The master program of Competitiveness and Development Economics, from now on abbreviated as (CDE), at Al-Quds University (AQU) is designed to meet the current and future market needs of the Palestinian public and private sectors, by having highly qualified and promising experts who can develop efficient and practical strategies, that can make our public and private institutions more competent, which is necessary for economic and social development in Palestine. In particular, the concepts of microeconomics of competitiveness and macroeconomics of competitiveness are still very new not only in Palestine but also in the region. However, it is anticipated that our graduates will be familiar enough to theoretically and practically deal with the following question: What conditions enable Palestinian local businesses to innovate and grow?
Traditional economic theories fail to capture many of the key forces at work in today’s global economy. Competitiveness can be the only way to achieve sustainable job growth, improve wages, raise the standard of living and well-being.. Clear economic strategies of competitiveness that engage all stakeholders, boost innovation and ultimately improve productivity are especially critical in times of austerity or economic distress as well as economic development. Consequently, a market study was compiled with the result that Palestinian universities are still teaching traditional programs of economics and business disciplines, so that the CDE provides a new approach of teaching (Teaching by Case Studies) with particular concentration on competitiveness. Therefore, AQU decided to incorporate more practical case studies into the university study similar to the approach followed by several higher education institutions in the USA and Europe. The results also showed a keen interest in the public and private sector institutions in this new style of study.
Consequently, in 2018, AQU has signed an Agreement with the Institute of Competitiveness and Strategy at Harvard Business School for academic and research cooperation. However, faculty members at AQU took part in two Faculty Workshops, Economics of Competitiveness, Harvard Business School, December 2017 and December 2018. As a result, AQU has already established the Al-Quds Institute for Competitiveness and Strategy, which offers a promising and pioneer master program of “Competitiveness and Development Economics.”
To meet the overall objective of the master program of CDE, 36 credits in the CDE master program with a strong emphasis on bringing methods of modern economic analysis to the economics of competitiveness, economic development theory, and economic strategy will be included. In particular, some companies perform better than others and keep innovating, so they grow and thrive over time. Up to now, many leaders and managers fail to grasp the fundamental concepts that shape competitive strategy for their institutors
On the other hand, the responsibility of quality assurance issues at Al-Quds University is in the hand of the Quality Assurance Unit (QAU). This department is responsible f
- the ongoing review of academic processes and quality assurance, i.e., in all faculties, libraries, labs, etc.,
- the ongoing review of administration and financial processes in order to reach an acceptable level of international standards,
- monitoring all ongoing academic program outcomes through communicating with the ALUMNI unit,
- cooperation with the Students’ Affairs Department for reviewing the students’ needs from their view.
All academic programs at Al-Quds University have to be submitted to the national accreditation authority, from now on abbreviated as (AQAC) in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. In order to ensure a high international academic standard, the evaluation team consists of professors not only from Palestine but also from international universities. Moreover, the master program of CDE is established under an agreement for cooperation between the AQU and Harvard University, which was signed by the parties in 2018. It also aspires to collaborate with concerned sectors to promote competitiveness and achieve sustainable economic and social development in Palestine.
The performance of all AQU full- and part-time professors are evaluated by the students at the end of each semester and yearly by the steering committee of Al-Quds Institute for competitiveness and strategy.
Mission, overall and specific objectives, and its relation with the University
The mission of the master program of CDE is to support the missions of the Al-Quds Institute for Competitiveness and Strategy by:
- providing quality knowledge, local and international case studies, research, and professional skills to students to prepare them for successful careers,
- enhancing the knowledge in the field of competitiveness and economic development through theoretical, practical problem-oriented research for the benefit of students, institute, and program,
- offering service to the university and Palestine greater community and to advance knowledge in fields of economics.
The overall objective of this master program is to provide graduate students with a rigorous and critical program in theoretical and empirical economics of competitiveness and development economics. However, our top priority and first endeavour in the Institute of Competitiveness and Development Economics is to occupy a prominent and distinguished position not only in Palestine but also in the region.
To meet the overall objective of the master program of Competitiveness and Development Economics, 36 credits in competitiveness and economic development with a strong emphasis on bringing methods of modern economic analysis to the economics of competitiveness, the economics of development, and economic strategy will be included. In particular, some companies perform better than others and keep innovating, so they grow and thrive over time. Up to now, many leaders and managers fail to grasp the fundamental concepts that shape competitive strategy for their institutors. To achieve the main aim, our master curriculum in competitiveness and development economics is designed to achieve the following specific objectives:
- Provide a firm grounding in modern economic theories, especially microeconomics of competitive, development and strategy that can grasp the fundamental concepts for shaping competitive strategy for institutors.
