Economics: Advanced Development Economics

This course deepens your understanding of the processes that drive or hinder economic development. You will study how institutions, human capital, governance and social dynamics shape growth, inequality and living standards in low-and middle-income countries.

The focus is on applying economic reasoning to real-world challenges such as education, migration, corruption and the effectiveness of foreign aid. Through the analysis of empirical evidence and policy experiences, you will learn to evaluate competing explanations for development outcomes and to assess how policy design can promote inclusive growth.

The course trains you to think critically and independently about complex development issues and to bridge the gap between research and policymaking.

Course literature

The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.

Teaching combines interactive lectures, student-led discussions and presentations. Lectures provide analytical frameworks and introduce key empirical findings, while discussions emphasise critical engagement with academic articles and policy case studies.

You are expected to prepare thoroughly, contribute actively and develop your ability to communicate complex arguments clearly. The course promotes independent thought and evidence-based reasoning.

Assessment is based on an in-class group presentation, an individual referee report and a final research paper including a presentation of a research proposal. This is to evaluate your analytical understanding and ability to apply course insights to new contexts, complemented by presentations and written reflections. Together, these components assess both your grasp of core material and your capacity for critical evaluation and analysis.

Prerequisites

Students admitted to the Master Programme in Economics and have taken an intermediate course in microeconomics (e.g., NEKG21 "Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis") and an intermediate course in development economics (e.g., NEKG71 "Development Economics") are qualified for this course. For other students, at least 90 ECTS-credits in economics are required. To be admitted to this particular course these credits must include an intermediate course in microeconomics (e.g., NEKG21 "Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis") and an intermediate course in development economics (e.g., NEKG71 "Development Economics"), or equivalent courses.

Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens

Citizens of countries outside:

• The European Union (EU)
• The European Economic Area (EEA) and
• Switzerland

are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.

Tuition fees, payments and exemptions

Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 16,875
First payment: SEK 16,875

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Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.

Application fee

No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland

There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.