MCs ED 2014-15 Course Handbook

MSC IN ECONOMICS FOR DEVELOPMENTCourse Handbook 2014-15

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The M.Sc. in Economics for Development ......................................................................................2

Web links and Mailing lists..............................................................................................................4

The Teaching Programme ................................................................................................................5

Milestones Targets and Deadlines....................................................................................................7

Course Outlines ................................................................................................................................9

Economic Theory ...........................................................................................................................10

I. Microeconomic Theory for Development...................................................................................10

II. Macroeconomic Theory for Development.................................................................................11

III. Trade Theory for Development ................................................................................................12

IV Quantitative Methods ................................................................................................................13

Development Economics................................................................................................................14

Module 1: and Structural Transformation and Growth ..................................................................15

Module 2: To be determined ..........................................................................................................16

Module 3: The Foundations of Development.................................................................................17

Module 4: Macroeconomic policy..................................................................................................18

Module 5: Institutions and Development .......................................................................................19

Module 6: Agriculture and Development.......................................................................................20

Module 7: Risk poverty and inclusive financial markets ...............................................................21

The Extended Essay .......................................................................................................................22

Supervision.....................................................................................................................................30

Suspension of status and reinstatement ..........................................................................................31

Seminars for Development Economists .........................................................................................32

Examination Procedures.................................................................................................................33

Next Steps.......................................................................................................................................36

Library and IT Provision ................................................................................................................38

The Social Science Library ............................................................................................................38

IT Provision and Databases ............................................................................................................39

Support, Feedback and the Future ..................................................................................................40

Overseas students: Tier 4 visa obligations .....................................................................................43

Information on Departmental Facilities..45

Departmental Information Security Policy .52

Statement of Policy and Procedure on Conflict of Interest....58

2M.SC. IN ECONOMICS FOR DEVELOPMENT

Welcome to Oxford and to the M.Sc. in Economics for Development!

This Handbook is designed to help you navigate your way through Oxford as a graduate studentin development economics. It accompanies the Notes and Guidance for Graduate Students inEconomics (known as the Pink Book). These documents, which you will receive in hard copy butcan also be found on University and Department of Economics websites, provide you with keyinformation concerning the M.Sc. course, its content, organization, and administration.

Course Aims and Objectives

Students pursue post-graduate study in development economics for a variety of reasons. For somethe M.Sc. is the first step towards doctoral research and for some it provides the knowledge andtraining required to pursue a career in development with government agencies, internationalorganizations, the private sector or the non-governmental sector. Others take the course out ofinterest in the subject before following careers not directly concerned with economicdevelopment.

To cater for this diversity, we have designed the course around two fundamental objectives. Thefirst is to provide an overview of the field of development economics, a branch of economics thathas in the last few decades moved from the margins to the centre of both academic enquiry andpolicy debates, not least because governments around the world are increasingly demandingevidence-based policy making. Our second objective is to provide an environment in whichstudents can acquire the key analytical skills needed for careers as professional economists. Ourapproach to teaching and learning thus embraces two elements: teaching students about howeconomists approach questions of economic development, and providing the opportunity toanswer some of these questions using the tools and techniques learned on the course, especially inapplied empirical research. In other words: understanding what economists do, and doing whateconomists do!

Structure

The structure of the programme is described in detail later in this handbook, but it is useful at thispoint to stress three important features of the M.Sc. and indeed of the Oxford approach in general.

The first is that the components of the course vary considerably in style: some are more discursivethan others, some are more difficult, and some require mastery of new mathematical andstatistical techniques. Getting the most from the M.Sc. will require you to cover all areas andmaster the techniques of analysis used in each. The course is densely structured, but there is alsosome scope to pursue your own interests, according to your strengths and inclinations. We attachparticular importance to the system of personal supervision and to the role of the Extended Essay(a short dissertation on a topic of your choice), allowing you to develop a course of study tailoredas much as possible to your interests.

The second general point concerns assessment. Formally, your overall performance will beassessed on the basis of end-of-year examinations in June, universally referred to as Finals.These examinations are not intended just to get you to repeat what you have been told in lecturecourses, classes and seminars. Rather, they are intended to assess your mastery of the subject ingeneral, and your ability to marshal evidence, analyse problems, and draw sensible conclusions.In this respect the correspondence between lectures and examinations is looser than at many otheruniversities, especially non-UK universities.

3Two important implications follow from this structure. One is that teaching and learning iscumulative rather than modular, stressing the overlaps and synergies across course components.The other is that we expect you to engage in study in order to learn and understand and not just topass exams. By gaining admission to the course you have already demonstrated your ability toperform well under exam conditions, and we confidently expect you all to pass the M.Sc. exams.Our ambition is greater: we seek to provide an environment in which you can explore widelyaround the subject area, hone your skills in economic analysis and lay the foundations for careersas top-flight professional economists.

Finally, many students find the M.Sc. much more demanding than they expected, especially in thefirst term. The course proceeds more rapidly and often at a more technical level than anticipated.In all institutions the switch from undergraduate to graduate-level economics is marked, if not incontent then certainly in approach, and Oxford is no exception. New material and analyticaltechniques are introduced at a rapid rate and the pressure to produce written work, completeexercises, and make presentations is high and can feel relentless. In Oxford this problem iscompounded by the short teaching terms (8 weeks rather than the 10-12 weeks elsewhere) and bythe fact that, unlike some M.Sc. programmes, you are required to submit your Extended Essaybefore Finals at the end of June. As a consequence, you should expect to put in almost as muchwork during the six-week vacations between Michaelmas and Hilary terms and Hilary and Trinityterms as you do in term!

These features of the programme will place heavy demands on your time-management skills. Thetrick is to strike a balance between work and leisure, so that you get the most from the course butalso take full advantage of the wider intellectual and social life Oxford has to offer. Later in thishandbook there is some information on support and guidance.

The Environment

Oxford University is a complex and decentralized institution whose intricacies and peculiaritiescan appear daunting. But it is not an unfriendly environment! As this handbook will explain, thereare many people to whom you can turn for advice and support if necessary. Some of them are inyour college, although you should bear in mind that for graduate students the relationship betweencolleges and the University is different than for undergraduates. You will have a college advisorwith whom you can discuss your academic progress, but the academic side of graduate educationis the primary responsibility of the University and your department(s), with colleges in asecondary role. Enjoy all that your college has to offer, but remember that we are your academicanchor.

Oxford University is a dynamic community, a great resource, and for many students an importantmilestone in their lives. On the M.Sc. you will meet and work with a world-class faculty and willfind yourself immersed in a group of talented fellow students from around the world, each ofwhom brings different interests, experiences and perspectives to the course. I hope you will findthe experience rewarding and I wish you an enjoyable and productive year.

September 2014Douglas GollinProfessor of Development EconomicsCourse Director, M.Sc. Economics for Development

4WEB LINKS AND MAILING LISTS

1. Weblinks

The information in the Handbook is reproduced on WebLearn, the Universitys web-basedVirtual Learning Environment (VLE). WebLearn is accessed using your Oxford single sign-on, at:

https://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/portal/hierarchy/socsci/qeh/mscde

Most course materials relating to the M.Sc. Economics for Development will be hosted here,along with a variety of other useful information and announcements.

You should also put the University and departmental websites on your browser. These are:

University of Oxford: http://www.ox.ac.uk

Department of International Development: http://www.qeh.ox.ac.uk/

Department of Economics: http://www.economics.ox.ac.uk

Notes:

These web pages are updated regularly and contain other useful information notavailable at the time this Handbook goes to press. You should visit the web pagesregularly to keep abreast of news and announcements, changes to the lectureprogramme and course outlines, job openings etc. Lecture notes, hand-outs, problemsets and other course materials are also available on WebLearn.

Access to the Intranet is domain-controlled. You will only be able to accessmaterials using your Oxford email and, if you are logging in remotely, using theOxford VPN client (see http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/network/vpn/)

2. Mailing Lists

Your Oxford email address will be included in the class mailing list (which has the [email protected]). This list will be used by the course director, teachingfaculty and administrators to inform you of day-to-day developments and course news.

All our email communication with you will be through your Oxford email address. We donot add non-Oxford University email addresses to this mailing list. If you use another emailaddress, please make sure your Oxford email is forwarded to your mailer.

