Senior Seminar: Development Economics
ECON BC3063 Section 002
Spring 2006

Professor:
Mariana Colacelli

Email: mcolacelli@barnard.edu; mc2602@columbia.edu Office Hours: Wednesday 12:00-2:00pm
Office: Room 3 Lehman Hall (Barnard)

Class Meetings: Thursday 9:00am-10:50am

This senior seminar starts by asking the question "Why are the "poor" poor and the "rich" rich?" During the semester we will study different attempts to answer this central question in macroeconomics. Possible answers fall into four main categories. First, we will study the answers related to the capital stock of an economy, its accumulation and financial markets imperfections. The second group of answers to study centers on the population and labor force of the economy, its education and nutrition. Thirdly we will analyze explanations based on technology development. Lastly we will investigate a variety of additional forces which have proven to have a strong impact on the economic development of the countries such as institutions, culture, the role of the government, international trade, geography and inequality.

The course requirements include weekly email responses to the readings (15% of the final grade), class participation (20%), leading two discussions during the semester (25%), and a research paper and its presentation (40%). The research-paper project entails the submission of a research proposal early in the semester, a first draft, a final draft, and a presentation to the class.