Economics 412X Section 1
Global Economics and Development
Spring 2013
WRI C223 MW 10:00-11:15 am
Instructor: Bernard Malamud
Office: BEH 502 Phone: 895 – 3294
Fax: 895 – 1354
Office Hours: MW 11:30-12:30 pm; 2:30-3:30 pm; and by appointment
e-mail: bernard.malamud@unlv.edu Website: www.unlv.edu/faculty/bmalamud
Please communicate with me via your Rebelmail account, by phone, or stop by my office.
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General Nature of the Course
Examination of diverse international economic conditions and paths of development. Analysis
of policies fostering economic development, integration, and sustainable financial relations in the
global economy. 3 credits.
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Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
This course is a part of the Brookings Minor in Public Policy. The UNLV - Brookings
Curriculum is designed to offer a multidisciplinary approach to local, national and global themes.
UNLV –Brookings courses unite the teaching and scholarship of UNLV faculty and Brookings
experts. This unique collaboration draws upon the diverse faculty and programmatic interests of
UNLV to link knowledge, academic inquiry, and practice with the outstanding policy programs
of the Brookings Institution. Several of the course lectures will be conducted by Brookings
Scholars who are visiting UNLV or via videoconference. These lectures will provide students
with the unique opportunity to interact with internationally recognized experts in economic
development and economic and financial integration. To prepare for these visits, students will be
assigned readings suggested by the Brookings scholars. Written summaries of these reading
assignments will be due the class period before the scholar’s visit. Upon completion of the
course you will be familiar with patterns of global development; how endowments, institutions,
and policies propel and inhibit development; regional prospects for development; and the
impacts of economic and financial crises on development.
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Required Readings
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William Easterly, The Elusive Quest for Growth. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 2002.
Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, Why Nations Fail. Crown Business, 2012.
Barry Eichengreen, Exorbitant Privilege. Oxford University Press, 2010.
Supplementary Readings and Sources: cited in the course outline
Examinations, Paper, and Grading
Your grade will be based on two 100 point classroom exams, a 150 point final exam, and four or
five 25 point summaries of readings recommended by Brookings scholars and assigned
presentations. You will be able to re-do one question on each classroom exam at home; your
score for that question will be the average of your classroom and take home scores.
Attendance and class participation will very much affect your grade.
Mar 6
Apr 29
May 13
Classroom examination
Classroom examination
Final Examination, 10:10-12:10 pm
Summaries of Brookings Readings
Maximum Total Points
100 points
100
150
100 – 125
450 – 475
Approximate Grade Distribution
Average Score (out of 350+ points)
90 percent
80 percent
70 percent
60 percent
Final Grade
Borderline ABorderline BBorderline CBorderline D-
Makeup and Religious Holiday Policies Makeup exams may be arranged at mutual convenience if you have a
compelling reason to miss a scheduled classroom exam. A makeup exam must be taken before the missed exam is
returned to the class. There will be no makeup quizzes or final exam. However, a student missing a class because
of observance of a religious holiday and students who represent UNLV at any official extracurricular activity shall
also have the opportunity to make up assignments. Such students must notify the instructor no later than the end of
the first two weeks of classes of his or her intention to participate in religious holidays. See
http://catalog.unlv.edu/content.php?catoid=4&navaoid=164 for further details.
Class Conduct, Academic Misconduct and Copyright Policies Your instructor and classmates deserve courtesy.
If you must arrive late or leave early, do so quietly. Inform me beforehand if you must leave a class early. Smoking
and eating in class are prohibited. Texting, talking to your neighbors, and reading newspapers and magazines in
class is rude, disruptive, and unacceptable. While this probably need not be said, anyone found engaging in any act
of academic dishonesty will be punished in accordance with UNLV policies. For further details, see
http://studentconduct.unlv.edu/misconduct/policy.html. You are individually and solely responsible for violations
of copyright and fair use laws. For details, see http://provost.unlv.edu/copyright/statements.html.
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) coordinates all academic accommodations for students with documented
disabilities. The DRC is the official office to review and house disability documentation for students, and to provide
them with an official Academic Accommodation Plan to present to the faculty if an accommodation is warranted.
Faculty should not provide students accommodations without being in receipt of this plan.
