Development Economics
B.A. International Management - Fall Semester 2025/26
1 Overall Goal of the Course
You will know the most influential theories about the determinants of socio-economic development. You will be able to identify and reflect on the ideas of ‘progress’ and ‘good life’ underlying these theories. Moreover, you will learn to reproduce and evaluate the common patterns of argumentation on the relationship between ‘development’, ‘economic growth’ and ‘planetary boundaries’.
2 Learning Goals
Upon completion of this seminar, you will be able to:
Expertise:
- Define and critically evaluate the most important concepts of (sustainable) economic development and commonly used development indicators
- Critically question and assess different approaches to defining and measuring development
- Evaluate policy measures in terms of their expected impact on economic development and identify their underlying theoretical foundations
Methodological Competence:
- Independently collect development data from publicly available sources and use it to analyze determinants and implications of economic development
- Identify and evaluate the theories underlying development programs and policies
- Apply both empirical and theoretical methods from development economics to analyze development-related problems and critically assess them
Social and Personal Skills:
- Critically question common notions of ‘development’ and articulate and justify your own ideas about appropriate definitions and measurements of economic development
- Describe current debates on development policy and take well-founded positions on concrete development policy measures
- Identify the data necessary to answer development theory questions and, when needed, acquire and analyze this data yourself while explaining your findings
3 Course Information
3.1 Prerequisites
The lecture is an elective in the third or fifth semester. While there are no formal prerequisites, successful completion of the Economics I and II modules is strongly recommended. You also benefit from having completed the course “Applied Data Science”.
3.2 Course Details
- Credits: 5 CP (150 total hours)
- Lecture Time: 15 hours (10 × 1.5 hours)
- Self-Study: 135 hours
- Location: MAD, room 024
3.3 Course Resources
- Moodle Room: 16258
- Moodle Password:
DevEcon25 - Course homepage: developmenteconomics25fall.netlify.app
3.4 Recommended Study Schedule
- Time Horizon: September 12 - December 12
- Daily Study: about 1.5 hours (7 days/week)
- Weekday Study: about 2 hours (5 days/week)
4 Schedule and Logistics
Note: This schedule is subject to change as the course progresses. Announcements will be made via Moodle. The latest version of the syllabus will be made available here.
| # | Week | Date | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38 | 19.09. | Introduction and the meaning of ‘development’ |
| 2 | 39 | 26.09. (digital) | Measuring development |
| 40 | 03.10. | No lecture (Tag der deutschen Einheit) | |
| 3 | 41 | 10.10. | Human Development and the Capabilities Approach |
| 4 | 42 | 17.10. (digital) | Classical and Neoclassical Growth Models |
| 43 | 24.10. | No lecture (reading week) | |
| 44 | 31.10. | No lecture (Reformationstag) | |
| 5 | 45 | 07.11. | Institutional economics and Development I |
| 6 | 46 | 14.11. | Institutional economics and Development II |
| 7 | 48 | 28.11. | Marxist and Dependency Theories of Development |
| 8 | 49 | 05.12. | Sustainable Development, Environmental Limits, and Degrowth |
| 9 | 50 | 12.12. | Summary and open questions |
- First Exam: December 16, 2025, 10:00 – 12:00
- Second Exam: February 26, 2026, 10:00 – 12:00
5 Evaluation and Assessment
5.1 Final Exam
The course evaluation is based on a final exam at the end of the semester.
5.2 Admission Requirements
- To be admitted to the final exam, students must pass the essay take home assigned during the semester.
- The essay take home is a 1000 words essay that must be completed at home independenly, and will be graded pass or fail
I strongly recommend that you spread your study time fairly evenly throughout the semester. It will save you time and effort if you study and practice constantly, not just right before the exam.
For questions regarding the course content or logistics, please use the Moodle discussion forums. For more personal questions consider visiting my office hours.