Poverty in the Developing Worl

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course aims to provide a sound understanding of the causes and consequences of poverty, of trends in poverty reduction across continents and regions of the world, of debates as to the drivers of these trends, and of national and international policies to address problems of poverty. The course will begin with an overview of broad concepts and philosophical debates that characterize the study of poverty. Next, it will survey some important quantitative and qualitative methods of measuring both inequality and poverty. The remainder of the class will explore the drivers of poverty. Topics will include the role of historical factors, inequality in the distribution of natural endowments, malnutrition and ill-health, underinvestment in education, and the imperfections in markets for land, labor, credit and insurance. The role of states, markets and civil-society organizations will be highlighted. There will also be a focus on policy and the evaluation of policies that have impacted poverty.