.
Development Economics. D. Ray. Princeton University Press (1998)
Understanding Poverty. A. Banerjee, R. Benabou and D. Mookherjee, editors. Oxford University Press (2006).
Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day. D. Collins, J. Morduch, S. Rutherford, and O. Ruthven. Princeton University Press (2009).
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $3762 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $4566 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
