Development economics explained simply: what’s the difference between the macro and micro sides of the field?
In today’s discussion, I sat down with two economists I think highly of: Dr. Shreyasee Das (Temple University) and Dr. Amrita Dhar (University of Mary Washington). Dr. Dhar tracks capital flows into emerging markets and examines how U.S. states split the bill for K-12 schools. Dr. Shreyasee Das studies what happens inside a household in rural India after the “lights come on”.
Shreyasee’s research on rural electrification found that as women gained more independence, information, and control over their own lives, fertility dropped, but in some households, so did stability and safety. Listen in to learn more.
Not Just Poor Countries
Development economics isn’t just a lens for poor countries. Dr. Das reminds us that Flint’s water crisis, schools without air conditioning, and sewage problems in the rural South are problems development economics can study locally.
Both are graduates of the University of Houston’s Ph.D. in Economics. We discuss their experience as graduate students and their transition to academia.
Check out the podcast and tell us what you think!
Resources
Amrita’s Resources
Paper highlight
Biolsi, C., & Dhar, A. (2026). Social Openness and International Capital Flows. Southern Economic Journal, 92(3), 763-787.
Poor Economics by Abhijeet Banerjee and Esther Duflo https://amzn.to/4cIhgFd
Analytical Development Economics - Kaushik Basu https://amzn.to/4cBAQTG
Shreyasee’s Resources
Paper highlight
Bose, N., & Das, S. (2024). Reassessing the relationship between women's empowerment and fertility: Evidence from India. Review of Development Economics, 28(2), 544-573.
Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach https://amzn.to/4gXNf5C
Amartya Sen’s Tanner Lecture #1: Equality of What https://tannerlectures.org/lectures/equality-of-what/
Amartya Sen’s Tanner Lecture #2: Standard of Living https://tannerlectures.org/lectures/the-standard-of-living/
Women’s Role in Economic Development by Ester Boserup https://amzn.to/4AbIJsZ
A very insightful conversation from two experts who are very passionate about thier field. This has convinced me to do some formal reading on the topic