Economic Growth
Jeffrey Parker, Reed College
Fall Semester, 2011
Course Information
Content
This course surveys modern theories and evidence about economic growth. This has been one of the most active areas of economic research in the last 25 years. Most of what we study is from this recent literature.
Format
Because the class is very small, the format will be very open. Students will be expected to participate actively in discussions and in presentation of theoretical and empirical content.
Prerequisites
Economics 314 is the only prerequisite. Students will be expected to know growth theory at the level covered in Romer's text for that course.
Office Hours
The instructor will hold office hours on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:30 to 2:30. If these times are not convenient, you may contact him via email or at extension 7308 to arrange an appointment.
Course Requirements
Exams: A mid-term and a final examination will be required. The mid-term will occur sometime near fall break. The final exam is scheduled for Thursday, December 15, 1-4pm.
Homework: There will be some homework assignments throughout the course. Most will be traditional problem sets taken from the texts we read.
Grading
Grades will be based on all evidence of the student's knowledge of the subject matter. Students may demonstrate such knowledge through performance on exams, problem sets, and presentations, as well as through class participation and conversations with the instructor outside of class.
Texts and Other Readings
Much of modern growth theory has been collected in several excellent textbook. We will cover most of Robert Barro and Xavier Sala-i-Martin's Economic Growth, 2nd ed. There are several other texts that contain useful information:
- Aghion, Phillipe, and Peter Howitt, The Economics of Growth, MIT Press, 2009. (An alternative text at a similar level.)
- Acemoglu, Daron, Introduction to Modern Economic Growth, Princeton University Press, 2009. (This is a brilliant and comprehensive treatment of growth at a more advanced level than our course.)
- Weil, David, Economic Growth, Addison-Wesley, 2005. (An undergraduate text at a lower level.)
- Jones, Charles I., Introduction to Economic Growth, 2nd ed., Norton, 2002. (Another undergraduate text.)