Syllabus (ECONOMICS)

Course Type: ME-8

Semester: 7

Course Code: BECOMEB47T

Course Title: Development Economics

(L-P-Tu): 3-0-1

Credit: 4

Practical/Theory: Theory

Course Objective: X

Learning Outcome: X

1. Economic Development: (15)

Meaning of Economic Development; Income Approach and Capability Approach; Construction and interpretation of HDI; International variations in development measures; Comparing development trajectories across nations and within them; Dependency School of Development.

2. Economic Growth: (15)

Concept and Meaning; Growth Models: Harrod-Domar, Solow; Sources of economic growth; International Comparisons.

3. Poverty and Inequality: (15)

Inequality Axioms; Comparison of commonly used inequality measures; Gender Inequality; Connections between inequality and development; Poverty measurement, HPI; Poverty traps and path Dependence of growth processes.

4. Political Institutions and the State: (15)

Definition of institutions; Evolution of Political and Economic Institutions; The determinants of democracy; alternative institutional trajectories and their relationship with economic performance; within-country differences in the functioning of State Institutions; State ownership and regulation; Government failures and Corruption.

Reading References:

► Debraj Ray, 2009, Development Economics, Oxford University Press.

► Partha Dasgupta, 2007, Economics: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.

► Abhijit Banerjee, Roland Benabou and Dilip Mookerjee, 2006, Understanding Poverty, Oxford University Press.

► Kaushik Basu, 2007, The Oxford Companion to Economics in India, OUP.

► Amartya Sen, 2000, Development as Freedom, OUP.

► Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, 2006, Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, Cambridge University Press.

► Meier and Rauch, Leading Issues in Development Economics, OUP.
► Todaro and Smith, 2009, Economic Development, Pearson Education.

►Zahirul Islam Sikdar, 2010, Arthanoitik Unnayan O Parikalpana, Confidence Prakashani, Dhaka.