It is your responsibility to read your Oxford email. Anything that is emailed to you at yourOxford address will be deemed to have been read by you. Failure on your part to do so willnot be accepted as an excuse for any resulting problems.

5THE TEACHING PROGRAMME

A General Overview

The M.Sc. course is organized around the following components:-

Weekly lectures and classes in Economic Theory, divided between microeconomic theory,macroeconomic theory and trade theory, in Michaelmas Term;

Weekly lectures and classes in Quantitative Methods (i.e. Econometrics) spread over theMichaelmas and Hilary Terms;

Seven four-week modules in Development Economics during Hilary Term. Modules includelectures (given by faculty) and classes (run by faculty but often including studentpresentations). Students typically follow four or five of the eight modules.

Tutorials with your course supervisor, module convenor, and extended essay supervisorduring all three terms.

Your overall performance is assessed by means of three Final Exam papers (taken around the endof Trinity Term) in Economic Theory, Quantitative Methods and Development Economics, andan Extended Essay of up to 10,000 words submitted prior to the Final Exams.

This constitutes the formal programme for the M.Sc. A variety of other lectures and seminarscomplement the core programme. These are discussed later in the handbook.

The Programme of Work

You are expected to attend all the Economic Theory lectures and classes and to complete twoproblem sets in microeconomics, two in macroeconomics and one in international economics. Inaddition, you should expect to write four to five theory essays for your supervisor duringMichaelmas Term and one during the Vacation, selecting topics in consultation with yoursupervisor. You are expected to read more on your chosen topics than on topics on which you arenot going to be writing essays.

You are expected to attend all the Quantitative Methods lectures and classes in Michaelmas Termand Hilary term, and to complete two problem sets per term. This component of the course isaccompanied by computer exercises (two to three per term). The teaching assistants operate anoffice hours system (of which the details will be explained at one of the first QM lectures).

You should choose, again in consultation with your supervisor, four or five Development Modulesto attend during Hilary Term. You should expect to participate actively in, and do written workfor, at least three modules and should make at least one class presentation in DevelopmentEconomics during the term. Written work for the development modules will be discussed withmodule convenors, although you may also discuss this work with your course supervisor. TheCourse coordinator, Nora Novak ([email protected]), keeps lists of module presentationslots and you should sign up for your presentation early (see the course outlines for details).Obviously, the earlier you sign up the wider the choice of presentation topics you will have.

6Students develop topics for their Extended Essays in consultation with their supervisors. It is amatter for each student and his or her supervisor to determine a suitable timetable for theExtended Essay. (Some supervisors prefer students to start work early; others prefer them to takelonger to develop a research topic). However, you must submit to the Course Director a briefoutline of their research topic and proposed approach by the beginning of Week 7 of Hilary Term,and you should aim to have completed a first draft by the end of the Easter Vacation. ExtendedEssays must be submitted to the Examination Schools by the end of 6th Week of TrinityTerm.

Ongoing Performance Assessment

As noted, the formal, summative assessment of your performance is determined in Finals.However, you will also receive feedback on your performance throughout the course. Thecentrepiece of this will be interaction with your supervisor and TAs who will provide feedback onproblem sets and tutorial essays. In addition, there will be four informal exams (referred to asCollections) during the year. Quantitative Methods and Economic Theory Collections are heldon Thursday and Friday of 0th Week of Hilary Term, the second Quantitative MethodsCollection on Friday of 0th week of Trinity Term and the Development Economics Collectionon Thursday of 0th Week of Trinity Term. The results of the Collections do not affect your finaldegree marks, but are very valuable ways for you and your supervisor to assess your progress, togive you practice in writing Oxford-style examinations, and, if necessary, to triggersupplementary supervision support.

Please make a note of these dates: you will put yourself at a significant disadvantage by missingthe Collections.

At the end of each term, your supervisor is required to write a report on your progress, which isavailable to you, and to the Course Director and your College, through the Graduate SupervisionSystem (GSS) on the University intranet. Before your supervisor writes their report, the GSS willprompt you to write your own brief self-assessment. You are strongly encouraged to respond tothe GSS prompts: these self-assessments will often be useful to you, by getting you to take stockof what you have learned (and still need to learn), as well as to your supervisor.

Students and paid employment

The QEH Graduate Studies Committee requires students who wish to take up paid employment toseek advice from their supervisors (course supervisors for Masters' students and thesis supervisorsfor doctoral students) before taking up any such employment. Students must ensure that paidemployment does not impair their studies. Supervisors must be consulted on a termly basis toenable them to monitor that a proper balance is maintained between paid employment andacademic course work. Please note that University guidelines allow doctoral research students toteach or undertake research assistance for a maximum of six hours each week, but Masterscourses are expected to entail full-time commitment and thus do not allow time for paid work.

Residence Requirement

MSc students are required to keep statutory residence in Oxford.

Anyone leaving Oxford for an extended period of time during term must seek permission from theProctors who may authorize it in special circumstances.

MILESTONES TARGETS AND DEADLINESTerm Lectures / Classes Written work and

PresentationsSeminars Extended

EssayExaminations and

DeadlinesMichaelmas Microeconomic Theory

14 x 1.5 hour lectures plus 7x 2 hour classes

Macroeconomic Theory14 x 1.5 hour lectures plus 7x 2 hour classes

Trade Theory4 x 1.5 hour lectures plus 2 x2 hour classes

Quantitative Methods16 x 1.5 hour lectures plus 8x 2 hour classes

Problem sets and computerexercises

2 micro

2 macro

1 trade

2 QM

2 QM computer exercises(groups)

Macro group exercise [Wk 8]

Supervision Essays (5)

2 micro theory essays

2 macro theory essays

1 trade theory essay

You should expect tocomplete 4 essays during theterm and one during theVacation.

CSAE LunchtimeSeminars[Tuesday and Wednesday1pm]

And many, many others(see p 33)! General reading

and initialdiscussions withsupervisor

ChristmasVacation Reading and

refining researchtopic, exploringdata availability

Economic TheoryCollection[3 hour written paper,Thursday Week 0 HilaryTerm]

QM Collection[3 hour written paper,Friday Week 0 HilaryTerm]

8Hilary Quantitative Methods16 x 1.5 hour lectures plus 8x 2 hour classes

Development Economics4 concurrent modules inweeks 1-4

3 concurrent modules inweeks 5-8

[A module is 4 x 1 hourlectures plus 4 x 2 hourseminar/classes]

2 QM problem sets plus 2computer exercises (groups)

At least 1 seminarpresentation

Up to 4 developmenteconomics supervisionessays

CSAE LunchtimeSeminars[Tuesday and Wednesday1pm]

And many, many others(see p 33)!

Confirm Essaysupervisor if notalready settled.Work withsupervisor todevelop a fullessay plan andprogramme ofwork by the endof term.

Submission of ExtendedEssay outline[Monday Week 7]

EasterVacation

CSAE Spring Conference[Week 10]

Finish researchand write firstdraft of Essay

Quantitative MethodsCollection[3 hour written paperFriday Week 0 TrinityTermDevelopment EconomicsCollection[3 hour written paper,Thursday Week 0 TrinityTerm]

Trinity Review Sessions

Economic Theory

Quantitative Methods

Some modules

Up to 4 supervisions onessays based on past exampapers and written underexam conditions

Revise andfinalise Essay

Submission of revisedExtended Essay AbstractFriday Week 1

Submission of ExtendedEssay Week 6

Finals commencein Week 8 or 9

COURSE OUTLINES

ECONOMIC THEORY

I. MICROECONOMIC THEORY FOR DEVELOPMENT

Michaelmas Term Weeks 1 8

No Tuesday lecture in weeks 4 and 5, no class in week 6

Dr Simon Quinn and Dr Climent Quintana-Domeque

TA: Manuel Fernandez Sierra

Lectures: Department of International Development Mon. 16.00 17.30Tues. 11.30 13.00

Classes: Department of International Development Wed. 9.00 11.00

Requirements: This course covers material examined in the Economic Theory paper in Finalsand the Economic Theory Collection (Week 0, Hilary Term). Students are required to completetwo problem sets during the course.

