Homepage: http://www.ksu.edu/economics/nafwayne/

Office hours: 8:00-8:25, 9:30-10:20 MWF, immediately after class as long as there is demand, and by appointment, Waters 312. (Note: there will be no office hours, but there will be one-hour examinations, on September 24 and November 12.)

Required Text: Nafziger, Economics of Developing Countries (Prentice Hall, 1997) (in bookstores)

Objectives: The major objectives of the course are to: (1) understand the nature and characteristics of the developing countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern and Central Europe; (2) analyze the economic problems of developing countries, especially problems related to slow growth, stagnation, high poverty rates, high income inequality, and chronic external crises; and (3) discuss strategies for accelerating growth, attaining sustainable development, reducing poverty and income inequality, and decreasing external imbalances.

To attain the background essential to meet these objectives, the student needs to read the textbook and attend lectures and class discussions. In class, I will include substantial material complementary to but not in the Nafziger text; but I will also explain text material or respond to inquiries about your reading.

Resources on Developing Countries: Newspapers or magazines with frequent news on developing countries include the Economist. For those with fixed terminals, the Financial Times and the New York Times occasionally have news about developing economies.

KSU library resources are limited, but KSU has most of the journals listed on pp. 7-8 of the text. In addition, Environmental and Development Economics, the Journal of International Development, and Oxford Development Studies are useful. The internet has resources. On campus (or by clicking library on KSU's home page), you have access to Lexis-Nexis that would enable you to get information on a third-world economy by topic. If you wish to get recent news about a developing country, click that country on the world map.

News on developing countries on the net includes BBC; CNN, the Economist; and for those with fixed terminals - the Financial Times and the New York Times. For newspapers around the world, consult http://www.newo.com/news/index.html, clicking the country you are interested in on the world map, and you will receive a menu of newspaper options. Websites with country information include background notes and economy, government, and maps relative to that country.

The home pages of international agencies provide information and sometimes free downloads of articles: the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, the United Nations Development Program, and others. Other useful resources are at my website, including http://altaplana.com/Gate.international.html for international agencies.

Grades: I plan three one-hour examinations, each to be given a weight of one unit, and a final examination, weighed two units. I have indicated tentatively the coverage of each one-hour examination (the readings and corresponding lectures just before the listing of the examination). The exam is essay/problem, with an occasional short identification or explanation question (the questions at the end of the chapters give an indication of the type of questions asked; see also the exams for fall 1998. Please bring a blue book for each examination. Students who make an excellent contribution to class can raise their semester numerical grade. Students should feel free to volunteer discussion of news items or other items of interest that have implications for the economics of developing countries.

Graduate students will have an additional requirement, indicated below, weighed one and one-half units.

Alternative to the Second or Third Exams: For either or both the second and third exams, the student may write a paper instead of taking the exam (the paper must be a topic related to the readings and material to be covered on the exam), provided the student notifies the instructor in writing (e.g., on a 3" by 5" card) what topic he or she is writing on by the second class after the previous exam; notifies the instructor in writing of any changes in the topic; attends class regularly; and hands in the paper at or before the time the exam is given. (In the past, one student both took the exam and wrote the paper, enabling that student to get the better of the two grades!). The average length of the paper is about 7-12 pages. You are expected to use standard bibliographical and citation procedures (if in doubt, use the procedures of a recent American Economic Review). Feel free to hand in an earlier draft so that I can give you comments that will allow you to improve your paper (but give me a few days to respond), or ask questions about your progress at earlier stages of work on your paper.

A student may instead present a 20-minute or so talk, as long as the student notifies the instructor as indicated in the previous paragraph. In addition, the student must arrange with the instructor ten days in advance to present the talk, which should be given near the time the subject is discussed in class.

No alternative is possible for the first exam or for the final exam, Monday, December 14, 11:50 a.m.-1:40 p.m. All students are required to take these exams.

Honor system: The university has an honor system based on personal integrity, which is presumed to be sufficient assurance that in academic matters one's work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. Undergraduate students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Undergraduate Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Undergraduate Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning. A prominent part of the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by undergraduate students. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work." This statement means that the student understands and has complied with the requirements of the assignment as set forth by the instructor. For more information, refer to http://www.ksu.edu/honor

Copyright of lectures and handouts: The lectures and handouts for this course are copyrighted by the instructor, who does not approve of the taking of notes for commercial purposes in the course.

PART I BASIC PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS

1. Introduction (Read for Wednesday, August 25)
Video - The Transition from Rural to Urban Areas: China

2. The Meaning and Measurement of Economic Development (Read for Wednesday, August 25)

3. Economic Development in Historical Perspective

4. Profile of Developing Countries
Video - Poverty and Illiteracy: Poor Campesinas in Bolivia (Global Change - The Power to Change #3)

5. Theories of Economic Development

EXAMINATION (Friday, September 24)

PART II POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND INCOME DISTRIBUTION

6. Poverty, Malnutrition, and Income Inequality
Video: Bangladesh's Grameen Bank's Loans to Poor Women & Microenterprises (The Power to Change #1)

7. Rural Poverty and Agricultural Transformation
Video - Extending The Green Revolution in Indonesia (The Power to Change #1)

PART III FACTORS OF GROWTH

8. Population and Development

9. Employment, Migration, and Urbanization

10. Education, Training, and Human Capital

11. Capital Formation, Investment Choice, and Technical Progress
Video - Village Investment in India (The Power to Change #3)

12. Entrepreneurship, Organization, and Innovation

13. Natural Resources and the Environment
Video - Investing In Natural Capital (Griesinger Films)

PART IV DOMESTIC RESOURCE POLICIES

14. Sources of Capital Formation

15. Monetary, Fiscal, and Incomes Policy, and Inflation

PART V THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS OF DEVELOPMENT

16. Balance of Payments, Aid, and Foreign Investment
Video: Foreign Investment and Trade: China

EXAMINATION

17. The External Debt Crisis

18. International Trade

PART VI DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

19. Planning and the Market

EXAMINATION (Friday, December 3)

20. Stabilization, Adjustment, Reform, and Privatization

FINAL EXAM, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 11:50-1:40 in WATERS 350