The final exam is provided below.
Final Take Home Exam
Answer 2 questions out of 3. Please do not write more than 10 double-spaced pages. A key to a good grade is not to regurgitate what the great Amsden said. Think originally!!!
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There are now some developing countries that have made it—Korea, Taiwan, coastal China, the Indian middle class, etc.
- Did colonial history matter at all in these countries’ development?
- To what extent did ownership of productive assets matter, in terms of foreign or local?
- Do fast-growing LDCs behave differently technologically from slower growers?
- Is income distribution an issue?
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One of the great “Laws” of political economy is comparative advantage.
- What is the law? What are its assumptions?
- Did the successful developers follow the law? Why?
- What were the reasons and institutions behind the successful intervention of governments to build new industries?
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The poorest countries in the world today tend to be experiencing falling output and per capita income due to rising population.
- Have microenterprises helped such countries?
- Can more investments in “education” solve the problem?
- In what ways, if any, could technology solve the problem?
- What role could free trade play?
