京都大学 京都大学

Development Economics (Policy and Institutions)

Numbering Code G-GAIS00 51017 SE43 Year/Term 2022 ・ Second semester
Number of Credits 2 Course Type Seminar
Target Year From 1st to 3rd year students Target Student
Language English Day/Period Fri.2
Instructor name IALNAZOV，Dimiter Savov (Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability Professor)
Outline and Purpose of the Course One of the goals of this course is to rethink development economics from the perspective of recent concepts such as sustainable development and the green economy. Why do we need such a rethink? Because we already know that the pursuit of economic growth and development brings enormous environmental and social problems such as the rise of greenhouse gas emissions and socio-economic inequality. By focusing mainly on economic growth and development, development economics postponed dealing with those problems at the latter stage of economic development. However, we also know that to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs), not only the advanced countries but also the emerging economies and developing countries need to deal with those environmental and social problems today.

Moreover, there are certain policies and institutions that are expected to lead to economic development according to development economics. To reconsider those policies and institutions is another goal of this course. The reason why we need this exercise is because the policies and institutions implemented under the neoliberal paradigm have ended in failure in almost all emerging economies and developing countries. On the other hand, the number of countries that try to follow a different development model inspired by the Chinese economic success is on the increase. So I would like to think together with the students what should be the policies and institutions leading to economic development in the future.

Furthermore, this is an interactive course where students are not only going to learn some basic knowledge about economic development, as well as the policies and institutions leading to economic development, but they will be invited to share their own perspectives in a dialogue with the instructor. Finally, we are going to study not only theories but also country case studies and some practical examples of policies and institutions that have been implemented.
Course Goals What knowledge or skills will the students acquire as a result of taking the course?
1. The students will be able to critically evaluate economic development theories, policies and institutions.
2. Each student is expected to choose an emerging economy or a developing country and do a case study of its economic development, possibly including the evaluation of a certain policy or an institution. As a result of knowledge sharing, by the end of the semester the students will be able to compare their chosen country with the countries chosen by the other students.
3. As during the course we will have lots of discussions in English, the students will be able to improve their English communication and discussion skills.
Schedule and Contents 1. Introduction
Each student is expected to choose an emerging economy or a developing country on which he/she will do a case study during the semester.

2. The meaning of development, economic development and sustainable development. Indicators used to measure a country's level of development. Comparison of advanced countries, emerging economies and developing countries.
3. Factors explaining economic development success: a focus on human capital and the human development index (HDI)
4. Factors explaining economic development success: a focus on policies (incl. industrial policy) and institutions
5. Case studies of individual countries that are considered to be economic development success or failure stories
6. Introduction to development economics theories: Part 1 (a focus on Rosenstein-Rodan, Lewis, Rostow)
7. Introduction to development economics theories: Part 2 (a focus on dependency theory, neoclassical economic theory and the new growth theory)

8. Mid-term presentations by the students

9. Policies and institutions implemented under the neoliberal economic model (the Washington Consensus)
10. Policies and institutions implemented under the Chinese economic development model
11. Types of political regimes and economic development: Part 1 (dictatorships and authoritarian regimes)
12. Types of political regimes and economic development: Part II (democratic systems)
13. The sustainable or green development model
14. Green industrial policy

15. End-term presentations by the students
Evaluation Methods and Policy The evaluation will be done according to the following criteria.
1. Class participation* (50% of the final grade)
* Class participation includes (1) attendance, (2) submission of the assignments before the class and short presentations during the class, and (3) participation in the discussions during the class.

2. Term paper* (the other 50% of the final grade)
* Term paper includes (1) mid-term presentation, (2) end-term presentation, and (3) the quality of the term paper.
Course Requirements Students who wish to take the course should be able to communicate in English and to read academic texts written in English. Students who have not studied economics or whose major is not economics are also welcome to join.
Study outside of Class (preparation and review) During each class I will explain what the students should read and prepare for the next class.
Textbooks Textbooks/References I will let the students know about what textbook we are going to use during the first class.
References, etc. Economic Development (thirteenth edition), Todaro, M. and S. Smith, (Pearson, 2020)
The Age of Sustainable Development, Sachs, J. , (Columbia University Press, 2015)
How China Escaped the Poverty Trap, Ang, Y. Y. , (Cornell University Press, 2016)
Related URL https://www.gsais.kyoto-u.ac.jp/staff/inalnazof/
http://www.econ.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~ialnazov/
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