To provide students with subject skills, ie, macro and micro economic and financial analysis and transferable skills, eg, communication skills, research skills etc.

The course will start by looking at financial institutions and markets in LDCs and then proceed to look at the relationship between finance and growth, the determinants of savings and financial repression and liberalisation in developing countries. It then will consider the impact of positive financial flows, such as foreign aid and negative financial flows such as capital flight. The course then considers the causes and consequences of the debt crisis in mid 1980s and the financial crisis of the 1990s in Asia and Latin America. Government budget deficits are often the cause of such crisis but it will be demonstrated that, especially in the case of the Asian crisis, it was not the culprit. Finally the course considers the informal credit markets and the macroeconomic impact of informal financial markets.

More specifically by taking this module students will enhance several transferable skills. Attendance at lectures should help note taking. Essay writing will enhance writing as well as time management skills and problem solving. The debates should also enhance teamwork, communiction and presentational skills and reinforce further time management skills. The inclusion of web sites and encouragement to use the library fully should help to enhance basic IT and research skills.