Development Microeconomics

by Bardhan, Pranab; Udry, Christopher

• ISBN13: 9780198773702
• ISBN10: 0198773706
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-06-24
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Traditional development economics has recently been revolutionized by the application of new economic tools and concepts. Development Microeconomics is the first in a series of books which will look at the entire spectrum of development economics issues, combining the strengths of conventionaldevelopmental thought with the insights of contemporary mainstream economics. The main new conceptual tool used is the application of the theory of imperfect information and the effects this has on the the behaviour of economic agents. This helps to explain why perfect competition models rarely have success when dealing with developing economies. The authors also stress thenecessity of balance in dealing with many of the classic problems in development studiesthe importance of both the individual as economic agent and cultural norms as the framework of social behaviour; the dual relationship between equity and efficiency in economic policy-making; the importance ofmarket rivalry and the potential of market breakdown. Designed specifically for graduate students, this book analyses the key microeconomic problems facing the very poorest sectors of developing economies. It utilises simple theoretical models, and is presented in a compact and analytical form. High technical sophistication is avoided, and the onlypre-requisite is some familiarity with the tools of general microecomic theory at a first-year graduate or advanced undergraduate level.

Author Biography

Pranab Bardhan is currently Professor of Economics at the University of California at Berkeley. He has previously been Professor of Economics at the Delhi School of Economics and at the Indian Statistical Institute in New Delhi.

Christopher Udry is Professor of Economics at the Economic Growth Center in Yale University.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(6)
Household Economics	7	(13)
Population	20	(13)
Fragmented Markets: Labour	33	(16)
Migration	49	(11)
The Rural Land Market	60	(16)
Fragmented Credit Markets	76	(18)
Risk and Insurance in an Agricultural Economy	94	(16)
Interlinkage of Transactions and Rural Development	110	(13)
Human Capital and Income Distribution	123	(9)
Poverty Alleviation: Efficiency and Equity Issues	132	(20)
Technological Progress and Learning	152	(16)
Environment and Development	168	(14)
Trade and Development	182	(14)
The Dual Economy	196	(11)
Intersectoral Complementarities and Coordination Failures	207	(10)
Institutional Economics and the State in Economic Development	217	(20)
Index	237