The Engines of Growth: Innovation, Institutions and Human Capital

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Course Description

  • Course Name

    The Engines of Growth: Innovation, Institutions and Human Capital

  • Host University

    Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

  • Location

    Madrid, Spain

  • Area of Study

    Business Administration, Economics, International Economics, Peace and Conflict Studies, Political Science

  • Language Level

    Taught In English

  • Course Level Recommendations

    Upper

    ISA offers course level recommendations in an effort to facilitate the determination of course levels by credential evaluators.We advice each institution to have their own credentials evaluator make the final decision regrading course levels.

    Hours & Credits

  • ECTS Credits

    6
  • Recommended U.S. Semester Credits
    3
  • Recommended U.S. Quarter Units
    4

  • Overview

    COMPETENCES AND SKILLS THAT WILL BE ACQUIRED AND LEARNING RESULTS.
    Knowledge:
    - Introduction to concepts, models and theories which measure and explain the dynamic forces of
    economic growth.
    - Have proficiency in the most relevant works and know the circles in which these topics are
    discussed.
    - Understand the dynamics of business growth and its relationship with changes in markets,
    resources, technology and the institutional framework.
    - Apply comparative analysis which allows a better understanding of business today and being
    able to identifying similarities and differences in time and space
    Skills:
    - Develop capacities to look for, process, evalutate and transmit information in a clear form, both
    written and oral.
    - Elaborate a research project in an essay/report format
    - Acquire ability to raise questions related to firms and resolve them with economic theory and
    quantative methods.
    Attitudes:
    - An open attitude to different approached and dimensions of growth and their theoretical
    foundations.
    - A flexible attitude to constructive criticism with academic basis and the ability to accept
    criticism.
    - An open attitude to finding answers to today's business problems.
    - Promote curiosity and ability to tackle complex questions.
    DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS: PROGRAMME
    1. Formal contrasts of the endogenous growth theory
    2. Education, social capital and economic growth
    3. Appropriate technology
    4. Growth and contracts: design, implementation, readjustment and supervision
    5. Growth, distribution and democracy
    LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGY
    This course is designed as an introduction to acedemic research.
    The skills and attitudes will be acquired by the students in
    - lectures
    - weekly essays using the recommended references related to the corresponding topic of the syllabus
    - group presentations made in class on specific topics of the syllabus
    - participartion in class debates organized in class seminars.
    The skills will be further developed individually between teaching staff and students in interviews to determine the
    topic of the final essay, supervision of the essay-report and a formal oral defense of the essay with the professor.
    The course has established the following schedule: Students will receive a reading list with basic and
    Página 1 de 3
    complementary readings for each topic. Students are required to had in weekly essays to evaluate their reading
    progress, the comprehension of the lectures attended, and how well they have understood the presentations and
    debates in class. The essays are to be handed in according to the time schedule established and handed out the
    first day of class.
    The six ECTS credits are broken down into two credits for the classes which are to be assisted, one credit for
    written essays handed in, two credits for the preparation and the oral defense of the final essay-report and one
    credit for the debates and group presentations made in class.
    The aim of the lecture given by the professor is to provide an introduction to each topic, which will summarize the
    most important concepts and ideas, and present the most important theories and models which are applied to the
    topic being treated. The theoretical problems presented by the professor, together with the obligatory readings and
    the individual work by each student using complementary material recommended and adquired in addition to this
    will be the basis for the debates to be held in class.
    The presentations given in class are designed to develop the abilities of synthesis and public speech, helping
    students to express themselves in a concise and clear manner. They are also conceived to promote their
    capacities to answer questions raised about the topic they have prepared. The in-depth comprehension of theory is
    reinforced by the readings, group work, class debates and their application in the final essays.
    The weekly essays will not be exhaustive summaries, more so outlines limited to two pages. They are focused on
    the main question under debate, and aimed at summarizing the main points and conclusions contained in the
    obligatory readings.
    The final essay should contribute information and new evidence to the debate and should not be limited to
    summarizing the existing literature. Essay which compare events of the past with the present will be encouraged.
    Examples: A fundamented criticism of an existing study, a contrast of an existing theory of model with new data,
    the analysis of an experiment.
    ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
    The student qualification will be performed throughout the semester, taking into account the design and goals of
    the course. Twenty-five per cent of the final grade will be determined by the weekly essays and participation in
    class. Fifty per cent of the grade correspondes to qualification of the final essay and the remaining twenty-five
