Year

2024

Credit points

10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit

Prerequisites

Nil

Incompatible

ECON204 - Development Economics

Unit rationale, description and aim

Development Economics analyses human economic circumstances and how improving economic, social, fiscal and other important conditions can send developing nations on the trajectory of sustainable economic development. . This subject will address current economic problems and issues facing developing countries, including the poverty trap, income, energy and health inequalities, malnutrition, unemployment, foreign debt and the unequal impact of globalisation. The unit will examine contemporary economic management policies and their effectiveness and alternative strategies that could be adopted when pursuing the goal of economic development. The aim is to have students demonstrate the diverse nature of the problems facing developing economies and the policy responses that have been adopted using the case-study approach.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Learning Outcome NumberLearning Outcome DescriptionRelevant Graduate Capabilities
LO1Interpret economic concepts and their application to contemporary issues of economic growth and developmentGC1, GC3, GC4, GC5
LO2Distinguish between economic growth and economic development and be able to measure them using various indicatorsGC1, GC2
LO3Use mathematical ideas and techniques and apply information technology in identifying and communicating economic trends as well as evaluating the impact of various policiesGC2, GC3, GC4
LO4Identify and examine the main issues involved in achieving economic development and the problems faced in individual economiesGC2, GC3, GC4, GC5, GC6
LO5Evaluate the alternative theoretical approaches and strategies that can be used in achieving economic developmentGC1, GC3, GC4

Content

Topics will include:

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit is designed to be offered fully online and will include synchronous delivery of unit content, collaborative online learning activities and other technology-enabled learning synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities to foster interaction between students.

This unit embraces a student-centred approach to learning where students are encouraged to interpret economic principles and apply these to contemporary development issues such as the worldwide rise in income inequality, population trap, the role of human capital in economic development, and others. To achieve the learning objectives outlined above, this unit provides content and theoretical information in online lectures. Tutorial online workshops or online tutorial webinars engage students in active learning activities, such as reading, writing, discussion, and problem-solving. This unit uses case studies to explore what students have learned and apply to real-world situations. In addition, students in this unit will be encouraged to develop specific skills in locating economic information, critically analysing economic sources and economic case studies, and confident communication skills through research-based writing and in-class presentation using various media. 

This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will find it helpful to engage in the full range of learning activities and assessments utilised in this unit, as described in the learning and teaching strategy and the assessment strategy. The learning and teaching and assessment strategies include a range of approaches to support your learning such as reading, reflection, discussion, webinars, podcasts, videos etc. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessments in this unit encourage students to develop a range of skills related to becoming an economics professional working in different real-life areas such as arts, global studies, teaching, law, and commerce. Assessments have been developed to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements.

Students in this unit are encouraged to develop specific skills in locating economic information, critically analysing economic sources and data including indicators of economic wellbeing, and confident communication skills (presentation and research-based writing). The following assessment tasks have been designed to meet the learning outcomes of this unit:

1. Designated skill development activities. These activities are focused on the gradual building of certain skills that are required in economics graduates including critical thinking, communication, data analysis, and others. (These activities may be online depending on the mode and the topic covered).  

2. Research assignment. This will allow students to analyse a case in economic development. They could choose for the analysis a certain issue (such as population trap or income inequality) or a particular developing or developed country and discuss its development trajectory.

3. Final examination. This final assessment will test students’ knowledge of the topics studied during the semester and apply skills of economic analysis at the intermediate level. 

Overview of assessments

Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment TasksWeightingLearning Outcomes

Assessment Task 1: Skills Development Task:

A scaffolded task that requires students to consider and evaluate real-world case studies. these activities will be based on the compulsory weekly readings or analysis of economic data or trends posted on the subject website. (These activities may be online.)

20%

LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 2: Research Assignment

will:

  • be based on the analysis of a particular country/region/development issue
  • foster students to obtain superior research skills on locating and using primary and secondary international trade or finance-related economic data and sources
  • encourage students to obtain critical thinking skills through analysing economic data
  • teach students to communicate clearly in written form to construct an evidence-based economic case with appropriate referencing. This also requires presenting their work in front of an audience using various media.
  • <

40%

LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment Task 3: Final Examination

The closed-book final examination will allow students to apply the skills and knowledge acquired during the unit to a particular case of economic development, analyse real-world economic issues (e.g. rising income inequality), and evaluate economic policies which might foster or delay development.

40%

LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5

Representative texts and references

Banerjee, A. and Duflo, E. (2012). Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. PublicAffairs.

Iankova, K., Hassan, A., and L'Abbe, R. (2019). Indigenous People and Economic Development: An International Perspective. Routledge.

Janvry, de A. and Sadoulet, E. (2021). Development Economics (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Kim T.-Y., and Heshmati, A. (2014). Economic Growth: The New Perspectives for Theory and Policy. Springer.

Raworth, K. (2017). Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. Chelsea Green Publishing

Reinert, E.S. (2019). How rich nations got rich How Rich Countries Got Rich . . . and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor. PublicAffairs.

Rostow, W.W. (1990). Theories of Growth from David Hume to the Present. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Sunna Cl., and Gualerzi, D. (2015). Development Economics in the Twenty-First Century. Routledge.

Todaro, M. and Smith, S. (2020). Economic Development (13th ed.). Pearson.

Thirlwall, A. and Pacheco-Lopez, O. (2017). Economics of Development (10th ed.). Macmillan.

UNDP (various), Human Development Report. UNDP and Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Willis, K. (2020). Theories and Practices of Development (Routledge Perspectives on Development) (3rd ed.). Routledge.

World Bank (various). World Development Report. IBRD and Oxford University Press, Oxford.

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