Universität Wien

040254 UK The challenge of Poverty (BA) (2020W)

Track in Behavioral Economics and Experiments and Policy Evaluation

8.00 ECTS (4.00 SWS), SPL 4 - Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 50 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Please note that the lectures will be given online and asynchronous. The above dates just indicate that two lectures are uploaded each Wednesday.

  • Wednesday 07.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 07.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 14.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 14.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 21.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 21.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 28.10. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 28.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 04.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 04.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 11.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 11.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 18.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 18.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 25.11. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 25.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 02.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 02.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 09.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 09.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 16.12. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 16.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 13.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 13.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 20.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 20.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital
  • Wednesday 27.01. 09:45 - 11:15 Digital
  • Wednesday 27.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Digital

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This course proposes an in-depth exploration into the most important issues of world poverty. The following questions are answered through lectures, readings, and discussions:
-What is poverty?
-How is poverty measured?
-Why poverty persists?
-Can the poor afford a minimum caloric intake?
-Is the health system helping the poor?
-How do we make schools work for poor citizens?
-How do the poor save and invest?
-Why are poor families often numerous?
-Is micro-finance useful to eradicate poverty?
-Why do the poor make seemingly suboptimal decisions?

Assessment and permitted materials

Assignments (30%).
Midterm (30%)
Final exam (40%).

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Basic Microeconomics

Examination topics

Module 1: Basics
Definitions of poverty
Measurement of poverty
A general theory of poverty traps
The methodology of randomized control trials
The Deaton’s critique

Module 2: External constraints (standard poverty traps)
Nutrition-based poverty traps
The role of human capital in persistent poverty
The household model of the poor
Credit constraints as a source of poverty traps

Module 3: Internal external (behavioral poverty traps)
Poverty traps from lack of self-control
Poverty and aspirations failure
Cognitive load under poverty
Self-fulfilling prophecies

Reading list

Module 1

Ravallion, Martin (2016). Economics of poverty: History, measurement and policy. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190212766.

Module 2.

Banerjee, Abhijit, and Esther Duflo. Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. PublicAffairs, 2011. ISBN: 9781586487980.

Plus selected papers

Module 3

Mind, Behavior, and Society 2015, World Bank Report 92863

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Fr 12.05.2023 00:12