Master of Science in Economics

Updated A.Y. 2015-2016

Course: ‘Topics in Poverty and Inequality’

 

Part I: ‘The Historical Legacy of African Poverty’

Lecturer: Jacob Weisdorf (visitor from University of Southern Denmark, jacobw@sam.sdu.dk)

Course description (Part 1): Sub-Saharan Africa today is the least developed region of the world by any measure, be it GDP per capita, life expectancy or literacy rates. Many scholars have emphasized the historical roots of Africa’s poor economic performance: adverse geographical conditions, ethnic fragmentation, the slave trades and colonial exploitation. But has Africa always been poor, and is it doomed to stay poor?

Schedule
Monday 16 Feb:
Introduction lecture for Part I by Jacob Weisdorf
Tuesday 17 Feb:
Felix Meier zu Selhausen and Jacob Weisdorf (2015), ‘A Colonial Legacy of African Gender Inequality? Evidence from Christian Kampala, 1895-2011’, Economic History Review (forthcoming)
Monday 23 Feb:
Students presentation:
Frankema, Ewout, and Marlous van Waijenburg (2012). "Structural Impediments to African Growth? New Evidence from Real Wages in British Africa, 1880-1965"
Tuesday 24 Feb:
Student presentation:
"Does Food Aid Harm the Poor? Household Evidence from Ethiopia" by Levinsohn and McMilian (2005)
Students presentation:
Jedwab, Remi, Edward Kerby and Alexander Moradi (2014). History, Path Dependence and Development: Evidence from Colonial Railroads, Settlers and Cities in Kenya. CSAE Working Paper no. 4.

Thursday 5 Mar:
Guest lecture by Felix Meier zu Selhausen: Bloom and Sachs, "Geography, Demography, and Economic Growth in Africa",  Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Vol. 1998, No. 2 (1998), pp. 207-295, pp. 207-273.

Friday 6 Mar:
Guest lecture by Felix Meier zu Selhausen: Radelet, S. "Success stories from emerging Africa", Journal of Democracy, Volume 21, Number 4, October 2010, pp. 87-101.

Thursday 19 Mar:
Students presentation:
Cogneau, Denisand Alexander Moradi(2014). “Borders that divide: education and religion in Ghana and Togo since colonial times.” Journal of Economic History 74 (3): 694-729.
Nunn, Nathan (2008). "The Long-Term Effects of Africa's Slave Trades."

Friday 20 Mar:
Students presentation:
"Diamonds Are a Rebel's Best Friend" (2006) The World Economy29(8):1133-1150 and "Conflict Diamonds" (2007) Journal of Development Economics 82: 267-286

Class by Jacob Weisdorf
Monday 30 Mar:
Summary lecture for Part I by Jacob Weisdorf

 

Part II: ‘Historical roots of the regional divide’
Lecturer: Carlo Ciccarelli (carlo.ciccarelli@uniroma2.it)

The “Historical roots of the regional divide” module aims at providing a detailed description on available historical statistics on regional industrialization from 1861 to 1913. Recent statistical reconstructions at the regional (NUTS 2 units) and provincial (NUTS 3 units) level are discussed with students. The module also introduces students to the main literature on the origin of the socio-economic divide characterizing contemporary Italy.
During the three weeks the module will cover the following 4  related topics:
1) Introduction to the 1870-1914 period. General overview on sectoral development, business cycle, population and living standards in European countries.
Main reference: 
- Broadberry S, Federico G Klein A. , Sectoral developments, 1870-1914, in Braodberry S. and K.H.O’Rourke (eds.), The Cambridge Economic History of Europe, Volume 2: 1870 (ch. 3).
- Flandreau M, Flores J., Iobst C. Khoudour-Casteras D. , Business cycles, 1870-1914, in Braodberry S. and K.H.O’Rourke (eds.), The Cambridge Economic History of Europe, Volume 2: 1870 (ch. 4)
- Leonard C., Ljunberg J.,  “Population and living standards, 1870-1914”, in Broadberry S. and K.H.O’Rourke (eds.), The Cambridge Economic History of Europe, Volume 2: 1870 (ch. 5)  
- Eckaus, R., S. (1961), “The North-South Differential in Italian Economic development”, Journal of Economic History, 21, 3, pp. 285-317
2) Industrialization in Italy’s regions (NUTS 2 level), 1861-1913. Sources and methods: how the statistical reconstructions at the regional level were obtained. First generation estimates (Fenoaltea, 2003) vs second generation estimates (Ciccarelli and Fenoaltea, 2009, 2014). Regional industrial development and comparative advantages (Fenoaltea 2003, 2011).
Main references (first generation estimates) 
- Fenoaltea, S. (2003), “Peeking backward: regional aspects of industrial growth in post-unification Italy”, Journal of Economic History,  63, 4, pp 1059-1102
- Fenoaltea, S. (2011), “North and South”, chapter 6 of “The Reinterpretation of Italian Economic History From Unification to the Great War”, Cambridge University Press.
Main references (second generation estimates):
- Ciccarelli C. Fenoaltea S. (2009), La produzione industriale delle regioni d’Italia: una ricostruzione quantitativa. 1 Le industrie non manifatturiere, Roma, Banca d’Italia, available at https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/altre-pubblicazioni-storiche/produzione-industriale-1861-1913/Ciccarelli_Fenoaltea.pdf
- Ciccarelli C. Fenoaltea S. (2014), La produzione industriale delle regioni d’Italia: una ricostruzione quantitativa. 2 Le industrie estrattivo-manifatturiere, Roma, Banca d’Italia, available at https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/altre-pubblicazioni-storiche/produzione-industriale-1861-1913/Ciccarelli-Fenoaltea-2.pdf
Excel files with data on industrial value added in Italy’s regions will be given to students. Students will replicate Fenoaltea (2003, 2011) main results in the light of new statistical reconstruction recently provided by Ciccarelli and Fenoaltea (2009, 2014). 
Further references at the regional (NUTS 2  level):
Ciccarelli C., Fenoaltea S., Proietti T. (2010), “The effects of unification: markets, policy, and cyclical convergence in Italy, 1861–1913”, Cliometrica 4 (3), 269-292.

