Topics in Micro-Economics of Development - Fall 2007
Course Information
Syllabus (including reading list)
Most readings are available from ERES.
Guiding questions for readings
Contract enforcement and property rights :
1) Compare the findings of Besley (1995) and Braselle et al. (2002). How can the differences be explained from a theoretical and from an empirical perspective? What do these findings imply for policy? What are the weaknesses and strengths of their empirical approach. How do these papers compare to Johnson et al. (2002)?
2) What does the Banerjee et al. (2002) paper on tenancy reform learn us about property rights? Theoretically, what type of short-term and long-term impacts can be expected the type of reform they discuss. What type of empirical methods do they use to measure the actual impact? What are the weaknesses and strengths of their empirical approach?
3) What does Lanjouw and Levy (2002) teach us about formal versus informal property rights? What do their findings imply for policy? What are the weaknesses and strengths of their empirical approach?
4) What does the Conning and Robinson analysis that uses a general equilibrium framework contribute to our understanding of property rights? What does their analysis imply for the literature on property rights? What are the policy implications?