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Course: 2019/2020

Institutions, Development and Growth

(15640)

Master in Economic Development and Growth (Plan: 242 - Estudio: 255)

EPC

Coordinating teacher: ALVAREZ NOGAL, CARLOS

Department assigned to the subject: Social Sciences Department

Type: Electives

ECTS Credits: 3.0 ECTS

Course: 1º

Semester:

Objectives

- Learn to understand and analyze academic papers and reports about the impact and quality of institutions. - Ability to analyze institutions and their impact in economic growth and development in the long and short-term. - To analyze causes and the dynamic of institutional change. - To analyze the effects of reform and institutional policies in very different economic contexts.

Description of contents: programme

- New Institutional Economics - Property rights - Design of contracts - Markets - Natural resources and Institutional quality - Colonial Institutions, inequality and development

Learning activities and methodology

Theoretical knowledge will be acquired by: - Lectures that will provide the major theoretical and practical concepts that students are expected to acquire. students will receive at the start of the module a full list of basic and complementary bibliographical references. All readings will be uploaded to Aula Global in order to allow students to read in advance and dwell autonomously on the topics in which they are more interested. - Discussion of articles, exercises and problems given by the teacher, and encouraging the active participation of students to solve them, either individually or in groups. Complementary bibliography and readings will be available. Acquisition of abilities and skills through: - Writing a short essay on the literature concerning one of the course topics - Class presentations by the student of their work, and a class discussion with other students.

Assessment System

There will be continuous assessments throughout the course to make students read and work with the main bibliography. 
Marks from these exercises will count an important percentage of the final mark. Both the exams and the controls serve the purpose of evaluating the degree of knowledge acquired by the student, his or her ability to transfer this knowledge into a similar context and adapting these ideas to new situations.
Continuous assessment will make up 100% of the final grade, using the following criteria:
Final essay: 30 %
Active participation in class, discussions of articles: 40%
Continuous assessment (assignments, comments¿): 30 %

% end-of-term-examination 0
% of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 100

Basic Bibliography

Easterly, W.. Can the West Save Africa?. Journal of Economic Literature 47 (2), pp. 373-447.. 2009
Glaeser, E. L., La Porta, R., López de Silanes, F. y Shleifer, A.. Do institutions cause growth?. Journal of Economic Growth 9, pp. 271-303. 2004
Greif, A. . Cultural beliefs and the Organization of the Society: a Historical and Theoretical Reflection on Collectivist and Individualist Societies. Journal of Political Economy 101, pp. 912-950.. 1994
Grief, A. . Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy: Lessons from Medieval Trade. Cambridge University Press. 2006
Milgrom, P., North, D. C. y Weingast, B. . The Role of Institutions in the Revival of Trade: the Law Merchant, Private Judges, and the Champaign Fairs. Economics & Politics 2, pp. 1-23. 1991
Svensson, J.. Eight questions about corruption. Journal of Economic Perspectives 19 (3), pp. 19-42. 2005
Tilly, C. . Coercion, Capital, and European States, AD 990-1992. . Blackwell Publishers. 1990

Additional Bibliography

Acemoglu, D. y Robinson, J. A. . Why did the West extend the franchise? Democracy, inequality, and growth in historical perspective. Quarterly Journal of Economics 115 (4), pp. 1167-1199.. 2000
Aoki, M.. Institutional Evolution as Punctuated Equilibria. Mènard C. (ed.) Institutions, Contracts and Organizations: Perspectives from New Institutional Economics. Cheltenham (UK): Edward Elgar, pp. 11-36. 2000
Bates, R. H., Coatsworth, J. H. y Williamson, J. G.. Lost Decades: Postindependence Performance in Latin America and Africa. Journal of Economic History 67 (04), pp. 917-943. 2007
Greif, A.. Cliometrics after 40 Years. American Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings, 87 (2), pp. 400-403. 1997
Ménard, C.. Methodological Issues in New Institutional Economics. Journal of Economic Methodology 8 (1), pp. 85-92.. 2001
Nee, V.. Norms and Networks in Economic and Organizational Performance. American Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings, 88 (2), pp. 85-89. 1998
North, D. C.. Understanding Institutions. in Mènard C. (ed.) Institutions, Contracts and Organizations: Perspectives from New Institutional Economics. Cheltenham (UK): Edward Elgar, pp. 7-10.. 2000
Williamson, O. E.. The Institutions of Governance. American Economic Review, Papers and Proceedings, 88 (2), pp. 75-79. . 1998

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.