Organizers: Oriana Bandiera (London School of Economics and IZA), Annabelle Krause-Pilatus (IZA)
Event Manager: Viola Hartmann
IZA/FCDO Programme on Gender, Growth and Labor Markets in Low-Income Countries (G²LM|LIC) sponsored the ONLINE EVENT: “Development Economics Course,” held from May 12 to July 14, 2025.
The course explored why fundamentally equal humans living in different countries experience very different standards of living. Its goal was to make the latest research in development economics accessible to anyone curious about the subject. The course was modeled after the award-winning undergraduate development course at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and was fully based on research articles. Participants also received access to a compact video course on impact evaluation methods taught by Prof. Stefano Caria (University of Warwick).
Although designed for undergraduate students, applications were also welcomed from graduate/post-graduate students and professionals in the public and private sectors. The course was open to residents of eligible African and Asian countries. It required no prerequisites beyond curiosity, and was offered free of charge. Instruction was in English.
The 10-week programme included weekly one-hour lectures and one-hour tutorials. Lectures in weeks 1 and 10 were live on Zoom, while those in weeks 2–9 were pre-recorded. Tutorials in weeks 2–9 were taught live by LSE teaching assistants, with participants choosing from several time slots. Weekly readings and problem sets required 2–8 hours. Participants who attended at least six tutorials received a certificate of participation.
Instructors:
* Oriana Bandiera (London School of Economics and IZA)
* Robin Burgess (London School of Economics)
Head Teaching Assistant:
* Michelle Rao (PhD Candidate, LSE)
Teaching Assistants:
* Ignacio Banares-Sanchez (PhD Candidate, LSE)
* Luiza Kunz Aires (PhD Candidate, LSE)
* Yoshiki Wiskamp (PhD Candidate, LSE)
* Jack Thiemel (PhD Candidate, LSE)