Introduction to Economic Growth

The processes of economic growth and the causes of differences in economic performance across nations are some of the most interesting, important and challenging fields in modern social sciences.

This course introduces students to economic discourses about the nature of the huge disparity in standards of living among different countries. By analyzing divergent pathways of economic development across history and geography, we will be discussing the following key questions pertaining to the problem of economic growth: Why do the disparities in income between two countries appear? How can the rate of economic growth be accelerated? What is the price of economic growth? Who wins and who loses when the rate of growth is high? Answering these questions we will seek to understand the range of factors that stimulate economic growth, as well as its most important characteristics and major consequences.

In the process, students also address how to manage economic growth, and the art of maintaining a balance between its advantages and disadvantages. As well as helping students develop a holistic view of economic growth as a phenomenon, this course also familiarizes them with the economic analysis of empirical examples and big data.