BOSTON UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

EC 521-- DEVELOPMENT THEORY AND POLICY

Fall 2015
Tu-Th 12:30-2
Room STH 113

Prof. John R. Harris

270 Bay State Road, Rm. 517B
Phone 353-8903
e-mail: harrisjr@bu.edu
Office Hours Mon. 2-3:30; TU 10-11;
Wed. 3-5; Th 10-11
Guidelines for Term Papers and Presentations

The purpose of the term paper for this course is to undertake an exercise in policy analysis. You need to
form a group of about 4 classmates to work with a specific country at a particular time period, and use
actual data.
Think of the following framework for the paper:
A country is faced with a specific development problem that requires some form of policy
action. You have wide latitude to work with a country and set of problems that interest you.
You need to identify the nature of the problem and set up a model (the degree of mathematical
formality will depend on the problem) that identifies the relationships between causal factors,
and the particular outcome that you wish to affect, and also identifies which variables are
manipulable by policy makers.
Your next step is to identify a set of policy actions that could improve the situation and
provide an appropriate rationale in terms of your model for a set of actions you would have
recommended.
Next, identify the actual policy actions taken by the country and the rationale they offered for
the choice.
Finally, examine the degree to which the announced policy actions were actually implemented
and identify whether the responses to the policies had intended effects.
Obviously, you have limited time to pursue such an ambitious task, so you will have to narrow the focus to
a point that the project is feasible. Choose to examine more limited issues in greater depth rather than
trying to say a little bit about everything. I expect the finished papers to be in the range of 15-25 pages.
Group projects are acceptable and encouraged with groups consisting of no more than 4 persons.
Obviously I expect more from a group project than from an individual one and it is essential that the
contributions of each participant be clearly indicated.
We will schedule oral presentations of the papers each presentation will be for 20 minutes. It is an
important exercise to learn how to give a short presentation that conveys the crucial findings that you have
made.
Your first step is to identify a country and issue that youd like to do your research on. At the same time,
you should talk with classmates to see if you would like to work with them as part of a group.

Instructions for Term Papers

EC 521 Fall 2015

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Schedule
I will schedule three conferences with each of you. The first will be in the week beginning October 5 to
discuss your proposals. A proposal will identify the country, time period and issue and outline the basic
approach you intend to follow. The critical element of a proposal is to identify a researchable question.
Id be happy to meet with you earlier than that if you have formed a group and identified a topic.
I will schedule a second conference with you before the Thanksgiving break(week of Nov.16) to discuss
first drafts (which may not be complete drafts but show clear progress and give an opportunity for you to
incorporate suggestions for refinements).
Class presentations will take place in class beginning Dec.1 and I will meet with each of you prior to you
presentation to go over handouts etc. that you propose to use.
Some Examples of Suitable Topics
Here is a very partial list of topics that have been done by students in Ec521 in previous years they should
help give you an idea of the kinds of studies that are feasible and appropriate.
Failure of Cost Recovery in the Kenyan Health Care System (begun in 1984).
Testing the Privatization Experience of Turkey (since 1985)
Trade Liberalization in India: Its Effects on Poverty (since early 1990s)
Water Privatization in Argentina: Success of Failure (since 1991)
Agricultural Policies in Malaysia: Effects on Agricultural Productivity (since 1980)
The End of Protectionism: Peruvian Economic Adjustment Policy in the 1990s
Development Implications of Foreign Direct Investment in the Dominican Republic (since 1995)
Nigerian Fourth National Development Plan: Balancing Costs and Benefits of Oil Revenues (since 1981)
HIV/AIDS in Botswana: Crisis and Response
Effects of Urban Land Titling and Infrastructure in Peru (since 1997)
Land Reforms in Brazil (since 1998)
Ethiopian and Eritrean Remittance Flows: Confidence Improves Development Results (since 1990)
Incentives, Foreign Direct Investment, and Growth in China (since 1985)
Effects of Chinese Agricultural Reforms (since 1974)
Effects of Dollarizing the Ecuadorian Economy (since 2001)
Effects of tax reforms on growth of Eastern European transition economies
Relationships between credit and migration based on a Chinese rural survey
Effects of changing fertility and health policies in Iran
Effects of changes in educational policies on primary school enrollments in Tanzania
Banking and regulatory reforms in Indonesia 1983-97
Agricultural policy in Rwandas post-genocide Economic Recovery
Effect of tax reforms on growth in the Baltic States 1993-2002
Financial Sector Reform in South Africa
Use and control of Diamond Revenues in Botswana
Fertility programs in Iran
The Bolivian hyperinflation crisis solutions
Opium cultivation in Afghanistan
Effects of Education Reform in Singapore
The impact of Microfinance in Uganda
Effects of spending on Higher education and technological change in Chinas provinces.
Migration from Morocco to Europe effects of changing rules.
Effects of foreign direct investment on productivity change in Chinas provinces.
Effects of introducing For-Profit Universities in Mexico.
Environmental effects of trade liberalization between China and ASEAN
Diaspora Bonds and Development in selected countries.
Prohibition of slavery in Nepal
Liberalization of the telecommunications industry in Senegal

Instructions for Term Papers

EC 521 Fall 2015

Effects of a subsidy program to poor counties in China

Effects of conditional cash transfer programs on school enrolments in Brazil
Response to a foreign exchange crisis in Argentina
Effects of changing mortgage arrangements on the housing market in 3 Chinese cities.

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