SS 304 Economic Growth and Innovation, Abdelwahed, T 3-5:50, Rm. 305

Economic growth is the oldest sub-discipline in economics.  It is technically the core of economic policy because growth makes people better off in the long run.  Economic growth is closely related to various other sub-disciplines, such as economic demography, human capital, productivity and technological advances, macro-economic policy, and public policy.  In addition, studying economic growth calls for a survey of both economic and general.  This may, therefore, be one of the most interdisciplinary courses you will take, where you get to see how economics interacts with other social sciences. In this course, emphasis will be placed on theoretical development, issue discussion, and policy formulation.  In the first half of the course, we will go over the development of growth theory starting from Adam Smith's capital accumulation to Romer's endogenous growth theory. We will explore how modern growth theory relates to human capital accumulation and innovation. We will hold comparisons between developed and developing countries and try to think why fast-growing economies might end up stagnating. In the second half of the course, we will look at case studies in an attempt to link the theoretical models to countries’ experiences.  This part of the course will mostly be led by students, based on their research and in-class presentations. Those with existing knowledge of Macroeconomics will be especially suited to this course. Student self-study groups will be established for the review of algebraic equations and basic concepts of macroeconomics to make sure everyone is on the same page.  

3 credits - Loujainia Abdelwahed