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The Economics of Less Developed Countries B

Module Code: ECU33042

Module Title: Economics of Less Developed Countries B

  • ECTS Weighting: 5
  • Semester/Term Taught: Semester 2
  • Contact Hours: 22 hours of lectures and 4 hours of tutorials
  • Module Personnel: Lecturer - Prof Michael King

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

  • Explain what is commonly meant by development and which countries fit into the less developed country category and why they do so.
  • Identify and account for the challenges of government planning in developing countries.
  • Appraise the contribution of trade, finance and aid policies to the advancement of developing countries. And formulate a balanced judgement on the opportunities and threats posed by these to developing countries.
  • Recognise the multiple functions of institutions and the role they play in economic development.
  • Outline the connections between economic development and the environment and articulate a balanced judgement on the potential policy responses.

Module Learning Aims

The problems facing less developed countries are among the greatest challenges facing the world today. This module will focus on the diverse structures and common characteristics of less developed countries and will offer an evaluation of policies being pursued.
The module begins by discussing the idea of economic development before moving onto sources of and barriers to development. It uses contemporary models of economic development to investigate why some countries are rich and others are poor.

Module Content

  • What is "development" and who are the "developing countries"?
  • Inequality and Development
  • Education and Health in Development
  • Financial Markets and Development
  • Programmes for Poverty Reduction
  • Agriculture and Rural Development
  • Population Growth and Urbanisation: Problems and Policies

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

  • Explain what is commonly meant by development and which countries fit into the less developed country category and why they do so.
  • Discuss the main barriers that prevent poor households from being able to increase their income.
  • Understand the challenges involved in evaluating the impact of development policies.
  • Critically assess the evidence for the success of various development programmes in reducing poverty.
  • Apply economic theory to a range of economic issues and examine the evidence for these theories in developing countries.

Satisfactory completion of this module will contribute to the development of the following key skills:

  • The ability to apply economic theory to complex situations with imperfect markets.
  • The ability to apply techniques learnt in earlier courses to a practical subject of interest to the students.

Recommended Reading List

The main textbook for the course is: Michael Todaro and Stephen C. Smith, Economic Development, (11th edn.), Addison Wesley Longman, 2011.

A supplementary reading list will also be available on Blackboard.

Module Pre-requisites

ECU22011 and ECU22012 and ECU22031 and ECU22032 or equivalent

Assessment Details

  • 50% Essay
  • 50% Final examination

Module Website

Blackboard