Description:
This course discusses recent literature at the intersection of political economy and development economics. Which types of political regimes foster economic growth? How do societies develop under democratic or autocratic rule? What role do political and social institutions or the legal system play? How does political conflict impact development? To tackle these questions, we will discuss seminal articles covering several historical periods and world regions.
Readings are heavily biased towards recent empirical papers with a credible causal identification strategy. Participants will engage with seminal literature and critically analyze empirical studies.
Literature:
For detailed topics and literature list, please refer to the syllabus.
Time & venue:
Wednesdays, 08:00-10:00 (starting on 16.10.2024); Lateinamerika-Institut (LAI), FU Berlin, Rüdesheimer Str. 54-56, K02 Seminar Room (Basement/Keller)
Registration:
The course is open to doctoral students of the Berlin School of Economics or other doctoral students in Economics at the Freie Universität Berlin. Prior knowledge in econometrics or empirical quantitative methods is required.
Please enroll for this course by sending a short email to manuel.santos.silva@fu-berlin.de. The application deadline is September 22, 2024.
Exam:
Credit points are granted for the following assignments:
1. Paper Replication (40%): Participants are required to replicate a paper from the reading list. This involves reproducing the main findings using the original data or similar datasets and running a new analysis - e.g., an extra robustness check, heterogeneity along a new dimension. In class, participants will present the paper and, at the end of the semester, theirs replication results.
2. Referee Report (40%): Participants will write a referee report on a paper from the reading list (distinct from the paper chosen for replication). In class, the `refe- ree participant' will act as main discussant of the presentation of the `replication participant'.
3. Active participation (20%): Participants are expected to prepare for class by reading the assigned papers in advance and engaging in class discussions.
See details in syllabus.
