Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP)

Program description & objectives

This course is part of the new program on Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP). The program involves using economic theory and data analysis to explore the economic lives of the poor and the ways to design and implement effective development policy. In this course, we will study the different facets of human development in topics such as education, health, gender, the family, land relations, risks, informal and formal norms, public policy, and institutions. Delegates to the program would also have the opportunity to explore the following questions: What determines the decisions of poor households in developing countries? What constraints are poor households subject to? What is the scope for policy interventions (implemented by the government, international organizations, or NGOs)? What policies have been tried out? Have they been successful? Finally, participants will discover modern empirical methods in economics such as Randomized Control Trials (RCTs). Throughout the course, participants would further explore facets of empirical projects, from experimental design and ethical issues, to data collection and data analysis. Participants would have the opportunity to gain experience through working with real data and using relevant softwares for statistical analysis.