• Class Number 4568
  • Term Code 3030
  • Class Info
  • Unit Value 6 units
  • Mode of Delivery In Person
  • COURSE CONVENER
    • Prof Raghbendra Jha
  • LECTURER
    • Prof Raghbendra Jha
  • Class Dates
  • Class Start Date 24/02/2020
  • Class End Date 05/06/2020
  • Census Date 08/05/2020
  • Last Date to Enrol 02/03/2020
SELT Survey Results

While it is widely acknowledged that the fundamental determinants of development success are domestic in nature, external factors can be important. Indeed, developed countries are becoming increasingly activist in their deployment of a range of tools, from aid to migration to military intervention to promote development (or at least halt deterioration) in poor and often unstable countries around the world. The course will introduce students to available analysis and the debates around overseas development assistance and other policy tools which rich countries can use, either intentionally or inadvertently, to promote or hinder development in poor countries.
 
Course Syllabus 
 
The main focus of the course will be on aid policy. A high-profile debate has sprung up among academics on aid effectiveness, and this will be used to frame this part of the course. The course will compare the critiques and strategies presented in the "best-selling" books by Bill Easterly, Jeff Sachs, and Paul Collier, and the evidence for them.
Other rich country development policies will be covered in less detail. They will include: migration policy; trade policy; intellectual property rights (especially in the context of health); peacekeeping/military intervention; climate change, and other global public goods; global development architecture (the future of the World Bank and IMF).
Methodological issues: The economic methodologies and evidence-bases used in the policy debates around the above issues are diverse and include: cross-country regressions, organizational theory, principal-agent models, game theory, growth and CGE models, public finance, case-studies, and household surveys. While lectures will not primarily be structured around methodological issues, the course will provide students with the opportunity to consider these different approaches, and their strengths and weaknesses in particular settings.
 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Students will gain:

i) an understanding of the main debates around aid and other rich country development policies;

ii) knowledge of the economic tools which can be used to assess these policies;

iii) experience in the assessment of particular rich country development policies.

Research-Led Teaching

Several papers at the cutting edge of research in this topic will be discussed.

Field Trips

No field trips are planned.

Additional Course Costs

None.

Examination Material or equipment

Will be supplied.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:
  • Written comments
  • Verbal comments
  • Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session Summary of Activities Assessment
1 WEEK 1 - 25/02/2020 Lecture: Course introduction Overview of the aid scene. Typology of aid - tied vs. untied; grants vs. loans; bilateral vs. multilateral. Tutorial: Overview of economic tools used in this course.:
2 WEEK 2 - 03/03/2020: Lecture: Do poor countries need aid? Why do donors donate? Tutorial: Augmenting resources for international aid.
3 WEEK 3 - 10/03/2020: Lecture: Does aid work? Does aid work? (cont.) Tutorial: Do the poverty and poverty nutrition traps exist?
4 WEEK 4 - 17/03/2020; Lecture: Micro-macro paradox: aid and institutions Micro-macro paradox: fiscal & macro impact of aid Tutorial: Cross country regressions
5 WEEK 5 - 24/03/2020: Lecture: Improving aid effectiveness: aid and recipient behaviour Improving aid effectiveness: aid and donor behaviour Tutorial: Randomization
6 WEEK 6 - 31/03/2020: Lecture: Improving aid effectiveness: aid and transaction costs Aid recipient perspectives (panel discussion) Tutorial: Dutch disease and fungibility First Essay due 01/04/2020.
7 WEEK 7 - 21/04/2020; Lecture: Aid from non-traditional donors International public goods Tutorial: Feedback on the first essay
8 WEEK 8 - 28/04/2020: Lecture: Guest lecture on Australian aid policy: Speaker to be announced Tutorial: Principal-agent models Second Essay due on 1st May.
9 WEEK 9 - 05/05/2020: Lecture: Debt relief Trade Tutorial: Aid agency incentives
10 WEEK 10 - 12/05/2020: Lecture: The changing international development architecture Migration Tutorial: Aid metrics
12 WEEK 12 - 26/05/2020: In-class 2 hour Final Examination Final Exam for course.

Tutorial Registration

There will be one hour long tutorial per week. No registration is required.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task Value Due Date Return of assessment Learning Outcomes
Short Essay 20 % 24/03/2020 31/03/2020 1
Longer Essay 40 % 20/05/2020 27/05/2020 3
Final Exam 40 % 27/05/2020 02/07/2020 2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Value: 20 %
Due Date: 24/03/2020
Return of Assessment: 31/03/2020
Learning Outcomes: 1

Short Essay

A short 2,000 word essay on Australian aid policy. The details of the essay will be available on Wattle in Week 2.  The assessment criteria will be available on Wattle in Week 2.

Assessment Task 2

Value: 40 %
Due Date: 20/05/2020
Return of Assessment: 27/05/2020
Learning Outcomes: 3

Longer Essay

Students will be required to write one essay on the aid experience of a contry of their choice or on a generic aid-related topic.

This essay should be about 4,000 words long.

In assessing essays, I shall use the following criteria:


(1) relevance to the particular topic chosen,

(2) clarity of structure,

(3) soundness and clarity of argument,

(4) familiarity with literature recommended, and with other reading,

(5) accuracy in and comprehensiveness of representation of others' views, and in relation to factual matters,

(6) independence of thought and/or originality of approach,

(7) clarity of expression (this requires good spelling, grammar and punctuation),

(8) appropriate notes and references.

… In relation to (4) and (5), it is very important that when presenting an argument you make it clear whether you are presenting someone else’s view (through your own summary or via direct quotation) or your own.

… In relation to (6), I’m not expecting totally original pieces of work, but I do want evidence that you have applied some thought to the problem yourself.

… In relation to (8), you… must… follow the referencing conventions of the Crawford Styleguide – available on Wattle.

Assessment Task 3

Value: 40 %
Due Date: 27/05/2020
Return of Assessment: 02/07/2020
Learning Outcomes: 2,3

Final Exam

The exam will be a mix of short-answer and essay questions. Normally, the exam essay covers the non-aid part of the course, while the short-answer questions review basic content from throughout the course. This will be confirmed, or any changes mentioned, in the course of the semester.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

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.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).
Prof Raghbendra Jha
6125 2683
r.jha@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


Development Economics, Macroeconomics, Public Economics

Prof Raghbendra Jha

Friday 13:00 14:30
Friday 13:00 14:30
Prof Raghbendra Jha
6125 2683
r.jha@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


Prof Raghbendra Jha

Friday 13:00 14:30
Friday 13:00 14:30

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