Teaching
Course Outlines
This course help students in understanding the process of data collection, recognize the limitation in various data collection methods and how these eventually impact statistical inference. The class begins with understanding differences processes involved in data collection including sampling methodologies as well as data collection techniques in experimental and quasi-experimental settings. The course then further builds on concepts related to statistical inference as well as the need for it. Next the students learn to apply these concepts and methods of statistical inference to different data types as well as different situations (which arise from different data collection methods). The course also includes a weekly lab session where students can learn STATA (statistical software) and perform statistical inference with the help of this software using real data.
Water scarcity is becoming a major issue specially in developing countries. According to a recent report by UNDP, water crisis poses a bigger threat than terrorism for Pakistan. This course will analyze the different economic aspects of water as resource. The key areas covered in the course include description of water economics as a field, urban water issues (including quantity, quality and pricing issues), agricultural water issues (will address issues related to both ground and surface water), political economy of water, issues and policies related to construction of large scale water infrastructures, relationship between water crisis, environment and climate change as well as water related conflict.
The goal of this course is to give students the necessary tools of economic theory required to operationalize water resource economics. The course will start with discussions on what efficient water use is and try to understand that through different static and dynamic models which can be used for estimating it. Next, the course will focus on role of different types of institutions in water management as well as their role in maintaining efficiency of distribution as well as optimal water pricing. The last part of the course will focus on policy analysis (theoretical and empirical) as well as methods of cost benefit analysis needed for efficient water allocation as well as the issues associated with it.
This course takes students through the key theoretical models of development economics as well as the evidence related to each theory. Class is divided into seven sections. The first section looks at models related to agricultural households particularly the typical Agriculture Household Model in different conditions of separability. In addition to this the section also looks at the relationship of agriculture households to different inputs including information and credit access. The second section looks at models and empirical evidence related to poverty and undernutrition particularly those of poverty traps and multiple equilibria. The third section looks at model and key empirical papers related to savings and credit markets in context of developing countries. The fourth section looks at models of technology adoption in context of developing countries as well as the evidence related to that. The fifth section looks at models of inequality and development both from macro and micro perspective. The sixth section looks at industrialization and the big push model. The last section of the course looks at the role of institutions in economic development through both theoretical models and key empirical papers.
Environmental Economics
The course tries to understand the concept of sustainable development and how it can be achieved. What is the relationship between the global environment, economic development and human well-being? What does economic theory and economic analysis have to say about the meaning and possibility of sustainable development? Will achieving sustainable development mean making voluntary changes in lifestyle by individuals, or regulation and policy making by governments?