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MicroMasters®

Data, Economics, and Design of Policy: International Development

Explore the economic and political dimensions of global poverty with a data-driven and evidence-based approach. Use your credential to advance your career or pursue accelerated graduate studies at MIT or another pathway university.

MicroMasters®

Data, Economics, and Design of Policy: International Development

Explore the economic and political dimensions of global poverty with a data-driven and evidence-based approach. Use your credential to advance your career or pursue accelerated graduate studies at MIT or another pathway university.

MIT’s Department of Economics and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) designed the MicroMasters® program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) to equip learners with both practical skills and theoretical knowledge to address pressing global challenges. Taught by esteemed Economics faculty at MIT, including the program’s faculty directors Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, Sara Fisher Ellison, and Benjamin Olken, the program offers graduate-level courses that combine the modern tools of economics and policy design with a strong foundation in economic and mathematical principles. Completing the program credential will make you eligible to apply for MIT’s DEDP master’s program or pursue an accelerated degree at a participating pathway school.

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The core curriculum covers foundational topics such as economics, probability and statistics, data analysis, and designing and running randomized evaluations to assess the effectiveness of social programs. Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, winners of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and pioneers in development economics, contribute their expertise on methodologies for poverty alleviation.

The elective courses explore a range of key issues facing society today in two distinct tracks: International Development and Public Policy.

The International Development Track electives explore development issues that are most prevalent in low- and middle-income countries experiencing massive and persistent poverty, including determinants of decisions made by low-income households, the value and impact of microfinance, and the relationship between economic development and political institutions.

Learn more about the Public Policy Track or read about the track requirements in our FAQ articles.

Required Courses

Elective Courses

Prerequisites

Prerequisites vary by course, but nothing is formal - anyone can enroll!

Meet your instructors

  • Featured image for Esther Duflo
    Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics
  • Featured image for Sara Fisher Ellison
    Senior Lecturer
  • Featured image for Rachel Glennerster
    Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago
  • Featured image for Jonathan Gruber
    Ford Professor of Economics
  • Featured image for Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee
    Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics
  • Featured image for Benjamin Olken
    Professor of Economics

Who can take this course?

Because of U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) restrictions and other U.S. federal regulations, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba, Syria, North Korea and the Crimea, Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic regions of Ukraine.