History of Economic Growth and Crises (6 cr)

Code:
31E40100
Field:
Macroeconomics
Targets:
Master’s students Research Master's students PhD students
Organiser:
Aalto University
Instructor:
Matti Sarvimäki
Period:
Period 3
Format:
Lecture
Method:
Contact teaching
Venue:
Otaniemi campus

In case of conflicting information consider the Sisu/MyCourses pages the primary source of information.

This course documents and explains the history of economic growth. Topics discussed include technological and financial innovation, political and economic institutions, industrialization, international trade, social mobility and inequality. We discuss how cross-country differences in economic development have been explained by differences in geography, culture, institutions and luck, and review work assessing the empirical relevance of these explanations. We also cover research on financial crises and the industrial revolution.

  • Completion method: contact teaching
  • Schedule: can be found in Sisu
  • Study materials: can be found in MyCourses
    • To access the course workspace, use all the features and participate in the activities (assignments, discussions), you must have successfully registered for the course in Aalto's Sisu and logged in as an Aalto user with your Aalto IT account (which is generated after you have been granted study rights).
    • Workspaces for some courses are open access, but please note the above.
    • For more tips on how to register for a MyCourses course area, click here.

Please register for the course in the Aalto Sisu with your Aalto username. Further instructions can be found here.

Aalto University Students
  • Code: 31E40100

  • Target groups: MSc / rMSc / PhD

  • Credit points: 6

Hanken Students
  • Code: 26020

  • Target groups: MSc / rMSc / PhD

  • Credit points: 6

  • Credit transfer: apply for substitution in Sisu

Further instructions can be found here.

University of Helsinki Students
  • Code: ECOM-428 (MSc) / DPE-9428 (PhD)
  • Target groups: MSc / rMSc / PhD
  • Credit points: 6
  • Credit transfer: apply for substitution in Sisu
  • AGERE students: Before taking and completing this course make sure that the credits can be counted towards your degree by checking which courses are/can be included in your curriculum. You can also contact your planning officer Simo Riikonen (firstname.lastname@helsinki.fi).

Further instructions can be found here.

FDPE Students Students
  • Please contact your supervisor/program director to be sure that the course credit can be counted towards your degree

  • Credit transfer: please apply for credit transfer according to your home university's procedures

Further instructions can be found here.

At the end of the course, students will be familiar with (a) the basic facts about long-term economic growth, (b) the main theories for why some places grew rich while others did not, and (c) examples of empirical work attempting to test these theories. In addition, the course will provide historical perspective for understanding the causes and consequences of financial crises.