Objective: The objective of this course is to provide a graduate-level introduction to themicroeconomics of development and a basis for the relevant Development Economics modules.

Structure: The course is based on an eight-week lecture series, supported by classes. Coverage istheoretical with applications to development. Topics covered in the lecture course are:

Producer and consumer theory General equilibrium and welfare theorems Welfare, poverty and inequality Welfare analysis, consumer surplus, and policy evaluation Household models Uncertainty and inter-temporal decision making Imperfect competition and game theory Asymmetric information and contract theory

Note: A complete course outline and reading list will be distributed at the first lecture of thecourse and can be found on WebLearn at:


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II. MACROECONOMIC THEORY FOR DEVELOPMENT

Michaelmas Term Weeks 1 8

No Monday lecture in Week 3, no Tuesday lecture in weeks 6, and no class in week 4

Professor Christopher Adam

TA: Thomas McGregor

Lectures: Department of International Development Mon. 9.30-11.00Tues. 9.30-11.00

Classes: Department of International Development Tues. 15.00-17.00

Data exercise: Department of International Development [Week 8] Thurs 12.00-16.00

Requirements: This course covers material examined in Economic Theory paper in Finals andin the Economic Theory Collection (Week 0, Hilary Term). Students are required to completetwo problem sets during the course, working together in small groups.

Objective: The objective of this course is to provide an overview of modern open-economymacroeconomics at the graduate level, to show how this body of theory can be adapted to thecharacteristics of open developing economies, and to provide a basis for the relevantDevelopment Economics modules.

Structure: The course is based on an eight-week lecture series, supported by classes to explore indepth some of the models presented in the lectures, and to work through the two problem sets.

The 8th week class is devoted to group presentations of empirical material on the macroeconomicanalysis of a specific country.

The principal lecture topics are:

Long-run growth and short run shocks: an introduction to developmentmacroeconomics

The small open economy: dynamic models of the current account The small open economy: inter-sectoral allocation and real exchange rates Fiscal policy, debt and overlapping generations models Asset markets and money in the open economy

In each case, an account of recent approaches to the analytical and empirical issues will be given,paying particular attention to the institutional characteristics of different types of developingeconomies that underpin macroeconomic behaviour.

Note: A complete course outline and reading list will be distributed at the first lecture of thecourse and can also be found on WebLearn at:


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III. TRADE THEORY FOR DEVELOPMENT

Michaelmas Term Weeks 3-6

Professor Beata Javorcik

TA: Thomas MacGregor

Lectures: Dept. of International Development Week 3 Mon. 9.30 - 11.00Week 4 Tues. 11.30 - 13.00Week 5 Tues. 11.30 - 13.00Week 6 Tues. 9.30 11.00

Classes: Dept. of International Development Week 4 Tues. 15.00 17.00Week 6 Wed. 9.00 11.00

Requirements. This module covers material examined in the Economic Theory paper in Finalsand the Economic Theory Collection (Week 0, Hilary Term). Students are required to completeone problem set during the course.

Objective. The objective of this module is to provide a graduate-level introduction to internationaltrade theory, focusing on the aspects that are most relevant for developing economies.

Structure. The module has four lectures and two accompanying classes. Topics covered are:

Models with constant returns to scale: Ricardo, specific factors, Heckscher-Ohlin Models with increasing returns to scale: monopolistic competition, external economies Dynamic models of trade and growth: Sachs-Lucas, List-Redding, Grossman-Helpman Economic geography: gravity models, income effects, location of production Trade and development policy

Note: A fuller outline of the module, reading list and other materials will be made available onWebLearn as soon as possible.

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IV QUANTITATIVE METHODS

Dr Stefano Caria, with Dr Sam Asher

TA: Christopher Roth

Michaelmas Term

Lectures: Department of International Development Wed. 14:15-16:00Thu. 10:00-11:30

Classes: Department of Economics IT Room Week 3 Mon. 13.30-15.30Week 6 Fri 09.00-11.00

All other weeks Fri. 10:00-12:00

Hilary Term (provisional)

Lectures: Department of International Development Wed. 16:00-17:30Thu. 14:00-15:30

Classes: Department of Economics IT Room Week 2-8 Fri. 09.00-11.00

Requirements: This course covers material examined in the Quantitative Methods paper inFinals. Students are also required to sit the Quantitative Methods Collections which consists ofa three-hour written paper taken on the Friday of Week 0 of Hilary Term and a two-hour writtenpaper at the start of Trinity Term. There will be compulsory weekly computer-based exercises.

Objectives: The objective of this course is to provide an introduction to the use of econometricmethods in the study of development economics. Students will be encouraged to apply techniquescovered in this course in other components of the M.Sc., including their Extended Essay.

Structure: The course is based around a formal lecture series, but emphasis will be placed onpractical application through problem sets and computer exercises. Instruction in the use of Statawill be provided, although students may wish to use other statistical software packages. Thecourse covers the first two terms.

Topics covered (a detailed schedule will be distributed in first lecture): cross-sectional regression;Maximum Likelihood; the linear probability model and probit and logit models; time series; tobit;sample selection; (dynamic) panel data estimators; instrumental variable estimation; treatmenteffects; structural modelling.

Note. Course outlines and other relevant material will be posted when available on WebLearn at


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DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS

The Development Economics component of the course, which runs through Hilary Term, consistsof modules covering specific themes in development economics. Seven four-week modules areoffered. Each module consists of 12 hours of lectures and classes.

The exact timetable for the modules is finalized in the course of Michaelmas Term. Modules 1 to4 will be taught in Weeks 1-4 and Modules 5-7 in Weeks 5-8 of Hilary Term.

Requirements: The modules cover material relevant to the Development Economics paper inFinals. Students will be required to answer questions on material from three separate modules.Most students follow four or five modules during the year. There is a Collection in DevelopmentEconomics at the beginning of Trinity Term.

Students are expected to make at least one class presentation during the year.Presentation topics will be posted on WebLearn (Resources/Development Modules/ StudentPresentations).Students interested in making a presentation should contact the convener of the Module in whichthey are interested before the start of the module and should copy the email to Nora Novak([email protected]).

Complete course outlines and reading list for each module will be distributed at the first lecture ofeach module.

Presentation topics and the sign up list will be posted before the start of Hilary Term 2015.

Course details can be found on WebLearn at:


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MODULE 1: AND STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION AND GROWTH

Hilary Term Weeks 1 4

Professor Douglas Gollin

Objective: This module will focus on the structural changes that accompany economic growthand will review recent literature that attempts to analyse the growth process at the level of sectorsand firms.

Content: Topics will include the measurement of sectoral productivity differences; theories oflong-run growth and structural transformation in a historical perspective; the food problem andthe role of agriculture in economic growth; and open economy models of transformation. We willexplore how this literature fits into modern thinking about economic growth in both rich and poorcountries. Readings will be drawn from recent papers as well as classic views of the structuraltransformation.

Student presentations:

Topics for presentations will be posted on WebLearn by Week 0 in Hilary Termhttps://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/portal/hierarchy/socsci/qeh/mscde/page/resources(Resources/Development Modules/Student Presentations)

Students interested in making a presentation should contact Professor Gollin([email protected]) before the module begins and copy the email to Nora Novak([email protected]).

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MODULE 2: TO BE DETERMINED

Hilary Term Weeks 1 - 4

Student presentations:


Students who would like to make a presentation should contact the course convener before themodule begins and copy the email to Nora Novak ([email protected]).

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MODULE 3: THE FOUNDATIONS OF DEVELOPMENT


Dr James Fenske

Objectives: The last two decades have seen a revival of interest in the deep roots of economicdevelopments. This course will provide a review of theory and evidence on how such roots shapelong-run patterns of development and contribute to our understanding of the divergent trajectoriesof societies over the past two centuries.

Content: The course will review the theory and contemporary empirical evidence on what areheld to be key drivers of economic development including: geography, natural resourceabundance and scarcity and the disease environment; institutional evolution and the role ofcolonial legacy; ethnic cleavages and conflict; and culture.

Student Presentations:


Students interested in making a presentation should contact Dr Fenske([email protected]) before the module begins and copy the email to Nora Novak([email protected]).

