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ECON 4200 (UGA)
Economic Growth and Development (3 semester hours)

Web Course Format: ALISSA

This course can be taken
    -> as a web course
    -> as a print course

Lessons for this course can be submitted and/or be returned
    -> via U.S. mail
    -> via fax return from IDL

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Prerequisite: ECON 4010

Problems and programs of economic growth; specific attention directed to underdeveloped areas, national economies, and regions. International agencies and coordinated efforts in economic development processes will be appraised within a theoretical sense.

Requirements: Twelve lessons, two examinations.

Instructor: Robi Ragan, University of Georgia.

Text: Torado and Smith, Economic Development, Addison Wesley 2003 ; course packet.

ECON 4200
Economic Growth and Development
Instructor: Marilyn Ibarra, M.A. Course Overview

Introduction

This course is intended for economics majors and all others who are interested in understanding the wealth and poverty of nations. Specifically, we will examine the determinants of national rates of economic growth, with special attention given to the problems of less-developed nations. As economic tools and concepts are used to explore the issues of economic growth and development, you need to have taken micro- and macroeconomics or their equivalent before attempting this course.

Topics that will be covered include the following:

Growth Theory. What does economic growth theory tell us? What policy prescriptions does it provide, if any? Does the historical record support growth theory?

Institutions and Geography. What role do institutions, both formal and informal, play in economic growth and development? Is geography an important factor in economic growth and development?

Economic Systems. What kind of economic system is consistent with economic growth and development? What role is there for government in economic growth and development?

Population Growth. How does population growth interact with economic growth and development? Should policymakers encourage or discourage population growth?

Human Capital Formation. How does human capital contribute to econ-omic growth and development? How does human capital formation occur? What can be done to bolster human capital formation?

Employment. Does employment drive economic growth and development, or is it the other way around?

Physical Capital Formation. Industrialization requires massive capital formation. Can there be too much capital formation in developing countries? What drives capital formation?

Agriculture. All industrializing economies experience significant changes in their agricultural sectors. How does this happen, and how is it important to economic growth and development?

Trade and Development. What role does international trade play in economic growth and development? What reasons are there for developing countries not to embrace trade?

Balance of Payments, Exchange Rates, and External Debt. How do countries record their international economic transactions? How do these transactions interact with their exchange rate regimes? And how does this all relate to the external debt problem?