Development Economics as Taught in Developing Countries
This paper uses a combination of survey questions to instructors and data collected from course syllabi and examinations to examine how the subject of development economics is taught at the undergraduate and masters levels in developing countries,...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/12/25705313/development-economics-taught-developing-countries http://hdl.handle.net/10986/23621 |
| Summary: | This paper uses a combination of survey
questions to instructors and data collected from course
syllabi and examinations to examine how the subject of
development economics is taught at the undergraduate and
masters levels in developing countries, and benchmark this
against undergraduate classes in the United States. The
study finds that there is considerable heterogeneity in what
is considered development economics: there is a narrow core
of only a small set of topics such as growth theory, poverty
and inequality, human capital, and institutions taught in at
least half the classes, with substantial variation in other
topics covered. In developing countries, development
economics is taught largely as a theoretical subject coupled
with case studies, with few courses emphasizing data or
empirical methods and findings. This approach contrasts with
the approach taken in leading U.S. economics departments and
with the evolution of development economics research. The
analysis finds that country income per capita, the role of
the state in the economy, the education level in the
country, and the involvement of the instructor in research
are associated with how close a course is to the frontier.
The results suggest there are important gaps in how
development economics is taught. |
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