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MODULE 4:

MACROECONOMIC POLICY AND STABILIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Hilary Term Weeks 1 - 4

Professor Christopher Adam

Objectives: This module is concerned with short-run macroeconomic stabilization in developingcountries. The central theme of this module is how aspects of economic structure (low incomes,thin and relatively under-developed domestic asset markets and de facto open capital accounts)interact with external volatility (arising from volatility in commodity prices, world interest rates,aid flows, climatic and political factors) to shape macroeconomic policy options in such countries.

Structure and Content: The module comprises four blocks, each consisting of a one-hour lectureand a two-hour class. The principal topics covered are:

Exchange rate regimes and monetary frameworks Monetary policy in the small open economy Private capital flows Macroeconomic models for policy formulation

The lectures will draw on aspects of the macroeconomic theory course.

Student Presentations: Specific topics for student presentations will be advised by the end ofMichaelmas Term. Presentations will case studies, empirical analysis and some simple model-based simulation analysis. Students interested in making a presentation should contact ProfessorAdam ([email protected]) before the module begins and copy the email toNora Novak ([email protected]).

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MODULE 5: INSTITUTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT


Professor Jean Philippe Platteau and Dr Imane Chaara

Objectives: The course reviews and critically discusses four main economic approaches toinstitutions: the transaction-cost approach, the principal-agent approach, the equilibrium-of-the-game approach, and the evolutionary approach. The central question that drives the presentationis: to which extent a particular approach, based on specific concepts of institution and efficiency,enables us to understand the institutional inefficiencies most currently observed in the developingworld? It is argued that each approach has its own merits and, therefore, an eclectic approach toinstitutions is necessary.

Topics

Transformation of farm-cum-family structures; Property rights Harmful social norms and practices and the role of the modern law Institutional perspectives on aid effectiveness.



Students interested in making a presentation should contact Professor Platteau ([email protected]) before the module begins and copy the email to Nora Novak([email protected]).

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MODULE 6: AGRICULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT


Professor Douglas Gollin

Objective: In this module, we will review some of the classic literature on agriculturalhouseholds and will also read recent frontier research that deals with topics in themicroeconomics of agriculture in developing countries.

Content: Topics covered will include technology adoption by smallholder farmers, scaleeconomies in developing country agriculture, the impact of remoteness on farm choices, andfarmer responses to policies that reduce risk and capital constraints. We will ask how economistsviews of farmers in developing countries have evolved over time and how changingmethodologies have altered our understanding of farm households.

Student presentations


Students interested in making a presentation should contact Professor Gollin([email protected]) before the module begins and copy the email to Nora Novak([email protected]).

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MODULE 7: RISK POVERTY AND INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL MARKETS


Dr Karlijn Morsink and Dr Ingo Outes-Leon

Objective: This module will help you understand formal and informal ways in which the poormanage their finances and assess the implications of market failures in terms of credit, insuranceand savings markets for the poor. Specific focus will go to the consequences of risk to the poorsfinancial lives. After this module you should be able to analyse why some financial products forthe poor succeed while others dont and understand how we can make financial markets moreinclusive.

Content: The first part of the lectures will focus on understanding informal ways in which thepoor manage finances. We will separately discuss informal ways in which the poor get access tocredit, manage to save and smooth income and consumption in a context of risk. In the secondpart principles from financial economics will be introduced and theoretical consequences of failedor missing markets will be analysed and applied to common informal and formal financialarrangements currently present in developing countries. In the third part, extant empiricalevidence will be discussed, with a specific focus on empirical approaches for assessing the impactof innovative formal financial mechanisms targeted at the poor in developing countries. The finalpart of the lecture series explores how market failures generate poverty traps, and the role thatsocial protection programmes can play in making growth inclusive of the poor.



Students who would like to make a presentation should contact Dr Morsink([email protected]) before the module begins and copy the email to NoraNovak ([email protected]).

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THE EXTENDED ESSAY

Background, Choice of Topic, and Process

The Extended Essay is a core component of the M.Sc. and is the principal opportunity for you toexplore in some depth issues of interest to you, and to develop and display your capacity toundertake economic research and scholarly analysis. Do not think of the Essay as a thesis, butrather as a potential journal article. The word limit is 10,000 words, but this is a maximum, not atarget shorter essays are welcome (the average length of a journal article in economics is around8,000 words).

There is a wide range of possibilities in terms of topics and approaches, but the essay must be on atopic in the field of development economics. Your supervisor will advise on the suitability of yourchosen topic, after consultation with the Course Director, if necessary. Most essays in recent yearshave made use of statistical data, applying econometric techniques, but this is by no meansobligatory. An essay may also be a critical literature review or a synthesis of, or an addition to, afield of theory. Essays of all these sorts have been awarded high marks by the examiners. Goodpast essays are available in the Social Science Library and you can also find lists of the topics ofrecent essays in the appendices of the examiners reports on the course web page.

It is a requirement that the Extended Essay be submitted prior to taking your Final Examinations.Work on the Essay must therefore be carefully planned and integrated into your overall workprogramme during the year. Start discussing ideas with your supervisor, other faculty, or fellowstudents in the first term (and seek feedback from them at all stages). Most of the work is usuallydone in Hilary Term and the following vacation, with a complete first draft being ready at the startof Trinity Term. Big improvements in quality are generally made between the first draft and thefinal version, so do not leave the first draft until too late.

If you plan to do statistical work, it is essential to establish early that the data you require existand are accessible by you. In the past, many excellent Extended Essay ideas have been thwartedby infeasible or over-ambitious data-collection plans. Also, you should take full advantage of theopportunities you will be offered for technical feedback from the teaching assistants and othersinvolved in teaching the Quantitative Methods course, who may well be more familiar than yoursupervisor with recent developments in econometric methodology.

Research in the social sciences is governed by the Universitys ethical code of practice. This canbe found here: http://www.socsci.ox.ac.uk/Research/Research_Ethics. You must consult andfollow the procedures laid out in the Code if your research directly involves human participants.

Extended Essays are marked on the quality of their scientific method, not on whether or not theirresults support the hypothesis being tested: many attempts to test hypotheses are inconclusive orfailures because of limitations of the available data. Marks are thus not deducted for insignificantresults, unless these are due to bad research design or implementation, but marks are deducted forfailing to recognise the limitations of the data used. Torturing the data until they confess, orbeing unwilling to admit that a hypothesis is probably false, are not good scholarship.

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Extended Essay: Key Dates and Deadlines

Friday Week 1 Michaelmas Term Submission of Turnitin form to Course Coordinator

Friday Week 8 Michaelmas Term Online anti-plagiarism course

You will need to take the post test of the online course Avoiding Plagiarism 1 (see below)and submit the confirmation of your result to the Course Coordinator.

Monday Week 7 Hilary Term Submission of Research Outline

The outline, of 1-2 pages, should contain: (i) the draft title of the Essay; (ii) a statement of itsresearch question or main argument; and (iii) a description of the method to be applied. If theEssay is to be quantitative, the outline must discuss the data to be used (and their availability).Extended Essay forms will be circulated but can also be downloaded from WebLearn andneed to be returned to Nora Novak. Outlines will be reviewed by the Course Director andother faculty as required. The Director may discuss your proposal with you. Approval forExtended Essays will be given early in Week 8 of Hilary Term. Your research outline must besigned by your course supervisor and extended essay supervisor (if he or she is different).

Friday Week 1 Trinity Term Submission of Updated Title and Abstract

The current title of the Essay, with an abstract of 100-300 words, must be submitted to NoraNovak, for use by the Examiners in assigning Assessors. A form will be circulated but canalso be downloaded from WebLearn. The title and abstract can be modified for the finalEssay, provided that there is no substantial change in its topic or method (for whichpermission would be needed from the Course Director).

Friday Week 6 Trinity Term Submission of Extended Essay

Two copies of the Extended Essay must be submitted to the Examination Schools at a date tobe announced, most likely by noon on Friday of 6th Week of Trinity Term.An identical electronic copy of your Extended Essay must be submitted by the same deadlineto WebLearn.

Essay Presentation

The Essay should be presented in a scholarly fashion, and printed on A4 paper with 1.5 linespacing and a 3cm margin on the left-hand side. The thesis must be securely bound in eitherhard or soft covers. Examiners naturally feel more positive about a well laid out and easy-to-read essay. So use a reasonably large font (e.g. 12 point), clearly label and explain tables andgraphs, and dont overload tables and graphs with unnecessary detail. Examiners also find iteasier to read essays that are printed on only one side of the paper.

