<p>Typical, high quality, grad school books on <em>economic growth</em> are: </p>

<p>"Economic Growth" by Barro and Sala-i-Martin, and
"Introduction to Modern Economic Growth" by Daron Acemoglu.</p>

<p><em>Economic development</em> is a very fragmented field, with people like Chris Udry focusing on finding out how families in Africa adopt pineapple planting technology, while Albert Hirschman instead used to think of getting developing countries to jump to a new stage of development through industrial policy guided towards a few modern industries and Amartya Sen worrying instead about true economic freedom of individuals as a basis for development.</p>

<p>It will be hard to find an encompassing textbook. </p>

<p>Its also worth mentioning that there are interesting alternative views, for example in the book "Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective" by Chang.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-18T03:09:27.367Z
2016-05-18T03:09:27.367Z
Fix.B.
<p>A classical reference textbook is <a href="https://www.pearsonhighered.com/program/Todaro-Economic-Development-12th-Edition/PGM142511.html" rel="nofollow">Economic Development</a> by Michael P. Todaro and Stephen C. Smith.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-18T03:13:10.517Z
2016-05-18T03:13:10.517Z
emeryville
<p>Development economics has a distinct flavor among subfields in Economics, in that it usually opts for a more socio-economic, geopolitical and historical approach rather than mathematical modelling.
But they do use rigorous quantitative methods as regards empirical studies.</p>

<p>Anyway a book that can certainly show you how this subfield thinks is <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/gr/academic/subjects/economics/economic-development-and-growth/economic-development-5th-edition?format=HB&amp;isbn=9780521765480" rel="nofollow"><strong>E. Wayne Nafziger's "Economic Development"</strong></a> (850 pages long - in hardcover, the book weighs 1.5 Kgr!)</p>

<p>See also the scientific journal <a href="http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-development-economics/" rel="nofollow">"Journal of Development Economics"</a> </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-18T02:16:43.503Z
2016-05-18T02:24:16.260Z
2016-05-18T02:24:16.260Z
Alecos Papadopoulos
<p>A new book just came out by two well known development economists, Alain de Janvry and Elisabeth Sadoulet, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Development-Economics-Theory-and-practice/de-Janvry-Sadoulet/p/book/9781138885318" rel="nofollow"><strong>Development Economics Theory and practice</strong></a> (2016).</p>

<p>Abstract: Development Economics: Theory and Practice provides students and practitioners with the perspectives and the tools they need to think analytically and critically about the current major economic development issues in the world. Alain de Janvry and Elisabeth Sadoulet identify seven key dimensions of development; growth, poverty, vulnerability, inequality, basic needs, sustainability, and quality of life, and use them to structure the contents of the text. This book gives a historical perspective on the evolution of thought in development. It uses theory and empirical analysis to present readers with a full picture of how development works, how its successes and failures can be assessed, and how alternatives can be introduced. The authors demonstrate how diagnostics, design of programs and policies, and impact evaluation can be used to seek new solutions to the suffering and violence caused by development failures. This text is fully engaged with the most cutting edge research in the field, and equips readers with analytical tools for the impact evaluation of development programs and policies, illustrated with numerous examples. It is underpinned throughout by a wealth of student-friendly features including case studies, quantitative problem sets, end-of-chapter questions, and extensive references.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-18T03:07:21.030Z
2016-05-18T03:07:21.030Z
emeryville
<p>I would suggest you  <a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/6315.html" rel="nofollow">Ray, D. Development Economics</a>. It received an endorsement by no less a person than Amyrta Sen, Nobel Prize Winner 1996. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-26T09:08:36.763Z
2016-05-26T09:08:36.763Z
PostDocing
<p>I am looking for some good books on Development economics. My background is in mathemathics and statistics (with working knowledge of intermediate micro and macro), so a "good" book needs to be rigorous yet also provide intuition. </p>

<p>What are people reading these days when it comes to this topic?</p>

<reference-request><development-economics>
Reference request: Development economics
Malo
# Reference request: Development economics

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-05-18)

I am looking for some good books on Development economics. My background is in mathemathics and statistics (with working knowledge of intermediate micro and macro), so a "good" book needs to be rigorous yet also provide intuition.

What are people reading these days when it comes to this topic?

**Tags:** reference-request, development-economics


---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-05-18. Score: 1

Typical, high quality, grad school books on *economic growth* are:

"Economic Growth" by Barro and Sala-i-Martin, and
"Introduction to Modern Economic Growth" by Daron Acemoglu.

*Economic development* is a very fragmented field, with people like Chris Udry focusing on finding out how families in Africa adopt pineapple planting technology, while Albert Hirschman instead used to think of getting developing countries to jump to a new stage of development through industrial policy guided towards a few modern industries and Amartya Sen worrying instead about true economic freedom of individuals as a basis for development.

It will be hard to find an encompassing textbook.

Its also worth mentioning that there are interesting alternative views, for example in the book "Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective" by Chang.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-05-18. Score: 1

A classical reference textbook is [Economic Development](https://www.pearsonhighered.com/program/Todaro-Economic-Development-12th-Edition/PGM142511.html) by Michael P. Todaro and Stephen C. Smith.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-05-18. Score: 1

Development economics has a distinct flavor among subfields in Economics, in that it usually opts for a more socio-economic, geopolitical and historical approach rather than mathematical modelling.
But they do use rigorous quantitative methods as regards empirical studies.

Anyway a book that can certainly show you how this subfield thinks is [**E. Wayne Nafziger's "Economic Development"**](http://www.cambridge.org/gr/academic/subjects/economics/economic-development-and-growth/economic-development-5th-edition?format=HB&isbn=9780521765480) (850 pages long - in hardcover, the book weighs 1.5 Kgr!)

See also the scientific journal ["Journal of Development Economics"](http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-development-economics/)


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-05-18. Score: 0

A new book just came out by two well known development economists, Alain de Janvry and Elisabeth Sadoulet, [**Development Economics Theory and practice**](https://www.routledge.com/Development-Economics-Theory-and-practice/de-Janvry-Sadoulet/p/book/9781138885318) (2016).

Abstract: Development Economics: Theory and Practice provides students and practitioners with the perspectives and the tools they need to think analytically and critically about the current major economic development issues in the world. Alain de Janvry and Elisabeth Sadoulet identify seven key dimensions of development; growth, poverty, vulnerability, inequality, basic needs, sustainability, and quality of life, and use them to structure the contents of the text. This book gives a historical perspective on the evolution of thought in development. It uses theory and empirical analysis to present readers with a full picture of how development works, how its successes and failures can be assessed, and how alternatives can be introduced. The authors demonstrate how diagnostics, design of programs and policies, and impact evaluation can be used to seek new solutions to the suffering and violence caused by development failures. This text is fully engaged with the most cutting edge research in the field, and equips readers with analytical tools for the impact evaluation of development programs and policies, illustrated with numerous examples. It is underpinned throughout by a wealth of student-friendly features including case studies, quantitative problem sets, end-of-chapter questions, and extensive references.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-05-26. Score: 0

I would suggest you [Ray, D. Development Economics](http://press.princeton.edu/titles/6315.html). It received an endorsement by no less a person than Amyrta Sen, Nobel Prize Winner 1996.


---

