ECON 282 - Global Poverty

This course explores the conceptualization of poverty, the contrasting states of poverty around the globe, and the various causes of and potential solutions to persistent poverty. The core segments of the course are devoted to the economics of various poverty traps, the corresponding issues involving markets, governance and institutional constraints, and the pros and cons of different approaches in dealing with poverty at individual, local and national levels. The main objective of the course is to understand: (i) the complexities of various trade-offs and constraints that limit income opportunities of the extreme poor; (ii) incentive structures and institutional rigidities that undermine poverty alleviation efforts from governmental agencies and NGOs; and (iii) new issues and solutions that need to be considered in the global fight against poverty. Diversity course. Prerequisite: C- or better in ECON 110. Summer only. (Group I)