麻省理工學院「開放式課程網頁」 | 經濟學 | 14.74 2004秋季課程：發展政策的基礎理論

課程描述

在本課程中，我們將學習人類發展的不同方面：教育、健康、性別、家庭、國家關係、風險、非正規與正規的的標準與制度。在研究這些課題時，我們會問：在發展中國家，什麼決定著貧窮家庭的選擇？他們受什麼所約束？（政府、國際組織或者非政府組織）政策實施的範圍是什麼？那些政策經過試驗了嗎？試驗成功了嗎？

必備先修課程

這是一門實證課程。對於每個主題，都會研究來自世界各地的具體例子。統計課程是必備的先修課程。計量經濟學雖然不是本課程的先修課程，但是希望你能夠熟悉基本的計量經濟學方法。在課堂講述中會涉及到與這些課程相關的內容，有時在敘述時也會提到。

課程要求

每兩到三節課會有一個習題集（總共有7個習題集），需要在課後的一個星期內繳交。每個習題集將包括一個實際練習和一個練習題。在開始的描述課程中，你會學習如何使用軟體Stata來完成這些習題。本課程的習題集非常重要，需要投入較多的時間。

在第14節課時會進行期中考試，並在考試週進行期終考試。習題集成績佔這門課程總成績的40%，期中考試成績佔總成績的25%，期末考試成績則佔總成績35%。要按時出勤，因這會在一些邊緣案例下影響成績（如在不能確定是B+還是A-時）。

課本和課外讀物

這門課程的課本是Debraj Ray的《發展經濟學》(Development Economics)。但是我們主要會側重於一些文章，並提供一個課外讀物輯。這門課程的課外讀物很多，雖不一定要求詳細地閱讀每篇文章，但是希望你能夠理解作者得出文中結論所使用的方法。標星號的為必讀資料。每節課都有課堂講稿，雖然講稿不能代替你自己來上課，但是對於你的學習還是有幫助的。

In this course, we will study the different facets of human development: education, health, gender, the family, land relations, risk, informal and formal norms and institutions. While studying each of these topics, we will ask: What determines the decisions of poor households in developing countries? What constraints are they subject to? Is there a scope for policy (by government, international organizations, or NGOs)? What policies have been tried out? Have they been successful?

This is an empirical class. For each topic, we will study several concrete examples chosen from around the world. A statistics course is a prerequisite. Econometrics is not a prerequisite for this class, but you will be expected to be willing to familiarize yourself with basic econometric methods. The relevant material will be covered in the class and occasionally in the recitation.

There will be about one problem set every 2 or 3 lectures (for a total of 7 problem sets), due a week after it is handed out. Each problem set will contain one empirical exercise and one more exercise. In the first few recitations, you will learn how to use the Stata software to do these exercises. Problem sets for this class are very important, and somewhat time consuming.

There will be a final exam during exam week, and a mid-term exam on Lec #14. Problem sets will count toward 40% of the final grade for the course. The mid-term will count for 25%. The final exam will count for the remaining 35%. Class participation is expected, and will be taken into account in marginal cases (i.e. in the difficult decision between B+ and A-).

The text for this class is Debraj Ray’s Development Economics. However, we will rely mostly on articles. A reading packet will be available. There are many readings for this class. You are not expected to read every single article in detail, but you are expected to understand the methods used by the authors to reach their conclusion. Required readings are starred. Lecture notes will be distributed at each lecture. They are not a substitute for attending the class, but a help for you to study.