Why are some countries richer than others? Why have some countries experienced growth miracles while others have experienced stagnation of 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 differently, the effect of geography, institutions, foreign aid, corruption and differential savings rates on the large disparities across countries. Within countries we will examine the role of education, health migration and credit markets in poverty alleviation. 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.

Required Resources

Students may use the ANU computers to access R or they may install it on their own machines for free. I will provide instructions on how to do this.

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). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

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 - Project Due
3	Methodological Issues	Tutorial 2 - Project Due
4	Policy Evaluation	Tutorial 3 - Project Due
5	Economic Development: Big Picture vs Small Steps	Tutorial 4 - Project Due
6	Long run Economic Development: Geography and Institutions	Tutorial 5 - Project Due
7	Long run Economic Development: Geography and Institutions cont.	Tutorial 6, Mid-Semester Exam, Project Due
8	Foreign Aid Debate	Tutorial 7 - Project Due
9	Migration	Tutorial 8 - Project Due
10	Education	Tutorial 9 - Project Due
11	Famine, Health	Tutorial 10 - Project Due
12	Corruption	Tutorial 11 - Project Due

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 in computer labs. I will also prerecord how to use the relevant computer programs to answer the tutorial questions. If there are students who are unable to be in Canberra I will make the tutorials available online.

1. 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. https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/timetabling].

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Mid-Semester Exam	20 %	*	07/10/2022	1,2,3
Paper Presentation	20 %	*	*	1,2,3
Final Exam	40 %	*	*	1,2,3
Assignment	20 %	07/10/2022	21/10/2022
Submit tutorial 1	0 %	05/08/2022	12/08/2022

* 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 Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

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 Academic Skills 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

Details on the delivery of this course and expectations of student participation are outlined in further detail on the Wattle course site. 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

Paper Presentation

Students will be given a paper to present two weeks before the presentation date. Students will be graded on their summary of the paper as well as their assessment of how the paper fits into the literature and whether they think the authors have validly answered their hypothesis. I will provide further guidance in class and on Wattle. Presentations begin in week 3. If we have high enrolments then presentations will be in groups, we will know this in week 1. Presentations will be live in class and recorded, I will upload your slides on Wattle. If students cannot be on campus they should attend presentations over zoom and if they need to present this will be done over zoom. The presentation paper content is examinable.

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 10.

Assessment Task 4

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 5

Submit tutorial 1

Students are required to submit their answers to tutorial 1 so I can determine whether you have installed the software correctly and have a basic working knowledge of R.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

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

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

Online 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 Access 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