3) Industrialization in Italy’s provinces (NUTS 3 level), 1861-1913. Sources and methods: how the statistical reconstructions at the provincial level were obtained (Ciccarelli and Fenoaltea, 2013).
Main references:
Ciccarelli C, Fenoaltea S. (2013) , “Through the magnifying glass: provincial aspects of industrial growth in post-Unification Italy”, 66, 1, pp. 57-85.
Ciccarelli C., Proietti T. (2013), “Patterns of industrial specialisation in post-Unification Italy”, Scandinavian Economic History Review, 61, 3, pp. 259-286.
Ciccarelli C., Missiaia A. (2013), The Industrial Labor Force of Italy's Provinces: Estimates from the Population Censuses, 1871-1911, Rivista di storia economica, 29, 2, pp. 141-192.
Excel files with data on industrial value added in Italy’s provinces will be given to students. Students will compare results referring to different level of geographical disaggregation (regions and provinces). 

4)  Long-term evolution of the Italian regional divide.
Students presentation:
Main references:
- Felice, E. (2010), “Regional development: reviewing the Italian mosaic”, Journal of Modern Italian Studies, 15, 1, pp. 64-80

- Felice, E. (2011), “Regional value added in Italy, 1891-2001, and the foundation of a long-term picture”, Economic History Review, 64, 3, pp. 929-950.

- A’Hearn B., Venables A.J. (2011), Internal geography and external trade, regional disparities in Italy, 1861-2011, Economic History Working Papers, no. 12, 2011, available at https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/quaderni-storia/2011-0012/Quaderno_storia_economica_n_12.pdf

- Malanima P., Zamagni V. (2010), “150 years of the Italian Economy”, Journal of Modern Italian Studies, 2010, 15, pp. 1 – 20, available at http://www.paolomalanima.it/default_file/Articles/MalanimaZamagni.pdf

- Malanima P. Daniele M., “Falling disparities and persisting dualism: Regional development and industrialisation in Italy, 1891–2001”,  Investigaciones de Historia Económica,10, 3, pp. 165-176, available at: http://www.elsevier.es/eop/S1698-6989%2813%2900077-5.pdf

Updated A.Y. 2014-2015

Module 1:  "The Historical Legacy of African Poverty "
            Length of course: three weeks ( 3 CFU)
            Lecturer:  Jacob Weisdorf

This course will briefly introduce students to the economic history of Sub-Saharan Africa, from its pre-colonial times, across the colonial and post-colonial periods, through to today. The course will then give the students an introduction to the newest research set out to explain why Sub-Saharan Africa is trapped in poverty, with a particular focus on how it was developed, or underdeveloped, by European colonizers.

The course provides the student with a state-of-the-art overview of the latest data used to study long-term developments in Sub-Saharan Africa, including GDP per capita, real wages, occupational structures, social mobility, education, gender inequality, and health developments.
 

Module 2:  "The Historical Roots of the Italian Regional Divide"
Length of course: three weeks ( 3 CFU)
Lecturer:  Carlo Ciccarelli
Present-day Italy is characterized by a substantial amount of regional disparities in many socio-economic dimensions (including GDP,  unemployment rates, and education). Within regions differences are also extremely pronounced.  The course introduces students to the main quantitative literature on the historical roots of the Italian regional divide. Recent contributions at the regional (NUTS 2 level) are first illustrated and discussed. Empirical contributions based on data the provincial level (NUTS 3 units) are then presented in the second part of the course.  

Main references:

E. Felice (2014) , Regional income inequality in Italy in the long-run (1871-2011). Patterns and determinants, in J.R. Rosés, N. Wolf (eds.) The economic development of Europe’s Regions, Routledge.

S. Fenoaltea  (2011), North and South, chapter 6 of The Reinterpretation of Italian Economic History, Cambridge University Press.

C. Ciccarelli, S. Fenoaltea (2013) , “Through the magnifying glass: provincial aspects of industrial growth in post-Unification Italy”,  Economic History Review ,66, 1,  pp. 57-85.

C. Ciccarelli, A. Missiaia (2013) , “The Industrial Labor Force of Italy's Provinces: Estimates   from the Population Censuses, 1871-1911”, Rivista di Storia Economica, 29, 2, pp. 141-192.

In both modules, students will be asked to perform basic econometric analyses (using Stata or other statistical software) on historical data made available by the lecturer. The course consists of a mix of lectures done by the lecturer and presentations done by the students. Some homework is required (reading articles and preparing a presentation).