Plain-language explanation.
Development economics studies why some countries are rich and others poor, and what policies can accelerate growth and reduce poverty — combining theory with empirical research including randomised controlled trials.
Core concepts and standard treatment.
Core development economics covers theories of growth and underdevelopment (Harrod-Domar — savings gap — big push — Sachs End of Poverty; Washington Consensus — Williamson 10 reforms — structural adjustment — critique; ISI — import substitution — Prebisch-Singer declining terms of trade; East Asian miracle — developmental state — Korea, Taiwan, Singapore; Acemoglu and Robinson — institutions — extractive vs inclusive — Why Nations Fail — Nogales natural experiment; geography and development — Sachs tropical disease burden — Easterly White Man's Burden critique), poverty measurement (World Bank $2.15/day 2022 IPL at 2017 PPP; FGT indices — headcount, depth, severity; MPI — UNDP — Alkire-Foster — 10 indicators — health, education, living standards; Gini coefficient — Lorenz curve; HDI — UNDP), and aid effectiveness (ODA 0.7% GNI target; OECD DAC criteria; Paris Declaration — ownership, alignment, harmonisation; RCT revolution — J-PAL — Banerjee and Duflo — Poor Economics; deworming controversy; cash transfers — GiveDirectly — Progresa/Oportunidades — Bolsa Familia).
Deeper theory, debates and edge cases.
Advanced development economics covers experimental economics (natural experiments — Card Nobel 2021; Duflo Banerjee Kremer Nobel 2019; J-PAL 1000+ RCTs; IPA Innovations for Poverty Action; pre-registration AEA RCT Registry; external validity critique — Deaton; heterogeneous treatment effects — ML for causal inference), structural transformation (Lewis dual sector model; Rodrik premature deindustrialisation; economic complexity — Hausmann and Hidalgo — product space; GVC participation — buyer-driven vs producer-driven — Gereffi; SEZs — Ethiopia, Bangladesh; Mazzucato entrepreneurial state), and financial inclusion and innovation (M-Pesa Kenya — 95% adults — Suri and Jack AER 2016 welfare gains; DFS — GSMA Mobile Money; microfinance RCT — Banerjee Duflo 2015 6 countries — modest positive; index insurance — IBLI livestock; fintech in EM — Flutterwave, OPay).
How it is applied in practice.
At the development economist and INGO evaluation lead level, practitioners contribute to Journal of Development Economics; advise on national development strategy (World Bank CEM; IMF Article IV DSA — debt sustainability analysis; OECD DAC peer reviews; UNCTAD; AFDB country strategies); lead evaluation (FCDO evaluation — ITAD, ICF; USAID learning agenda; World Bank IEG; systematic reviews — 3ie — International Initiative for Impact Evaluation — development evidence gap maps); design social protection (ILO Universal Social Protection; World Bank SWIFT toolkit; Ethiopia PSNP graduation approach; India NREGS — Muralidharan RCT; OECD green growth indicators; blended finance — Convergence SDG investment gap; carbon markets — VCM Gold Standard; JETP Just Energy Transition Partnerships — South Africa, India, Indonesia).