Length [Pay special attention to this paragraph: failure to understand or remember itscontents has been a frequent source of problems with almost-completed essays in the past]The essay must not exceed 10,000 words in length. This limit includes tables and figures(which count for the number of words that would have been in the space that they occupy) aswell as footnotes and appendices, but it excludes the list of references, a one-page table of

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contents and an abstract of up to 300 words. To obtain a word count, the number of words ona typical page without tables or figures should be calculated and multiplied by the number ofpages (excluding blank pages or part-pages, the table of contents, abstract and references).Examiners are not obliged to read beyond the length limit and will deduct marks from essayswhich exceed the word limit. They can deduct marks also if essays are submitted late.

Title PageThe two copies of the Extended Essay submitted to the Examiners must be anonymous,identified only by your candidate number. Do not include acknowledgements for help given.For any personal copies that you wish to make (or for copies to be placed in the library), yourcandidate number should be replaced by your name and College, and acknowledgements canbe included. Template front cover layouts are shown on the following pages.

DeliveryTwo copies of your Essay must be delivered in an envelope marked Extended Essay, M.Sc.Economics for Development and your Candidate number to the Examination Schools,Oxford. You must also include a completed and signed copy of the Declaration of Authorship(see p. 28) electronic copies of this form can be found on WebLearn.An identical, electronic copy of your Extended Essay must be submitted by the same deadlineto WebLearn, for checking with Turnitin, an online plagiarism checker. You will get detailedinstruction about this from the Course coordinator in early Trinity term.

Avoiding Plagiarism

In recent years a few cases of plagiarism have come to light, with disastrous implications for thestudents involved. It is important to read carefully the notes on plagiarism in the Notes andGuidance for Graduate Students in Economics (known as the Pink Book), and EPSC note onplagiarism reproduced the next page.

An electronic copy of your Extended Essay will be screened using the online plagiarism checker,Turnitin. You will be asked to read, sign and return the Turnitin declaration sheet (found in yourinduction pack also available on WebLearn) to your Course coordinator by the end of Week 1,MT.

On starting the MSc course, you will be required to take the online course AvoidingPlagiarism 1 found: https://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/portal/hierarchy/skills/plag . You'll needyour single sign-on details to get into that part of WebLearn.There is a pre-test, the course itself and then a post-test. Once you have completed the post-testsuccessfully, the system will automatically send an e-mail, confirming your results to yourUniversity e-mail address.Please forward this certificate to your Course coordinator by Friday Week 8 MT.

If you are in doubt, your supervisor will be able to give you further guidance. It is likely thatduring the year further procedures for detecting plagiarism will be announced.

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EPSC NOTES OF GUIDANCE ON EXAMINATIONS & ASSESSMENT:PLAGIARISM

In their Essential Information for Students, the Universitys Proctors and Assessor drawattention to two extremely important disciplinary regulations for all students.

4 No candidate shall present for an examination as his or her own work any part or thesubstance of any part of another persons work.

5 In any written work (whether thesis, dissertation, essay, coursework, or writtenexaminations) passages quoted or closely paraphrased from another persons work mustbe identified as quotations or paraphrases, and the source of the quoted or paraphrasedmaterial must be clearly acknowledged...The University employs a series of sophisticated software applications to detectplagiarism in submitted examination work, both in terms of copying and collusion. Itregularly monitors on-line essay banks, essay-writing services, and other potential sourcesof material. It reserves the right to check samples of submitted essays for plagiarism.Although the University strongly encourages the use of electronic resources by studentsin their academic work, any attempt to draw on third-party material without properattribution may well attract severe disciplinary sanctions. (The Proctors and Assessors Memorandum, Section 9.5http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/pam/index.shtml)

Guidance from the English Faculty provides a useful definition of plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the use of material appropriated from another source or from other sourceswith the intention of passing it off as ones own work. Plagiarism may take the form ofunacknowledged quotation or substantial paraphrase. Sources of material include allprinted and electronically available publications in English or other languages, orunpublished materials, including theses, written by others.

To avoid plagiarism, it is important for all students within individual subject areas to be aware of,and to follow, good practice in the use of sources and making appropriate reference. You willneed to exercise judgement in determining when reference is required, and when material may betaken to be so much a part of the general knowledge of your particular subject that formalcitation would not be expected. The basis on which such judgements are made is likely to varyslightly between subject areas, as may also the style and format of making references, and yourtutor or course organiser, where appropriate, will be in the best position to advise you on suchmatters; in addition, these may be covered, along with other aspects of academic writing, in yourinduction.

By following good practice in your subject area you should develop a rigorous approach toacademic referencing, and avoid inadvertent plagiarism. Cases of apparently deliberateplagiarism, while happily infrequent in the University, are taken extremely seriously, and whereexaminers suspect that this has occurred, they bring the matter to the attention of the Proctors.

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[Specimen of title page Examiners copy (2 copies required)]

Title of Extended Essay

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for theDegree of Master of Science in Economics for Development

at the University of OxfordDate

By

Examination Number

Word count: _______

[NB: You must not include your name or college or any acknowledgements for help given in theExaminers copies]

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[Specimen of title page Personal or Library Copy]

Title of Extended Essay

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for theDegree of Master of Science in Economics for Development

By

Candidate NameCollege, Oxford

Date

[NB: You may include acknowledgements for help given in this copy]

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M.Sc. in Economics for Development

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP

Name (in capitals): Candidate number:

College (in capitals): Supervisor(s) of essay:

Title of Extended Essay (in capitals):

There is extensive information and guidance on academic good practice and plagiarism on theUniversity website: http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/goodpractice/ . You are advised toread it, and to complete one of the on-line plagiarism courses to which it provides links.

Please tick to confirm the following:

I am aware of the Universitys disciplinary regulations concerning conduct in examinations and,in particular, of the regulations on plagiarism (c.f. The Proctors and Assessors Memorandum,Section 9.5 at www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/info/pam/section9.shtml).

The Extended Essay I am submitting is entirely my own work except where otherwise indicated.

It has not been submitted, either wholly or substantially, for another degree of this University, orfor a degree at any other institution.

I have clearly signalled the presence of quoted or paraphrased material and referenced allsources.

I have acknowledged appropriately any assistance I have received in addition to that provided bymy supervisor(s) and for ordinary proof-reading.

I have not sought assistance from any professional agency (other than for ordinary proof-reading).

I confirm that the content of the hard copies I am submitting is the same as the content of theelectronic copy submitted to Turnitin for screening.

I agree to retain an electronic copy of the essay until the publication of my final examinationresult and to make the electronic copy available to the examiners should it be necessary toconfirm my word count or to check for plagiarism.

Candidates signature:..

Date: ..

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ETHICAL REVIEW PROCEDURES FOR RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

ALL University of Oxford research projects involving human participants or personal data,conducted by Oxford students or staff (including academic and research staff) require researchethics scrutiny and approval before the research starts.

Why is ethics scrutiny and approval important?

It is part of the responsible conduct of research. It demonstrates that your research has been conducted according to the highest ethical

standards. It is important to protect the dignity, rights and welfare of all those involved inthe research (whether they are participants, researchers or third parties)

It is a University requirement. It is now the expectation - and in some cases formal requirement - of funding bodies. If you are a DPhil student, you will have to answer a series of questions regarding ethical

scrutiny of your research in your Transfer and Confirmation of Status application forms.

You need ethics approval if...

Your research requires human subjects to participate directly by, for example, Answering questions about themselves or their opinions - whether as members of

the public or in elite interviews. Performing tasks, or being observed - such as completing an online survey,

participating in an experiment in a computer lab, reading words aloud forlinguistic analysis.

OR your research involves data (collected by you or others) about identified oridentifiable people.

What you need to do:

Under the University's policy, ethical approval must be obtained before a research project begins.

