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Course Offerings

Course Details

Spring 2012-2013
POL 432 (SA)  

Seminar in Comparative Politics - Political and Economic Development in Africa

Leonard Wantchekon

This course covers major current issues in political economy of development with special focus on Africa. The course will be structured in three parts. The first part will cover broad macro political economy issues (e.g. democracy and development, historical legacies, Resource curse). The second part will focus on micro issues (e.g. property rights, clientelism, electoral accountability). The final part will draw mostly from the experimental literature in political economy and discuss policy prescriptions to improve development prospects (e.g. institutional reforms, information campaigns, foreign aid).

Sample reading list:
Adam Przeworski and Fernando Limongi, Modernization: Theory and Facts, World Politics
Acemoglu, Daron, Simon Johnson, James Robinson et..., Modernization Revisited, American Economic Review
Nunn, Nathan and Leonard Wantchekon, The Slave Trade and the Origins of Mistrust in Africa
Markus Goldstein and Christopher Udry, The Profits of Power: Land Rights and Agricultural
Wantchekon, Leonard, Clientelism and Voting Behavior: An Experiment
Reinnika, Ritva and Jakub Svensson, The Power of Information in Public Services: Evidence
See instructor for complete list

Reading/Writing assignments:
There will be 3-4 research articles to read per week; Two power point presentations per term

Requirements/Grading:
Paper in lieu of Final - 45%
Take Home Mid term Exam - 25%
Oral Presentation(s) - 20%
Class/Precept Participation - 10%

Other Requirements:
Open to Juniors and Seniors Only.

Prerequisites and Restrictions:
Introduction to Statistics, Introduction to Microeconomics, or Introduction to Comparative Politics.

Schedule/Classroom assignment:

Class numberSectionTimeDaysRoomEnrollmentStatus
41924 S01 1:30 pm - 4:20 pm M   Robertson Hall   006   Enrolled:11 Limit:15