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!!!

1. 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?
     
     
2. 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?
     
     
3. 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?