This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

Study Materials

Thinking back to the beginning of the semester…

We've focused some on descriptive questions

  • What is Going on in a Particular Place

Also addressed "positive" questions

  • If-then Statements
  • Testable Propositions

Steered away from normative questions. What is right and what is wrong - in the sense of morally desirable or not.

What is so important about economic growth? Should we care about growth or equity or alleviating poverty. Here, an admonition:

  • Development is Different from Growth
  • Growth is about GDP Per Capita
  • Development is Much More Difficult to Define
  • To Me, about Improving Living Standards
  • Which Means Some Considerations for Equity

A little corruption here if the economy is growing?

Is it good to have a democracy? Why? A benevolent dictatorship acceptable if it delivers economic growth?

My answer is NO, but that's because I have a particular view of democracy: not just election, but accountability

But in the real world, there are tradeoffs.

  • Freedom of the press, in the sense of being able to publish whatever you want vs. need to control over press in a society that is deeply divided by ethnicity. What's the right answer?

I would invite you to address these issues…after the exam.