What happens when developing countries take a gamble on their future?

The McCourt School of Public Policy’s Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) program hosted Stefan Dercon , professor of economic policy at the University of Oxford, for a seminar discussing his latest book , which draws on his academic research and policy experience spanning three decades and more than 40 countries. Professor Dercon described how the failures of markets, governments, and politics keep certain countries and people impoverished while others find political “bargains” that enable elites to prosper even as public policies and institutions deliver welfare gains to the poor.

Following the lecture, McCourt School of Public Policy Dean Maria Cancian moderated a discussion with Professor Dercon, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Dean Joel Hellman and Provost Distinguished Associate Professor James Habyarimana , who teaches international social development policy in the MIDP program.

“Professor Dercon uses his wealth of experience to construct a compelling framework for enhancing development effectiveness, both in countries that already have those necessary bargains in place and in those that have not,” said Franck Wiebe , academic director of McCourt’s MIDP program. 

“Our close collaboration with gui2de , Georgetown’s development research center, enables MIDP students to work closely with leading faculty and interact with world-class development experts, like Professor Dercon, who regularly participate in its seminar series ,” he said. “Our students learn how to generate and understand rigorous evidence, but importantly, they also learn how to use that evidence to make development more effective.”

The MIDP program offers many unique opportunities, including core classes taught by top McCourt faculty with development interests, school funding for summer internship placements in developing countries , and client-capstone projects providing hands-on experiential learning opportunities in development.

Learn more about the McCourt School’s Master of International Development Policy program here.