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What Is Considered Development Economics? Commonalities and Differences in University Courses around the Developing World

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  • David McKenzie
  • Anna Luisa Paffhausen

Abstract

We use a combination of surveys of instructors and data from course syllabi to examine how the subject of development economics is taught at the undergraduate and Master’s level in over 200 courses in 56 developing countries and the United States. We find there is considerable heterogeneity in what is considered development economics: there is a narrow core of topics (growth theory, poverty and inequality, human capital, and institutions) taught in at least half the classes and large variation in the role of theory versus empirics. Employing clustering techniques, we find four views of development: a theoretical macro-based approach; an empirical micro-based approach; a mixed approach narrowly focused on these common core topics; and an expansive approach covering a much broader range of topics. We find country, course, and instructor characteristics are all associated with these differences in how development economics is conceptualized.

Suggested Citation

  • David McKenzie & Anna Luisa Paffhausen, 2017. "What Is Considered Development Economics? Commonalities and Differences in University Courses around the Developing World," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 31(3), pages 595-610.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:wbecrv:v:31:y:2017:i:3:p:595-610.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/wber/lhx015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rodrik, Dani, 2008. "The New Development Economics: We Shall Experiment, but How Shall We Learn?," Working Paper Series rwp08-055, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    2. Hollis Chenery† & T.N. Srinivasan (ed.), 1988. "Handbook of Development Economics," Handbook of Development Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 1, number 1.
    3. Dani Rodrik & Mark Rosenzweig (ed.), 2010. "Handbook of Development Economics," Handbook of Development Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 5, number 6.
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    Cited by:

    1. , Aisdl, 2020. "The rise of research on development economics in Vietnam: Analyses and implications for the public and policymakers from SSHPA 2008-2020 dataset," OSF Preprints 9nbyr, Center for Open Science.
    2. repec:osf:thesis:msy6e_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Menghan Wang & Zhong Liu & Chunlan Ji, 2025. "Does rural cluster residence increase gift-giving expenditure of rural households?—evidence from Sichuan province in China," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Ho, Manh-Toan, 2020. "The rise of research on development economics in Vietnam: Analyses and implications for the public and policymakers from SSHPA 2008-2020 dataset," Thesis Commons msy6e, Center for Open Science.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions

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