1. Discuss your research plans with your supervisor!!2. If needed, complete a CUREC 1A checklist. If this shows a CUREC 2 form is required,

complete this too.3. Obtain signatures from your supervisor4. Give the forms to your course coordinator5. Make sure you attach a list of your interview questions/questionnaire/consent

form/information sheet (if applicable)6. In case your research takes you overseas, you will need to fill in the relevant travel forms

too.7. Please indicate the dates you have in mind for your research to take place8. Leave enough time the decision usually takes 30 days

Details of the procedure and application forms can be found on the Central University ResearchEthics Committee (CUREC) website - http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/curec/

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SUPERVISION

Core Supervision

Personal supervision is a key component of the Oxford approach and is central to the M.Sc.Following an initial meeting with the Course Director, you will be allocated a personal supervisorwho will be your principal academic contact point throughout the year. Your supervisor willprovide you with guidance, help you plan a programme of work for each of the courses, and willdiscuss and provide feedback on your written work and Extended Essay. Supervisors are alsouseful people with whom to discuss future career plans.

Supervisors obviously have their own areas of specialization. We deal with this in a number ofways. First, at the beginning of the year the Course Director seeks to match students withsupervisors although this is necessarily a loose matching at best. Second, some of the corecomponents of the course (such as Economic Theory and Quantitative Methods) are accompaniedby classes taught by faculty and teaching assistants. These classes are used to help students absorbcore material, but should be seen as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, personalsupervision. Third, supervision for the Development Economics modules is primarily run by themodule convenors. They will arrange supervision sessions for those taking their module, althoughto minimize free-riding supervision will be offered only to those writing essays for the module.Finally, your supervisor may arrange swaps with other supervisors to enable students to receivespecialist supervision on specific topics. To ensure that this system functions effectively,however, you should not try to arrange swaps on your own.

Extended Essay Supervision

Although we try to match you with a course supervisor who specialises in your area of interest,that person may not turn out to be the right supervisor for your extended essay, not least becauseyour ideas and interests will inevitably evolve, in which case you will be assigned another facultymember or post-doctoral student as your extended essay supervisor. Your course supervisor willhelp you to arrange this. To find out the research interests of Oxford faculty you should browsethe faculty lists on the Economics and International Development web pages at:http://www.economics.ox.ac.uk and http://www.qeh.ox.ac.uk

The Safety Net

Occasionally, relationships between student and supervisor do not run smoothly. If this happens,or if there are issues that you feel you cannot discuss with your supervisor, you should contact theCourse Director, who will seek either to resolve the problem or to advise you on appropriate nextsteps. See also the later section of this handbook on Support, Feedback and the Future.

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SUSPENSION OF STATUS AND REINSTATEMENT

Suspension of Status

You may apply to the Graduate Studies Committee for suspension of status for a specified period. Ifthe application is approved, you will not be required to pay fees during the period of suspension andwill resume your former status at the end of the period. Suspension of status may be for between oneand three terms at any one time. In exceptional cases, additional terms may be requested, but theseneed the additional approval of the University Education Committee as dispensation from theExamination Regulations is required.

Suspension of status is normally granted where the student is not able to actively study. This canbe due to a variety of reasons, but the most common is relevant circumstances could include health-related/personal grounds, domestic crisis or unforeseeable financial difficulty. Alternatively, it mightbe essential to concentrate temporarily on some other project (e.g. gaining some other qualification)which could not reasonably be deferred until after postgraduate work was completed; or a studentmight have an exceptional opportunity to take up temporary work which was likely to be important tofuture career, and which was unlikely to recur. Students may request a suspension of status formaternity/paternity/adoption leave (see below).

When a student suspends, the clock stops, and the student returns from suspension at the pointwhen they departed. Normally students do not have access to University/College facilities(including libraries) whilst suspended as it is assumed they are not studying (though e-mail accessis commonly retained to allow the student to keep in touch with his/her supervisor(s) etc.).Suspension of status can only be granted while a student still has status available to return to.

Applications for suspension of status must be made to the Graduate Studies Committee (through theGraduate Studies Administrator) using the form GSO.17, should be for a specified period of time,and must have the support of the supervisor(s) and the college.

Student Maternity, Paternity and Adoption LeaveThe University has agreed a policy framework for student parents which will define theirentitlement to and clarify arrangements for taking parental leave, facilitate their access toUniversity graduate accommodation and childcare services, and make provision for a flexiblereturn to full-time study. For more information: http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/childcare

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SEMINARS FOR DEVELOPMENT ECONOMISTS

During term, there are many seminars on economics and development, given by Oxford faculty,graduate students, or visitors from elsewhere in the UK and overseas. The most useful seminarseries for M.Sc. students is:

Centre for the Study of African Economies Seminar (Tuesday and Wednesday, 1.00pm)The CSAE is a research centre on development economics with a focus on Africa, locatedin the Department of Economics. Speakers include Oxford and external faculty, as well asdoctoral students. Most of the presentations are of applied econometric work. Tuesdayseminars tend to be given by more senior researchers and will include some distinguishednames; the Wednesday seminars are often given by graduate students and postdocs andwill be less formal. Both are highly recommended.

Other frequently relevant economics seminar series are those of OXCARRE (a research centre onnatural resource-rich economies) and the seminar series in international trade andmacroeconomics; but there are many other series in which seminars will sometimes be relevant tostudents on this course (see the Economics Department website: http://www.economics.ox.ac.uk).There are also many other events that take place in other parts of the university, including theBlavatnik School of Government and the Oxford Martin School.

Consider also attending some of the numerous development-related seminars in departments otherthan Economics including in the Department of International Development (QEH), whoseresearch centres all run weekly seminar series; in the Area Studies Departments (including Africa,China, South Asia and Latin America); and in the Politics and International Relations Department(including the Global Economic Governance programme based in University College).Information on most of these seminars is circulated to all QEH students by e-mail.

The Department of Economics and the Department of International Development (QEH) also hostoccasional lectures of interest to all economists and economics students in Oxford. These includethe Olof Palme Lecture, the Hicks Lectures and the Clarendon Lectures, which are high-profile public lectures often given by major international figures (Nobel Laureate Amartya Senpresented the 2000 Olof Palme Lecture while recent Hicks Lecturers have included Robert Barro,Robert Lucas Jr, Paul Krugman, Thomas Schelling, Kenneth Rogoff. The 2013 Hicks Lecturerwill be Professor Esther Duflo).

Your problem will not be finding enough interesting seminars to attend, but finding the time toget to them. However, it is well worth squeezing some in. The number and quality of theeconomics and development-related seminars is one of Oxfords most valuable bits of educationalcapital.

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EXAMINATION PROCEDURES

Regulations and Conduct

The conduct of all examinations in the University is in the jurisdiction of the Proctors, and it is tothe Proctors, not to the Examiners, that applications for dispensation, complaints and appeals mustbe made, with the advice and support of the students College rather than the Department.

Oxford Universitys rules on exams are set out in the current issue of Examination Regulations.Links to, and a summary of these is provided here:http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/info/pam/section9/

There are three Examiners for this degree two internal to the University, one of whom acts asthe Chair, and one external. They are assisted, as required, by Assessors, who are other Oxfordeconomists with specialised expertise on particular subjects.

Final examinations usually (but not always) take place in the Examination Schools, and consist ofthree-hour written papers in Economic Theory, Development Economics and QuantitativeMethods. Copies of exam papers from previous years can be downloaded from OXAM (whichcan be accessed via WebLearn). Copies of recent Examiners reports are provided on WebLearn.The general form and structure of the written papers each year will follow those of the previousyear unless major changes have been published in the Examination Decrees or minor changeshave been notified to students by the Chair of Examiners.

Marking System

The marking scale is the same as that used for other Oxford graduate degrees in economics. Thepass mark is 50 and the distinction level is 70. To pass the examination, a mark of at least 50 mustbe obtained on each of the three written papers and on the extended essay. To be awarded adistinction, a candidate must achieve an average mark of at least 70 across all four components ofthe examination.

The marks on each written paper and the extended essay will be communicated in the form ofstandardised transcripts that are available to students on the web. Comments from the assessorsand examiners on Extended Essays will be provided to students (and to supervisors), usuallywithin three to four weeks of the release of exam results.

The marks are used also by the Graduate Studies Committee in deciding whether students mayproceed to the D.Phil. (see Next Steps below). To proceed normally requires a distinction in theM.Sc., with a distinction-level mark on the Extended Essay and the support of a prospectiveD.Phil. supervisor (who need not be the M.Sc. supervisor).

