Topics in Inequality & Poverty

ECON30041 Topics in Inequality & Poverty 20 Semester 1 Undergraduate Level 3 Indranil Dutta Unit coordinator Economics 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Last part of a Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 This course is a 20 credit optional unit at the third year level covering various topics on inequality and poverty and their impact on the economy. By design this course is meant to give a 'grand tour' of the different perspectives through which the interlinkages between income distribution and the economy can be viewed.The course starts from the basics of how to measure and interpret the levels of inequality and poverty in the economy and covers both analytically and empirically various facets of how inequality and poverty impact the economy and are in turn impacted by it. The course ends with critically examining the mainstream approaches to evaluating welfare and deprivation and discusses possible alternative ideas. An indicative syllabus is :Topic 1 Concepts and Measurement<ul> <li>Different measures of inequality and their properties;</li> <li>Different measures of poverty and their properties;</li> <li>Poverty lines and applications</li></ul>Topic 2: Growth and Inequality<ul> <li>Theories of growth and distributional change</li> <li>Evidence of growth and distributional change</li></ul>Topic 3: Distribution and the Economy;<ul> <li>Conflict and distribution - theory and evidence</li> <li>Labour market discrimination - theory and evidence.</li></ul>Topic 4: Poverty and Economy<ul> <li>Poverty Traps - theory and evidence</li> <li>Unconditional and conditional cash transfers</li></ul>Topic 5: Multi-dimensional measures of wellbeing and deprivation<ul> <li>Critique of the existing measures of wellbeing</li> <li>Functionings and Capability</li> <li>Empirical Application: Multi-dimensional Poverty Index.</li></ul> The unit aims to provide:<ul> <li>A broad understanding of the theories underlying the dynamics of inequality and poverty;</li> <li>A systematic exposition of the different measures of poverty and inequality; and (ii) critically examine the existing evidence on inequality and poverty, and the role of government policy in it.</li></ul> Student should be able to<ol> <li>Develop a critical understanding of the dynamics of poverty and inequality</li> <li>Use different indices of poverty and inequality and recognise the implications of the measures, and</li> <li>Follow and comprehend the broad debates on poverty and inequality.</li></ol>  Synchronous activities (such as Lectures or Review and Q&A sessions, and tutorials), and guided self-study  0 Other 100% Mid-Term Test (through the Blackboard page) 15%Final Exam 85%FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: MCQ's ((through the Blackboard page) SOST10062 Introductory Statistics for Economists Pre-Requisite Compulsory ECON10072A Advanced Statistics Pre-Requisite Compulsory ECON10171 Principles of Microeconomic Theory 1: Consumers, Welfare, Production and Costs Pre-Requisite Compulsory ECON10181 Macroeconomic Analysis 1 Pre-Requisite Compulsory ECON10221 Microeconomics 1 Pre-Requisite Compulsory ECON10241 Macroeconomics 1 Pre-Requisite Compulsory ECON10252 Macroeconomics 1 Pre-Requisite Compulsory ECON10331 Microeconomics 1 Pre-Requisite Compulsory ECON10072B Advanced Statistics Pre-Requisite Compulsory (ECON10171 OR ECON10221 OR ECON10331) AND (ECON10181 OR ECON10241 OR ECON10252) and (SOST10062 OR ECON10072A OR ECON10072B)(ECON10171 OR ECON10221 OR ECON10331) AND (ECON10181 OR ECON10241 OR ECON10252) and (SOST10062 or ECON10072) BSc (Hons) Economics BSc (Hons) Economics Third Year Optional Y Bourguignon, F. (2015)  Globalisation of Inequality, Princeton University Press.Deaton, A. (2013) The Great Escape: Health Wealth and the Origins of Inequality, Princeton University Press  0 0 0 For every 10 course unit credits we expect students to work for around 100 hours. This time generally includes any contact times (online or face to face, recorded and live), but also independent study, work for coursework, and group work. This amount is only a guidance and individual study time will vary