UNLV complies with the provisions set forth in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990, offering reasonable accommodations to qualified students with documented
disabilities. If you have a documented disability that may require accommodations, you will need to contact the
DRC for the coordination of services. The DRC is located in the Student Services Complex (SSC-A), Room 143,
and the contact numbers are: VOICE (702) 895-0866, FAX (702) 895-0651. For additional information, please visit:
http://drc.unlv.edu. .
Tutoring and UNLV Writing Center The Academic Success Center (ASC in the SSC, 895-3177,
http://academicsuccess/.unlv.edu/tutoring) provides tutoring and academic assistance for all UNLV students taking
UNLV courses. One-on one or small group assistance with writing is available free of charge to UNLV students at
the Writing Center (CDC-3-301, http://writingcenter.unlv.edu).
An incomplete grade can be given at the discretion of the instructor in accordance with university policies. Please
see http://catalog.unlv.edu/content.php?catoid=4&navoid=164
Course Outline
Topics and Readings
Date
Additional readings may be assigned as the course proceeds.
Jan 23,28
Course organization/Tour of the world
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/hdi/ http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings
http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%202012%20Booklet_0.pdf
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/ar/2012/eng/pdf/a2.pdf
Jan 30
Income/Wealth and Happiness
 Videoconference with Brookings Scholar Carol Graham
Feb
Why Aren’t All Countries Rich?
4,6,11,13,20
 Acemoglu and Robinson, Why Nations Fail
Review by Jared Diamond,
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jun/07/what-makes-countries-rich-orpoor/?pagination=false
Review by Jeffrey Sachs, http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138016/jeffrey-dsachs/government-geography-and-growth
 William Easterly, The Elusive Quest for Growth, Chapters 1-4,8-13
 K. Sokoloff & S. Engerman, History Lessons (2000)
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http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.14.3.217
K. Sokoloff & S. Engerman (2002) Factor Endowments, Inequality, and Paths of
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Development Among New World Economics http://www.nber.org/papers/w9259
D.C. North, J. Wallis, B. Weingast, A Conceptual Framework for Interpreting Recorded
Human History (2006), http://www.nber.org/papers/w12795
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W. Easterly and R. Levine, Tropics, Germs, Crops www.nber.org/papers/w9106
Assignment: Outline and lead discussion of one “story” in Why Nations Fail
Feb 18
Presidents’ Day Recess
Feb 21
Carol Graham, Applying Well-Being Metrics to Public Policy, Greenspun Hall Aud, 5:30 pm.
Feb 25
Feb 27
Demography and Development
 William Easterly, The Elusive Quest for Growth, Chapters 5,8
 Immigration: Session with Visiting Brookings Scholar Audrey Singer
Mar 4
Catch-up and review
Mar 6
Classroom Examination
Mar 11-20
Mar 13
Mar 18
Mar 20
Case Studies: Latin America/Africa/Asia
 William Easterly, The Elusive Quest for Growth, Chapters 10,13
 Videoconference with Brookings Scholar Ernesto Talvi. Latin America
 Videoconference with Brookings Scholar Mwangi Kimenyi, Africa
Session With Bill Antholis, Managing Director of the Brookings Institution
 Development in India and China
Mar 25,27
Spring Break
Date
Apr 1,3,8
Apr 3
Course Outline, continued
Topics and Readings
Exchange Rate Regimes and Crises
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Barry Eichengreen, Exorbitant Privilege
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Session withVisiting Brookings Scholar Domenico Lombardi
Apr 10
Topic and speaker To Be Announced
 Session with Visiting Brookings Scholar Cliff Gaddy
Apr
15,17,22
Crises and Development
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Barry Eichengreen, Exorbitant Privilege
William Easterly, The Elusive Quest for Growth, Chapters 6,7
Ishac Diwan, Debt as Sweat (2001),
http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/voddocs/150/332/diwan.pdf
Apr 24
Catch-up and review
Apr 29
Classroom examination
May 1
May 6
Social Dynamics and Development
 Videoconference with Brookings Scholar Ross Hammond
May 8
Catch-up and review/Course takeaways
May 13
Final examination, 10:10 am – 12:10 pm, in classroom