Learning Goals

    and Outcomes

 

 

 

 

Students who complete the M.S. in IDEC will be able to: 

 

• Understand the application of modern micro and macroeconomic

    theory to the key problems of economic development, trade and finance

           -   including the analysis of market failures, poverty traps, the structure of incentives, the use of game theory                   to model institutional behavior, and open economy models of trade, migration, foreign direct investment,                   financial markets, and exchange rate determination.

 

• Design and carry out a fieldwork-based research project

         - including formation of an original research question, planning of an effective methodology, development of                field protocols/survey instruments, and data collection in a developing or transition country.

 

• Conduct original quantitative empirical analysis of an international or development economics problem

             - Specifically, students should be able to express an economic theory in terms of an observable model;                             determine the appropriate estimation method for the empirical model; utilize statistical software to                               conduct such estimation; and meaningfully interpret the results.

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• Effectively communicate research finding both in writing and orally 

            - including compilation of a professional literature review, clear presentation of theoretical and empirical                        models, econometric analysis, and the relevance of the study's principal findings and implications for                            international and/or economic development theory and policy.