Reading list for
Economic Growth and Infrastructure

Time

BCPM 0008

Module Leader: Dr. Kumar Aniket

Readings

The reference list for this course is drawn mainly from research articles. We will use certain section of the textbook below as background reading material for the lectures. The sections we will use for each lecture are specified below. The online version of the textbook is freely available and the can be accessed at the link above.

Dr Aniket’s lecture Notes. Infrastructure and Economic Development

Core-Econ. 2017. The Economy: Economics for a Changing World, Oxford University Press | Link

Core-Econ. 2019. Economy, Society, and Public Policy, Oxford University Press | Link

The reading for each section are divided into essential reading and deep dive reading section. The lectures would be largely based on the essential readings. Each essential reading has a link that gives you access to the reading. The deep-dive section would allows you to explore the topic in greater details if you choose to do so.

Lecture 1: Development, Markets and Construction

Dr Aniket’s lecture Notes. Lecture 1: Economic Development

Core-econ (2017). The Economy: Economics for a Changing World

Chapter 1: The capitalist revolution

Core-Econ (2019). Economy, Society, and Public Policy

Section 5.1 & 5.2: Institutions

Dasgupta, P. and Weale, M. 1992. On Measuring the Quality of Life, World Development, vol. 20, no. 1, 119–31 | Paper

Deep-dive reading

North, D. C. 1990. Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance, Cambridge University Press

R. Kanbur. Pareto’s Revenge. Working Paper, Cornell University, 2005. Paper

Lecture 2: Solow Growth Model

Dr Aniket’s lecture Notes. Lecture 2: Solow Growth Model

Core-econ (2017). The Economy: Economics for a Changing World |

Chapter 1: The capitalist revolution

Chapter 16, Introduction and Section 16.1: Technological progress and living standards

Chapter 3, Section 3.1.2: Diminishing Marginal Productivity

K. Basu and A. Maertens. The pattern and causes of economic growth in India. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 23(2):143–167, 2007. Paper

Deep-dive reading

Ray, Debraj. Development economics. Princeton University Press, 1998. Chapter 2 & Chapter 3

Jones, Charles. “Introduction to Economic Growth” (1998). Chapter 2.

Ray, Debraj. “Uneven growth: A framework for research in development economics.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 24.3 (2010): 45-60. Paper

Romer, Paul M. “The origins of endogenous growth.” Journal of Economic perspectives 8.1 (1994): 3-22. Paper

Lecture 3: Waterways as Public Capital

Core-econ (2017). The Economy: Economics for a Changing World

Chapter 11, Section 11.1 & 11.2. Read the part that describes the Jensen (2007) paper.

Chapter 12, Section 12.5 to 12.8. Core-econ. Chapter 11. Rent-seeking, Price-setting and Market Dynamics.

Aniket, Kumar (2018). “Solow-Swan growth model and the fortunes of the commons. MPRA Paper No. 87921 | Paper

Deep-dive reading

Jensen, Robert. (2007). The digital provide: Information (technology), market performance, and welfare in the south indian fisheries sector. The quarterly journal of economics, 122(3):879–924 | OUP Link | Jstors Link

S. L. Engerman and K. L. Sokoloff. Digging the dirt at public expense: Digging the dirt at public expense erie canal and other public works. In Corruption and Reform: Lessons from America’s Economic History, pages 95–122. University of Chicago Press, 2006 | Link |

Lecture 4: Public Goods Provision

Core-econ (2017). The Economy: Economics for a Changing World

Chapter 4, Section 4.6:: Public goods, free riding, and repeated interaction.

Chapter 12, Section 12.5: Public goods.

R. Burgess, R. Jedwab, E. Miguel, A. Morjaria, and G. Padro i Miquel. the Value of Democracy: Evidence from Road Building in Kenya. American Economic Review, 105(6):1817–51, 2015. Paper

P. Collier and A. J. Venables. Urban infrastructure for development. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 32(3):391–409, 2016. Paper

Deep-dive reading

E. Miguel. Tribe or Nation? Nation Building and Public Goods in Kenya Versus Tanzania. World Politics, 56(3):327–362, 2004. Paper

Collier, Paul, and Jan Willem Gunning. “Why has Africa grown slowly?.” Journal of economic perspectives 13.3 (1999): 3-22. Link

Collier, Paul, and Jan Willem Gunning. “Explaining African economic performance.” Journal of economic literature 37.1 (1999): 64-111. Link

N. Chaudhury, J. Hammer, M. Kremer, K. Muralidharan, and F. H. Rogers. Missing in action: teacher and health worker absence in developing countries. Journal of Economic perspectives, 20(1):91–116, 2006 | Paper

Lecture 5: Markets and Infrastructure

Core-econ. Section 18.4. Specialisation and the gains from trade among nations. Core-econ Unit, Section 18.4.

Core-econ. Section 7.2 Economies of scale and the cost advantages of large-scale production Unit, Section 7.2.

D. Acemoglu. Dave donaldson: Winner of the 2017 clark medal. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 32(2):193–208, 2018 | Paper

Paul Romer | Why the World needs charter cities | Talk at TED Global 2019 | Video

DW | South Africa’s struggling land reform | Video

Deep-dive reading

Donaldson, Dave. Railroads of the raj: Estimating the Impact of Transportation Infrastructure. American Economic Review 108.4-5 (2018): 899-934.

T. Besley and M. Ghatak. Public Goods and Economic Development. Understanding Poverty, 19:285–303, 2006 | Paper

R. Burgess and R. Pande. Do Rural Banks Matter? Evidence from the Indian Social Banking Experiment. American Economic Review, 95(3):780–795, 2005 | Paper