    percent to a final exam which covers the whole of the subject matter seen in the course. If the average grade
    before taking the final exam is higher than 6 over 10, the student will not be required to take the final exam. In this
    case the proportions of the weekly essays and participation, and the final exam will be 33 % and 66 % respectively.
    BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY
    - Aghion, Philippe and Stephen Durlauf (eds.) Handbook of Economic Growth, North Holland, 2005
    - Aghion, Philippe and Peter Howitt The Economics of Growth, London: MIT Press, 2009
    - Banerjee, A., R. Benabou, and D. Mookherjee (eds.). Understanding Poverty, Oxford University Press, 2006
    - Goldin, Claudia and Larry Katz The Race between Education and Technology, Belknap, 2008
    - Helpman, Elhanan (Ed.) General Purpose Technologies and Economic Growth, MIT Press, 1998
    - Perkins, Dwight H., Steven Radelet and David L. Lindauer Economics of Development, Norton, 2006
    - Ray, Debraj Development Economics, Princeton University Press, 1998
    - Rodrik, Dani In Search of Prosperity: Analytical Narratives on Economic Growth, Princeton University, 2003
    - Weil, David Economic Growth, Pearson, 2005
    ADITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
    - Hall, Robert and Charles I. Jones Why Do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output per Worker Than
    Others? , Quarterly Journal of Economics 114, 83-116, 1999
    Página 2 de 3
    - Hanushek, Eric and Ludger Woessmann The Role of Cognitive Skills in Economic Development , Journal of
    Economic Literature 46 (3), 607-668, 2008
    - Pritchett, Lant Does learning to add up add up? The returns to schooling in aggregate data, Handbook of the
    Economics of Education, Elsevier, (chapter 11), 635-695., 2006
    - Psacharopoulos, George and Harrz Anthony Patrinos Returns to Investment in Education: a further update,
    Education Economics, 12 (2), pp. 111-134., 2004
    - Glewwe, Paul Schooling and Skills in Developing Countries: Education Policies and Socioeconomic Outcomes,
    Journal of Economic Literature 40 (2), 436-482, 2002
    - Bluhm, R. and A. Szirmai Institutions and long-run growth performance: An analytic literature review of the
    institutional determinants of economic growth, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2012-033, 2012
    - Easterly, W. and R. Levine The European Origins of Economic Development, NBER Working Paper #18162.,
    2012
    - Engerman, Stanley and Kenneth Sokoloff Factor Endowments, Institutions and Differential Paths of
    Development Among New World Economies: A View from Economic Historians of the United States, NBER
    Working Paper # hp66, 1994
    - Glaeser, E. L., R. LaPorta, F. Lopez de Silanes, A. Shleifer Do Institutions Cause Growth?, Journal of Economic
    Growth 9 (3), 271-303, 2004
    - Spolaore, E. and R. Wacziarg How deep are the roots of economic development?, CEPR Working Paper #
    8998., 2012
    - Easterly, William Institutions, Top Down or Bottom Up?, American Economic Review 98 (2), 95-99., 2008
    - Mauro, P. Corruption and Growth, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 110 (3), 681-712, 1995
    - Svensson, J. Eight Questions about Corruption, Journal of Economic Perspectives 19(3), 19-42, 2005
    - Milanovic, Branko A short history of global inequality: The past two centuries, Explorations in Economic History
    48 (4), 494-506, 2011
    - Forbes, Kristin A Reassessment of the Relationship Between Inequality and Growth, American Economic
    Review 90 (4), 869-887, 2000
    - Basu, Kaushik Globalization, poverty, and inequality: What is the relationship? What can be done?, World
    Development 34 (8), 1361-1373, 2006
    - Kierenkowski, R. and I. Koske Less Income Inequality and More Growth ¿ Are They Compatible? Part 8. The
    Drivers of Labour Economic Inequality - A Literature Review, OECD Economics Department Working Papers No.
    931, 2012
    - Persson, Torsten and Guido Tabellini Is Inequality Harmful for Growth?, American Economic Review 84 (3),
    600-621, 1994
    - Banerjee, Abhijit and Ester Duflo The Economic Lives of the Poor, Journal of Economic Perspectives 21 (1),
    141-168, 2007
    - Hausmann, R., L. Pritchett and D. Rodrik Growth Accelerations, NBER Working Papers 10566, 2004
    - Mukand, S. W. and D. Rodrik In Search of the Holy Grail: Policy Convergence, Experimentation, and Economic
    Performance, American Economic Review, 95 (1), 374-383, 2005

Course Disclaimer

Please note that there are no beginning level Spanish courses offered in this program.

Courses and course hours of instruction are subject to change.

Eligibility for courses may be subject to a placement exam and/or pre-requisites.

Credits earned vary according to the policies of the students' home institutions. According to ISA policy and possible visa requirements, students must maintain full-time enrollment status, as determined by their home institutions, for the duration of the program.

ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits are converted to semester credits/quarter units differently among U.S. universities. Students should confirm the conversion scale used at their home university when determining credit transfer.

Please reference fall and spring course lists as not all courses are taught during both semesters.

Availability of courses is based on enrollment numbers. All students should seek pre-approval for alternate courses in the event of last minute class cancellations

Please note that some courses with locals have recommended prerequisite courses. It is the student's responsibility to consult any recommended prerequisites prior to enrolling in their course.

X

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer. Some are essential to make our site work; others help us improve the user experience. By using the site, you consent to the placement of these cookies.

Read our Privacy Policy to learn more.

Confirm