Descriptif

This course is an introduction to development economics with a specific focus on the relationship between health and development. To what extent do differences in the disease environment explain differences in economic performance? Which policies are effective at improving health in developing countries? We will study these questions from an empirical perspective and review recent evidence to shed light on important policy debates. We will touch upon the two main views on fundamental causes of economic growth: endowments and institutions.   

Reading list:

• Acemoglu, Daron and Simon Johnson. (2007). “Disease and Development: The Effect of Life Expectancy on Economic Growth”, Journal of Political Economy, Vol 115(6), pp. 925-985.
• Hoyt Bleakley (2010). “Malaria Eradication in the Americas: A Retrospective Analysis of Childhood Exposure.” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, Vol. 2, pp.1-45.
• Das Jishnu and Jeffrey Hammer (2014) "Quality of Primary Care in Low-Income Countries: Facts and Economics," Annual Review of Economics, Vol. 6 pp. 525-553.
• Björkman Martina and Jakob Svensson (2009) “Power to the People: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment on Community-Based Monitoring in Uganda” The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 124(2) pp.735–769.