Why are some countries richer than others? Why have some countries experienced growth miracles while others have experienced stagnation or even growth disasters? Within developing countries, what does it mean to be poor? How to combat poverty? What are the challenges that the poor in developing countries face and what can be done to improve their living standards? This course intends to teach students what we know and what we do not know about these important questions and will focus on teaching students tools in understanding them. The topics covered will include explanations on why countries develop differentially, the effect of geography, institutions, foreign aid, corruption and differential, saving rates on the large disparities across countries. Within countries, we will examine the role of education, health migration and credit markets in the alleviation of poverty. The course will cover both theory and empirical evidence but focusing mainly on how to conduct empirical analysis in understanding these important economic development issues.

Research-Led Teaching

Theory and examples covered in the course are derived from research in the field of economics. In addition, students will have the opportunity to themselves engage in a small research tasks to problem solve throughout the semester.

Recommended Resources

Acemoglu, D. and Robinson, J., 2012, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty, Random House. (ebook ANU library)

 

Banerjee, A. and Duflo, E., 2011, Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the way to Fight Global Poverty, Public Affairs. (ebook ANU library)

 

Collier, P., 2007, The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It, Oxford University Press. (hard copy ANU library)

 

Easterly, W., 2006, The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest have done so Much Ill and so Little Good, Penguin Press. (hard copy ANU library)

 

Ray, D., 1997, Development Economics, Princeton University Press. (Introduction) (hard copy ANU library)

 

Sachs, J., 2005, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, Penguin Press. (hard copy ANU library)

De Janvry, A. and Sadoulet, E., 2016, Development Economics: Theory and Practice, Routledge (hard copy at ANU library)

These texts will be available in the library.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

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.

Other Information

Given the spread of Covid in Victoria and the realisation that Covid spreads through aerosols at the time of compiling this course outline, it seems prudent to have this course taught online.

Please check Wattle regularly in case there are any announcements.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	General Introduction	Optional R Tutorial - Tutorial 0
2	Poverty and Inequality	Tutorial 1 - typed answers to be submitted online
3	Methodological Issues	Tutorial 2
4	Policy Evaluation	Tutorial 3
5	Economic Development: Big Picture vs Small Steps	Tutorial 4
6	Long run Economic Development: Geography and Institutions	Tutorial 5
7	Long run Economic Development: Geography and Institutions cont.	Tutorial 6, Mid-Semester Exam
8	Foreign Aid Debate	Tutorial 7
9	Migration	Tutorial 8
10	Education	Tutorial 9 - Assignment Due
11	Famine, Health	Tutorial 10
12	Corruption	Tutorial 11

Tutorial Registration

You are expected to attend a tutorial each week from Week 2 onwards. There is an optional tutorial in Week 1 to help you familiarise yourselves with R. Tutorials will take place live on zoom. I will also prerecord how to use the relevant computer programs to answer the tutorial questions.

You must enrol in a tutorial using the Wattle site for this course and attend the tutorial for which you are enrolled. Tutorial enrolment will open in the first week of the semester.

When tutorials are open for enrolment, follow these steps:

1. Log on to Wattle, go to the course site
2. Click on the link "Tutorial enrolment"
3. On the right side of the screen, click on the tab "Become Member of..." for the tutorial class you wish to enter.
4. Confirm your choice.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Mid-Semester Exam	25 %	*	01/10/2021	1,2,3
Assignment	25 %	08/10/2021	22/10/2021	1,2,3
Final Exam	45 %	*	*	1,2,3
Hand in answers to tutorial 1	5 %	03/08/2021	17/08/2020	1,2,3

* 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:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

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. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

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.

Participation

Due to continued travel restrictions this course will be delivered through online platforms. Aspects of the delivery will be asynchronous. However, there will be live lectures/tutorials/workshops also taking place. Details on the delivery of this course and expectations of student participation are outlined in further detail on the Wattle course site. In addition, tutorials are a discussion-based class. Providing worked solutions would not effectively compensate for missing a tutorial. Students who, through unavoidable and unplanned occurrences, are unable to attend a tutorial class one week are encouraged to work through the problems and attend a consultation session for discussion and solutions.

Examination(s)

The final examination will be held according to the published university schedule posted at http://timetable.anu.edu.au/. It is the student’s responsibility to be informed about changes to the examination timetable. The examination material of the final examination will be everything covered in the lectures, including material already covered in the mid-semester examination.

Assessment Task 1

Mid-Semester Exam

An online mid-semester exam will be held in week 6 or week 7. The examination material of the mid-semester examination will be all that is covered in the lectures up to and inclusive of the week before the examination.

The mid-semester exam is compulsory, non-redeemable. There will be a deferred exam for students who cannot attend for acceptable reasons such as illness.

The exam will be 90 minutes long.

Questions will either be in the form of a Wattle quiz or downloadable pdf document. Your answers will either be done on Wattle or uploaded in Wattle as a pdf. Which of the two will be determined once the course commences. More details will be announced in class 2 weeks prior to the exam.

Assessment Task 2

Assignment

Students will be asked to download some data and walk through several exercises in R to replicate the results of a paper. Code and output should be handed in, along with answers to questions.

Students will hand in their assignments through turnitin.

Task will be available no less than 2 weeks before the due date.

More details will be announced in class.

Assessment Task 3

Final Exam

An online final examination will be held according to the published university schedule posted at http://timetable.anu.edu.au/. It is the student’s responsibility to be informed about changes to the examination timetable. The examination material of the final examination will be everything covered in the lectures, including material already covered in the mid-semester examination.

The exam will be approximately 2.5 hours long.

Questions will either be in the form of a Wattle quiz or downloadable pdf document. Your answers will either be done on Wattle or uploaded in Wattle as a pdf. Which of the two will be determined once the course commences. More details will be announced in class during week 11.

Assessment Task 4

Hand in answers to tutorial 1

Upload on to Wattle your answers to Tutorial 1 prior to the tutorial meeting, questions will be uploaded on Wattle after the first lecture. Feedback will be provided 2 weeks later.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to 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 be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, 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 Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

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 not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

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.

Returning Assignments

In tutorials 2 weeks after submission

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted 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.

Resubmission of Assignments

None.

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).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students