Development Microeconomics [Paperback]

Pranab Bardhan (Author), Christopher Udry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0198773714 | ISBN-13: 978-0198773719

Development Microeconomics is the first in a series of books which looks at the entire spectrum of development economics issues and combines the strengths of conventional developmental thought with the insights of contemporary mainstream economics. The main new conceptual tool used is the application of the theory of imperfect information and the effects this has on the behavior of economic agents. This book is designed specifically for graduate students.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`This is an excellent book. It is a comprehensive survey of the issues of the household economy in developing countries ... essential reading not only for graduate students, but also for anyone intending to do research in development economics ... It sure made me want to read more.' Pushkar Maitra, Economic Record, Vol.76, No.234, Sept 2000

About the Author

Pranab Bardhan is currently Professor of Economics at the University of California at Berkeley. He has previously been Professor of Economics at the Delhi School of Economics and at the Indian Statistical Institute in New Delhi.

Christopher Udry is Professor of Economics at the Economic Growth Center in Yale University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198773714
• ISBN-13: 978-0198773719
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #411,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a very useful distillation of research, November 21, 2000

By 

Dr. J. Senger (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Development Microeconomics (Paperback)

This book synthesizes recent research in development microeconomics which extends the field beyond Walrasian general equilibrium paradigm to incorporate such features as informational asymmetries, network externalities, and various types of coordination failures. Topics covered in this volume include such things as household economics, rural credit markets, and the adoption of new techniques. The emphasis is on "applied theory" -- empirical evidence on the theoretical models is mentioned, but not discussed in depth. The arguemnts are presented verbally, graphically, and mathematically. The writing is quite clear. Numerous references are cited in the text and given at the end of each chapter. This small book would be very useful to graduate students and academics. Undergraduate students will probably find the math a little heavy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice and short compendium, January 26, 2005

By 

Sabad One - See all my reviews

This review is from: Development Microeconomics (Paperback)

This is a fine and succint compendium of some of the most important results in modern Development MicroEconomics. The book is well written, and it can be a very useful guide for advanced undergraduate students, or graduate students who are looking for a short and good guide to some of the most important recent (and less recent) contributions to this literature. This books is a good complement to Deaton's "The Analysis of Household Survey", which truly is the bible of development microeconoics. While Deaton's textbook also surveys a huge amount of empirical results (covering also wonderfully well most of the necessary econometrics), Bardhan and Udry mostly discuss the theory, and the underlying models. Among the covered topics are: Intrahousehold allocation of resources, labor markets, migration, rural land markets, risk and insurance, credit markets, income distribution, technology diffusion (and many others). Chapters are pretty much self-contained, and about 20 pages long. This book really is an excellent starting point if you are looking for a graduate-level introduction to one of the literatures covered here. Most of the math is not forbidding, but advanced calculus, statistics & probability, integrals and derivatives and some dynamic programming will be necessary to understand the book. Highly recommended, I am just sorry I only discovered this book after I left grad school....