UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON

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COURSE SYLLABUS
Lecture Time: Mondays 1:30pm -4:30pm (Regular) Saturdays 10:30am-1:30pm (Weekend)
Venue: EPM Lecture Room Department of Economics Annex

Instructors
F. Ebo Turkson, PhD: Associate Professor, Dept. of Econs. Email: feturkson@ug.edu.gh

Priscilla Twumasi Baffour, PhD : Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Econs. Email: ptbaffour@ug.edu.gh

Course Overview
The course aims to introduce EPM students to the basic issues, theories and development paradigms. It will
initially trace the origins and manifestations of the developmental problems of the developing world, often
contrasting Africa with the rest of the world. Emphasis will be placed on how economic development in
various regions differed, and explanations will be provided for these differences. These developments will
be related to a typology in development theory and policy.
The course will discuss in greater depth the issue of growth and development and how they are measured. It
will also review some of the growth theories and attempt to relate them to current growth policies. The key
issues of poverty and income distribution, as well as population dynamics, will be discussed in the course.
In addition, sectoral issues such as Agriculture, Industry and Trade will be discussed, and key issues
surrounding globalization will be highlighted. Globalization, Aid, Debt and Development will also feature
strongly in the course. The course ends with a discussion on the Washington Consensus and the new
orthodoxy (i.e. the Development State).

Course Delivery
There will be one- three (3) hour lectures per week and attendance is compulsory. Lecture materials are
very essential but not sufficient to ensure a solid performance in the exam and, most importantly, for
achieving a thorough understanding of the subject. Over the fifteen (15) lectures for the semester, we shall
cover a great deal of material. However, students should make extensive use of the recommended
textbooks and read at least all the required further readings under each part of the course content. Make
note that class participation is of extreme importance. Class participation, in this case, is made up of
attendance, punctuality, and contribution in class during discussions.

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Prof. Ebo Turkson and Dr. Priscilla Twumasi Baffour EPMP664 Course Outline – 2023/2024
 The quality, more than the quantity of discussions, will be considered. Classroom experience is judged to
be important to the learning process. Students should come fully prepared for lectures. There will be two
assessments: one interim assessment and a final exam. The interim assessment will involve class
presentations and/or a written term paper. These evaluations are compulsory. The presentations will be a
15-minute presentation on the selected theme by a group of scholars for the week, followed by another 15-
minute discussion of that presentation by another group. The final exam will be comprehensive, but a bigger
weight will be given to new material. Presentation time and groups, as well as the deadline for the
submission of the papers, will be communicated in due course. The date, time and venue of the final
examination will be announced during the semester.

Course Content/Topics
1. Introduction to Economic Growth and Development
• Meaning of Development
• Theories of Economic Growth and Development
• Measurement Issues in Economic Growth and Development
2. Comparative Economic Development
• Basic Indicators of Development
• Characteristics of Developing World: diversity with Commonality
• How Low-Income Countries Differ from Developed Countries in their Earlier Stages
3. Theories of Economic Growth and Development
• Classical Growth Models
• Neoclassical Growth models
• Endogenous Growth models
4. Poverty, Inequality and Development
• Measuring Inequality and Poverty
• Poverty, Inequality and Social Welfare
• Absolute Poverty and Economic characteristics of High-Poverty Groups
• Policy Options on Income Inequality and Poverty
5. Population Growth and Economic Development
• The Basic Issue: Population Growth and the Quality of Life
• Population Growth: Past, Present and Future
• The Causes of High Fertility in Developing Countries
• The Consequences of High Fertility
6. Agricultural Transformation and Rural Development
• Imperative of Agricultural Progress and Rural Development
• Agricultural Growth: Past Progress and Rural Development
• Role of Women in Agricultural Production
• Microeconomics of Farmer Behavior and Agricultural Development
• Core Requirements of a Strategy of Agricultural and Rural Development

