Магистратура
2025/2026
Исторические основы экономического роста
Статус:
Курс по выбору (Экономика и экономическая политика)
Кто читает:
Департамент теоретической экономики
Где читается:
Факультет экономических наук
Когда читается:
2-й курс, 2 модуль
Охват аудитории:
для своего кампуса
Язык:
английский
Кредиты:
3
Course Syllabus
Abstract
This course introduces recent studies on the historical origins of modern economic growth. It will focus both on theoretical models of transition to sustainable economic growth and their empirical applications, and try to shed light on the mechanics of economic development, structural change, technology diffusion, institutional changes, and other sources of income differences across countries.
Why some nations are rich and others are poor? What are the deep sources of long-run economic growth? To investigate these questions, we will overview trends in income, population, longevity, literacy and other development measures, and theories that aim to explain patterns in the data. The theoretical part of the course will proceed from the Unified growth theory that explains the mechanism of transition from stagnation to growth to the recent models of endogenous institutional changes and political economy of development.
In addition, the course presents modern empirical methods of causal inference that are widely used in various subfields of economics. Discussing academic papers that connect theoretical rigor with original empirical strategy will give students a taste for research in economics. Thus, a course can be viewed as a preparation to one’s own research project
Learning Objectives
- To be familiar with recent studies on the historical origins of modern economic growth. To be able to build and analyse theoretical models of transition to sustainable economic growth and their empirical applications. To be familiar with trends in income, population, longevity, literacy and other development measures, and theories that aim to explain patterns in the data. To be able to model theoretically the mechanism of transition from stagnation to growth, endogenous institutional changes. To be familiar with modern empirical methods of causal inference that are widely used in various subfields of economics. To be able to discuss academic papers that connect theoretical rigor with original empirical strategy will give students a taste for research in economics.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- To be familiar with causes and consequences of Little Divergence, to be able to apply data and econometric techniques to check different mechanism of pre-industrial development
- To be able to formulate and analyse the Malthusian model of economic dynamics
- To be familiar with recent studies on the pre-industrial economic development
- Formulate and discuss trends in income, population, longevity, literacy and other development measures in pre-industrial age
- To formulate basic assumptions and propositions of the unified growth model
- to be familiar with the mechanism of transition from malthusian stagnation to modern growth
- To be able to estimate quantitatevely a version of the unified growth model
- To be familiar with recent empirical studies on the pre-industrial economic development
- To understand sources of historical data, methods of analyzing and presenting them
- To be able to critically analyze the empirical results and understand their theoretical implications
- To be familiar with most recent studies of Industrial Revolution
- To understand sources of the process of technology diffusion from the industrial core of Europe to its periphery, and beyond
- To be familiar with the major studies on institutional economics and political economy.
- To understand the role institutions economic development using examples from both micro- and macro level studies.
- To understand the empirical method of “natural experiments” to assess the impact of various institutions on economic behavior
Course Contents
- The Malthusian Model: Population and Economy before 1800
- Unified growth model
- Institutions, human capital and economic growth
- Empirical Studies of Pre-Industrial Economy: Testing the Malthusian Model
- Empirical Studies of the Industrial Revolution and Technology Diffusion
- Empirical Political Economy: Institutions, State Capacity and Growth
Assessment Elements
- Attendance and active participation in classes
- Presentation of the literature review
- Project on the basis of theoretical or empirical paper
- Final exam
Interim Assessment
- 2025/2026 2nd module0.1 * Attendance and active participation in classes + 0.4 * Final exam + 0.25 * Presentation of the literature review + 0.25 * Project on the basis of theoretical or empirical paper
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Allen, R. C. (2009). The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.b.cup.cbooks.9780521687850
- Andrei Markevich, & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya. (2017). The Economic Effects of the Abolition of Serfdom: Evidence from the Russian Empire. Working Papers.
- Ashraf, Q., & Galor, O. (2011). Dynamics and Stagnation in the Malthusian Epoch. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.80190C2A
- Galor, O. (2005). From Stagnation to Growth: Unified Growth Theory. Handbook of Economic Growth, 171. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.h.eee.grochp.1.04
- Introduction to economic growth, Jones, C. I., 2002
- Introduction to modern economic growth, Acemoglu, D., 2009
- Mankiw, N. G., Romer, D., & Weil, D. N. (1992). A Contribution to the Empirics of Economic Growth. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.5A71ECD9
- Melissa Dell. (2010). The Persistent Effects of Peru’s Mining Mita. Econometrica, (6), 1863. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.ecm.emetrp.v78y2010i6p1863.1903
- Unified growth theory, Galor, O., 2011
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, & James A. Robinson. (2001). The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation. American Economic Review, (5), 1369. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.91.5.1369
- Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, & James Robinson. (2005). The rise of Europe: Atlantic trade, institutional change, and economic growth, American Economic Review 95. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.5FF06507
- Economic growth, Weil, D. N., 2013