Viva voce Examinations

After the written papers have been marked, the examiners are empowered to call some candidatesfor a viva (that is, an oral examination). The mark on one or more of the written papers or theextended essay then may or may not be adjusted upwards. Candidates will be called to a viva onlyin exceptional circumstances in which the examiners need more information, for example in casesof illness or of difficulty in understanding a written paper or extended essay. Those asked toattend will be contacted by phone. It is important to stress that viva voce examination are veryrare: we have not held a viva for at least 10 years.

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Examination Timetable, Results

Extended essays must be submitted by noon on Friday of Week 6 of Trinity Term.The exam timetable is published on the University webpage,http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/exams/timetables/usually in April no later than 5 weeks before the first examination. The written examinations arenormally in Weeks 8 and 9 of Trinity Term. Vivas, if required, are normally held on a specifiedafternoon in Week 10. The students will receive an automatic email once the final results areavailable usually by the end of Week 10 or in early Week11.

Academic Dress

All members of the University are required to wear academic dress with subfusc clothing whenattending any university examination (including viva voce examinations), i.e.:

Men: Dark suit and socks, black shoes, white bow tie, plain white shirt and collar

Women: Dark skirt or trousers, white blouse, black tie, black stockings and shoes, and darkcoat if desired.

Gowns and squares (mitre caps) are also required attire for examinations, and are available forhire (and purchase if you wish) from Shepherd and Woodward on the High Street, Walters onTurl Street, or from similar shops.

Please refer to the Proctors and Assessors Memorandum for further information. You shouldreceive a copy of this from your college, and it is also available on the web at:http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/info/pam/

Extensions

In very exceptional circumstances, (usually because of illness) it may be possible to request ashort extension of time to hand in the Extended Essay. Contact the College Tutor who will sendthe application to the Proctors for consideration.

Arrangements in cases of illness and disability

Candidates requiring special arrangements for the examinations for reasons of illness ordisability must make prior application through their respective colleges to the Proctors.

The Proctors rules concerning arrangements in cases of illness and disability are detailed in theExamination Regulations (Grey Book) and in the Proctors and Assessors Memorandum:Essential Information for Students available on-line:http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/info/pam. Subject to the provisions given in these notes,a candidate who fails to appear at the time and place appointed for any part of his or herexamination shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the examination.

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Re-taking examinations

A candidate who fails the examination may re-take them again, but only on one subsequentoccasion, in Trinity Term, of the next academic year. If a student has failed any of the writtenpapers, but passed the extended essay, all three written papers must be retaken, but the mark onthe extended essay is carried over. If a student has passed all the written papers, but failed theextended essay, only the extended essay needs to be resubmitted, (in Trinity Term of thefollowing year) and the marks on the written papers are carried over. A student who fails any ofthe written papers and also the extended essay must retake all three written papers and resubmitthe extended essay.

Prizes

The examiners may, if work of sufficient merit is presented, award three prizes: the George WebbMedley prize for the best overall performance; the Luca DAgliano prize for the best extendedessay by a candidate who is continuing to D.Phil. research in Oxford; and the Arthur Lewis prizefor excellence in development economics.

Graduation

Degrees are technically not conferred at the end of the course, but either at a degree ceremony (inperson) or in absentia. Degree ceremonies are typically arranged via your college. For moreinformation, see: http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/graduation/

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NEXT STEPS

Transfer to D.Phil. in Economics after M.Sc.

Students accepted into the doctoral programme after completing the MSc in Economics forDevelopment are admitted to Probationer Research Student (PRS) status.

In considering applications, the Graduate Studies Committee will take into account therecommendations of the MSc Examiners, the views of the prospective DPhil supervisor, and thestudent's research proposal. The standard required for admission to PRS status after the MSc iswell above simply passing the examination. In general, the candidate will be expected to havereceived a distinction. The MSc Examiners will make recommendations to the Graduate StudiesCommittee on the suitability of each candidate to proceed to PRS status.

Students proceeding from the MSc to PRS status will, unless specifically granted exemption afterapplication to the Graduate Studies Committee, be required to sit the DPhil QualifyingExamination in the Trinity Term following their admission to PRS status (see section 14 of ThePink Book on The Qualifying Examination).

Transfer to D.Phil. in Development Studies after M.Sc.

1. Applications should be made not later than March for entry the following October. Candidateswho wish to apply for Oxford Scholarships should apply by January.

2. An application should be made using the pre-populated form provided by OSS Student SelfService. The form will automatically include some of the required information, but you will needto fill in other sections, for example:

a) the provisional thesis title;

b) a research proposal indicating the context in which the study is expected to make a significantcontribution to the particular field of learning; the relationship of the research topic to the existingliterature; the main research question; the likely source of data, fieldwork location etc asappropriate; and some indication of how this material would be used to answer the main researchquestion. Applicants are expected to consult with their prospective supervisor on this outline.

3. Applications should be accompanied by:

a) three confidential references to the Graduate Admissions Office, either at the same time as theform or later, so long as they arrive by the deadline for submission. These references should befrom: the students current M.Sc. thesis supervisor; the member of ODIDs academic staff whohas agreed to supervise the D.Phil., confirming that they will do this and will be in Oxford duringthe proposed period of study (or will be able to carry out their supervisory duties satisfactorilywhile out of Oxford), and evaluating the applicants research proposal; and one other academicwith knowledge of the applicants work;

b) two separate pieces of written work;

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c) a curriculum vitae.

4. ODID's DPhil Admissions Committee will evaluate the application and supporting letters todetermine whether the topic and method are appropriate to the inter-disciplinary field ofDevelopment Studies. If not, and if the applicant so wishes, the application will be forwarded to amore appropriate Department of the University.

5. Applicants will be made a written offer after evaluation of their applications; this offer will besubject to the applicant subsequently meeting the conditions in point 6 below.

6. The required standard is normally at least a 67% average mark in the MSc, with a distinction onthe extended essay.

7. Admission is as a PRS, and the candidate must usually sit and pass a selected paper from theMPhil in Development Studies, or a paper from another Oxford postgraduate degree, at the end ofthe first year as a condition for transfer to DPhil status. This coursework will be discussed onarrival with the candidate by the supervisor and the Director of Doctoral Research, and approvedby the Graduate Studies Committee of the Department of International Development at its firstmeeting in Michaelmas Term.

8. Students are informed of the decision of the Admissions Committee as soon as possible afterthe announcement of the Departmental M.Sc. results.

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LIBRARY AND IT PROVISION

THE SOCIAL SCIENCE LIBRARY

The Social Science Library is located in Manor Road Building off Manor Road. The economicscollection contains both research material in economics as well as a lending collection of items listedon graduate and undergraduate reading lists produced by the Economics Department. Over 2,000journals and country statistical series offer particularly good resources for the graduate student ineconomics. The collection on international development is the major resource for the University onDevelopment Studies (Anthropology, Sociology, History, Politics of Developing Countries as well asEconomics).

The library is open during Term from 9.00am until 10.00pm (but no borrowing is allowed after6.00pm), Monday Friday, on Saturday from 10:00am until 6:00pm and on Sunday from 12:00 noonuntil 6:00pm. Admission to the library and the use of many library services is by means of theUniversity ID card.

Photocopying facilities and a laser printer are available. A photocopy card may be purchased fromlibrary staff. 56 PCs offer access to all the University's networked electronic resources (e.g. EconLit,Social Science Citation Index, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences). A scanner in thelibrary makes it possible to convert statistical tables into electronic data for easier manipulation andanalysis.

Over 90% of the collection can now be found on OLIS. The use of online ordering, journalregistration and lending makes it possible for library users to find out from OLIS when a book hasbeen ordered, if a book is charged out to another reader and if a particular issue of a journal is to befound in the library. It is possible to place reservations and renew items using OLIS from any PCattached to the University's network.

Details may be found at http://www.ssl.ox.ac.uk/Subject consultant: John Southall [email protected] enquiries: Sarah Rhodes Sarah Rhodes [email protected]

Copyright Guidelines

The Copyright Act of 1988 states that readers may photocopy only an insubstantial amount of awork for private research or study. Library Association guidelines state the amount should notexceed:

5% or 1 chapter of a book1 article from a journal issue

Only one copy may be made. Contents pages and bibliographies can only be included if they fallwithin the 5% limit. Illustrations have separate copyright attached to them.