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Prof. Ebo Turkson and Dr. Priscilla Twumasi Baffour EPMP664 Course Outline – 2023/2024
 7. International Trade Theory and Development Strategy
• Economic Globalization and International Trade Issues
• Traditional Trade Strategies and Policy Mechanisms for Development
• Trade and Industrialization Strategies
8. Domestic Resource Mobilization and Economic Growth and D e v e l o p m e n t
• Specific focus on experiences of East Asian tigers
9. Debt, Foreign Finance and Aid, and Growth
• International flow of Financial Resources
• The Role and Growth of Remittances
• The Origins of the Balance of Payments and Debt Problem in The Developing World
• Management and Development Problems of Debt and tactics for Debt Relief
• Foreign Aid, Indebtedness and Economic Growth
10. Development Policymaking: The Roles of the Market and State
• The Washington Consensus and The Role of the State
• Towards a New Consensus
Required Text and Optional References
1. Todaro, M. P. and Smith, S. C (2015) Economic Development, 12h Edition. Pearson (or earlier
editions 9th, 10th and 11th Editions).
2. Pierre-Richard A. & Montiel J. P. (1999). Development Macroeconomics, 2nd edition, Princeton,
New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
3. Pierre-Richard, A. (2004). The Economics of Adjustment and Growth 2nd edition, Cambridge,
Massachusetts and London, England: Harvard University Press.
4. Weil, N. D. (2009). Economic Growth, 2nd edition, Boston: Pearson-Addison Wesley.
5. Ray, D. (1998). Development Economics, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
6. Meier, Gerald M. (2000). Leading Issues in Economic Development, 7TH Edition, Oxford
University Press, New York, and Oxford.
7. Sen, A. (1988) “The Concept of Development”, Handbook of Development Economics, Vol.1,
edited by H. Chenery and T.N. Srinivasan, (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1988).
8. Basu K (2001). ‘On the Goals of Development’, in G.Meier and J.Stiglitz (eds), Frontiers of
Development Economics: the future in perspective, World and Oxford University Press.Pp 61- 86
9. Sen A (2001), ‘What is Development About?’ in G. Meier and J. Stiglitz (eds), Frontiers of
Development: the future in perspective, World and Oxford University Press. Pp 506-513

Other optional but useful references are provided under each weekly theme. Students will find useful
materials in journals and periodicals like the Journal of Development Studies, World Development and
Journal of African Economies.

Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and shall be treated as a serious offence. Appropriate sanctions,
as stipulated in the Plagiarism Policy, will be applied when students are found to have violated the
Plagiarism policy. The policy is available at http://www.ug.edu.gh/aqau/policies-guidelines. ALL
students are expected to familiarize themselves with the contents of the Policy.
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Prof. Ebo Turkson and Dr. Priscilla Twumasi Baffour EPMP664 Course Outline – 2023/2024
 Assessment and Grading
Assessment for the course will involve a continuous assessment in the form of four (6) problem sets and
two examinations (a mid-term examination and end of semester examination). The total marks of 100%
available for grading and is made up of the following;
Class Presentations 15%
Term Paper 15%
Final Exam 70%

Grading Scale
Letter Grade Marks Grade Point Interpretation
A 80-100 4.0 Outstanding
B+ 70-79 3.5 Very Good
B 60-69 3.0 Good
C 50-59 2.0 Pass
D 30-49 1.5 Fail
F 0-29 1.0 Fail
I Incomplete with Justification
Y Continuing
X Incomplete without Justification

Schedule of Lectures
Week Date Topic Instructor
1 w/c 15/4/24 Introduction to the Course Prof. E. Turkson
2 w/c 22/4/24 Economic Growth and Development: Basic Concepts and Dr. P. Baffour
Issues
3 w/c 29/4/24 Comparative Economic Development Dr. P. Baffour
4 w/c 06/5/24 The Developing World: Diversity within Commonality Dr. P. Baffour
5 w/c 13/5/24 Theories of Economic Growth and Development I Dr. P. Baffour
6 w/c/ 20/5/24 Theories of Economic Growth and Development II Dr. P. Baffour
7 w/c 27/5/24 New Structuralist Models: Development States and Dr. P. Baffour
Strategies
8 w/c 03/6/24 Poverty and Inequality Dr. P. Baffour
9 w/c 10/6/24 Agricultural Transformation and Rural Development I Prof. E. Turkson
10 w/c 17/6/24 Agricultural Transformation and Rural Development II Prof. E. Turkson
11 w/c 24/6/24 Trade and Industrialization Strategies I Prof. E. Turkson
12 w/c 01/7/24 Trade and Industrialization Strategies II: Growth and Prof. E. Turkson
Development: The Case of East Asian Tigers
13 w/c 08/7/24 Debt, Foreign Finance, Aid and Growth I Prof. E. Turkson
14 w/c 15/7/24 Debt, Foreign Finance, Aid and Growth II Prof. E. Turkson
15 w/c 22/7/24 Development Policymaking: The Washington Consensus Prof. E. Turkson
and the New Consensus

Further Information
If you have any questions regarding this course, please feel free to contact the instructors via
email.

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Prof. Ebo Turkson and Dr. Priscilla Twumasi Baffour EPMP664 Course Outline – 2023/2024