About this course
This is an ADVANCED elective course within the MITx MicroMasters program in Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP), which provides a path toward the Master’s in DEDP at MIT. You can enroll in this course for free by selecting the “enroll now” button at the top of the page. For more information on upgrading to the verified track to earn the course certificate, please visit our FAQ articles related to payment.
** Two elective courses are needed to complete the MicroMasters Program Credential in DEDP. At least one elective must be an ADVANCED Elective course. For more information on DEDP MicroMasters program requirements, please visit our FAQ page**
In this course, we will study the different facets of human development in topics such as education, health, gender, the family, land relations, risk, informal and formal norms, public policy, and institutions. While studying each of these topics, we will delve into the following questions:
- What determines the decisions of poor households in developing countries?
- What constraints are poor households subject to?
- What is the scope for policy interventions (implemented by the government, international organizations, or NGOs)?
- What policies have been tried out? Have they been successful?
At the same time, you will discover modern empirical methods in economics, in particular Randomized Control Trials (RCTs). Throughout the course, we will expose you to all facets of empirical projects, from experimental design and ethical issues, to data collection and data analysis. You will have the chance to gain experience working with real data using software for statistical analysis during weekly assignments.
Course Previews:
Our course previews are meant to give prospective learners the opportunity to get a taste of the content and exercises that will be covered in each course. If you are new to these subjects, or eager to refresh your memory, each course preview also includes some available resources. These resources may also be useful to refer to over the course of the semester.
A score of 60% or above in the course previews indicates that you are ready to take the course, while a score below 60% indicates that you should further review the concepts covered before beginning the course.
Please use this link to access the syllabus and this link to access the course preview. Once you have completed this preview, use the answer key to check your answers.