Please note that copyright applies to a work for 70 years after the death of the author or, for workswhere copyright is held by the institution, for 70 years after publication. Any work publishedwithin the last 25 years is also in copyright.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your photocopying does not break the law. Librarystaff will be pleased to try to answer any queries you may have on copyright issues.

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IT PROVISION AND DATABASES

Registered graduate student in economics have access to high-quality IT facilities through theEconomics Server. The server, which is loaded with an extensive range of econometric and data-analysis software, can be accessed from any web-connected computer (either through an ethernetconnection from the Department of Economics or your College, or via the web using acommercial internet service provider).

Students will use facilities on the Server in the Quantitative Methods course, but are also able touse the Server for sending and receiving email, downloading information from databases or otheruseful sites (data, past exam papers, lecture notes and problem sets etc.) as well as for generalcomputing purposes.

The Department of Economics provides an Induction Pack for the Economics Server and limitedIT support on the use of the Server. For general IT support and advice you are encouraged toapproach your College IT Officer in the first-instance.

Widely used databases (such as those published by the UN, World Bank and IMF, NationalBureau of Economic Research, Financial Times) can be accessed through OLIS informationsystems.

IT Support at the Department of Economics is provided by the Manor [email protected]

The IT officer at the Department of International Development is

Rachel Crawford [email protected]

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SUPPORT, FEEDBACK AND THE FUTURE

Support and Guidance

The M.Sc. programme is small, and the faculty are generally very approachable. If you need todiscuss anything to do with the course or your academic progress, in the first instance you shouldcontact your Supervisor or the Course Director. You can also consult your College Advisor.Within ODID, you could also contact the following people (see also the information in the nextsection concerning ODID and the University Code of Practice relating to Harassment).

Nora Novak Course Coordinator Tel: (2)81829Email: [email protected]

Dominique Attala Graduate Student Tel: (2)81806Administrator Email: [email protected]

Jocelyn Alexander Director of Tel: (2)81817Graduate Studies Email: [email protected]

Nandini Gooptu Head of Department Tel: (2)73611ODID Email: [email protected]

Complaints and Appeals

1. The University, the Social Sciences Division and ODID all hope that provision made forstudents at all stages of their programme of study will make the need for complaints (about thatprovision) or appeals (against the outcomes of any form of assessment) infrequent.

2. However, all those concerned believe that it is important for students to be clear abouthow to raise a concern or make a complaint, and how to appeal against the outcome ofassessment. The following guidance attempts to provide such information.

3. Nothing in this guidance precludes an informal discussion with the person immediatelyresponsible for the issue that you wish to complain about (and who may not be one of theindividuals identified below). This is often the simplest way to achieve a satisfactory resolution.

4. Many sources of advice are available within colleges, within faculties/departments andfrom bodies like OUSU or the Counselling Service, which have extensive experience in advisingstudents. You may wish to take advice from one of these sources before pursuing your complaint.

5. General areas of concern about provision affecting students as a whole should, of course,continue to be raised through Joint Consultative Committees or via student representation on thefaculty/departments committees.

Complaints

1. If your concern or complaint relates to teaching or other provision made by ODID, thenyou should raise it with your Course Director or with the Director of Graduate Studies(Professor Jocelyn Alexander) as appropriate. Within the department the officerconcerned will attempt to resolve your concern/complaint informally.

2. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, then you may take your concern further bymaking a formal complaint to the University Proctors. A complaint may cover aspects ofteaching and learning (e.g. teaching facilities, supervision arrangements, etc.), and non-

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academic issues (e.g. support services, library services, university accommodation,university clubs and societies, etc.). A complaint to the Proctors should be made only ifattempts at informal resolution have been unsuccessful. The procedures adopted by theProctors for the consideration of complaints and appeals are described in the Proctors andAssessors Memorandum [ http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/pam/ ] and the relevantCouncil regulations [ http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/statutes/regulations ].

3. If your concern or complaint relates to teaching or other provision made by your college,then you should raise it either with your tutor or with one of the college officers, SeniorTutor, Tutor for Graduates (as appropriate). Your college will also be able to explain howto take your complaint further if you are dissatisfied with the outcome of itsconsideration.

Academic appeals

1. An appeal is defined as a formal questioning of a decision on an academic matter madeby the responsible academic body.

2. For undergraduate or taught graduate courses, a concern which might lead to an appealshould be raised with your college authorities and the individual responsible foroverseeing your work. It must not be raised directly with examiners or assessors. If itis not possible to clear up your concern in this way, you may put your concern in writingand submit it to the Proctors via the Senior Tutor of your college. As noted above, theprocedures adopted by the Proctors in relation to complaints and appeals are on the web [http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/statutes/regulations/ ].

3. For the examination of research degrees, or in relation to transfer or confirmation ofstatus, your concern should be raised initially with the Director of Graduate Studies.Where a concern is not satisfactorily settled by that means, then you, your supervisor, oryour college authority may put your appeal directly to the Proctors.

4. Please remember in connection with all the cases in paragraphs 1 3 above that:a) The Proctors are not empowered to challenge the academic judgement of

examiners or academic bodies.b) The Proctors can consider whether the procedures for reaching an academic decision

were properly followed; i.e. whether there was a significant procedural administrativeerror; whether there is evidence of bias or inadequate assessment; whether theexaminers failed to take into account special factors affecting a candidatesperformance.

c) On no account should you contact your examiners or assessors directly.

5. The Proctors will indicate what further action you can take if you are dissatisfied with theoutcome of a complaint or appeal considered by them.

Student Consultation and Feedback

The formal institution through which M.Sc students interact with faculty is the Graduate JointConsultative Committee (GJCC). The GJCC meets each term with members of the EconomicsDepartments Graduate Studies Committee, including the M.Sc Course Director, to discuss issuesrelating to all graduate economics courses. The GJCC elects new members in Michaelmas Term,two of whom are representatives from the M.Sc in Economics for Development.In late MT and HT term students are asked to fill out an (anonymous) online survey, the result ofwhich is distributed to the Course conveners and carefully analysed and considered by the MScED Teaching Committee.

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Careers Guidance

The Oxford University Careers Service is based at 56 Banbury Road. It provides information andadvice on career opportunities and organizes recruitment meetings, many of which occur in thefirst term. Many major corporations and institutions (such as investment banks, managementconsultancy firms, the IMF and World Bank) host recruitment events each year in Oxford.

You should register with the Careers Service as soon as possible. Full details are available ontheir web pages (http://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/ ). Be sure to read their Message for Postgraduateson one-year courses.

Frequently, we are advised directly of employment opportunities especially for jobs in research,the NGO sector etc. Relevant information will be circulated by email.

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OVERSEAS STUDENTS: TIER 4 VISA OBLIGATIONS

See also www.ox.ac.uk/students/international_students/visaduring/legal/

You have a responsibility to ensure that you comply with the conditions of your Tier 4 studentvisa. Not complying with your visa conditions is a criminal offence and can lead to removal fromthe UK and refusal of future visas for a period of 1-10 years.

Your responsibility includes making sure you do not stay beyond the expiry date as stated on yourvisa, unless you have made a renewal application. You must also adhere to the work conditions ofyour visa.

You should also ensure that you co-operate with the University in fulfilling its Tier 4 duties sothat it maintains its status as a Highly Trusted Sponsor enabling international students to continuestudying at Oxford. This includes replying to any enquiries from the University relating to yourvisa without delay.

As part of your Tier 4 student visa responsibilities, you must:

Keep your contact and personal details up-to-date onhttp://www.ox.ac.uk/students/selfservice/ at all times. This includes changes to yourname, address, telephone / mobile and email details.

Ensure your passport and visa / Biometric Residence Permit card have been scanned byyour college at registration and immediately every time you renew your passport and/orvisa.

Inform your college or department immediately if your visa status changes from a Tier 4(General) Student to any other visa category (for example, a work visa status or anAncestry Visa) or if you no longer require a student visa to study in the UK because youhave acq

Documents

MCs ED 2014-15 Course Handbook