- Instil the capacity for independent thought about economic and competitive policies and problems, and provide basic descriptive knowledge about competition in Palestine and the world economy.
- Prepare students for further academic research that can enable them to develop economic strategies or for work as a professional economist in the competitiveness of international and domestic agencies, governments or the private sector.
- Seeks to cultivate the analytical and critical skills relevant to the economics of competitiveness and economic development, in particular, those needed to assess alternative approaches to business and economic strategies.
- Provides the rigorous quantitative training of case studies that development work now requires, helping students develop the ability to access, process and interpret a variety of data, including cross-sectional data, time series data, panel data, and pooled cross-sections.
- Provides the research tools and approaches needed for those who wish to proceed to doctoral research or publishable papers in international refereed papers in the area of competitiveness and economic development.
Skills
The CDE programme aims to provide graduates with high-level methodological, analytical and work-related skills. Graduates will also be able to use and disseminate the acquired information to a range of interested people and institutions. The following skills are expected of Master’s graduates:
Methodological skills
The CDE’s graduate is expected to be able to:
- Find and evaluate relevant sources in critical approaches, and generate unbiased assessments and develop proposals and research projects.
- Analyse and interpret evidence of different types of data, including qualitative data and quantitative data, using statistical/econometric softwares of cross-sectional, time series, pooled cross sections, and panel data.
- Explain the critical roles of, and interaction between, questions, theories, evidence and explanations in the economics of competitiveness, and development economics.
- Evaluate contemporary related case studies and craft economic strategies using theoretical perspectives from modern economic theories with considering competitiveness parameters.
- Publishable research skills at the graduate level of this program include the ability to create new and novel research ideas of the cutting edge issues of competitiveness and development issues, and the ability to formulate researchable research questions in an unbiased manner. The ability to analyse large amounts of information through the application of business methods is also taken into consideration.
Dissemination strategy
The graduate is expected to be able to present and disseminate ideas and information in meetings, workshops, and conferences through an instructive manner to both researchers and the policymakers.
Workforce skills:
Workforce skills refer to the graduate’s ability to independently develop and specialise their skill sets to better understand the evolution of work, the changing demand for skills, and the advancements in workforce development through retraining, reskilling, and closing the skills gap in the private businesses, public sector and voluntary organisations.
Admission to master’s degree in competiveness and development economics requires:
- Higher Education Entrance Qualificationand a completed bachelor’s degree in a domestic university or accredited foreign university comparable to the Palestinian bachelor’s degree based on the equivalence conditions adopted by the Palestine ministry of higher education.
- Bachelor holders with a major in in economics and business disciplines, statistics, mathematics, information technology, engineering, or other related fields. Economics or the equivalent. A solid background of Mathematics, Statistics and Econometrics is recommended.
- A minimum grade average of 70% or C or equivalent from the specialization in the degree.
- An adequate level of English language proficiency.
- In particular cases, the Selection Committee can admit students with a Bachelor’s degree in other disciplines so it may recommend some students to attend remedial courses where necessary.
New theories of competitiveness and economic development reveal that economic development should be approached from a competitiveness perspective, with a focus on the microeconomic foundations of competitive advantage. This holds internationally, regionally, and locally. Accordingly, the CDE explores the determinants of competitiveness and successful economic development viewed from a bottom-up, microeconomic perspective. While sound macroeconomic policies, stable legal and political institutions, and improving social conditions create the potential for competitiveness, wealth is created at the microeconomic level. The sophistication and productivity of firms, the vitality of clusters, and the quality of the business environment in which competition takes place are the ultimate determinants of a nation’s or region’s productivity.
Moreover, the vision of the Al-Quds Institute for Competitiveness and Strategy is to be a leading not only in Palestine but also in the region, mainly it will undertake excellence in teaching, teaching by case studies, quality of research with particular concentration on microeconomics of competitiveness, developing economic strategies of competitiveness, and professional skills. The program aspires to:
(1) uphold high standards of academic performance,
(2) respect students and provide them with quality education,,
(3) promote employment opportunities for students,
(4) maintain a collegial work environment,
(5) interact with the greater community and sustain improvement.
As a new, pioneer and promising programme provides graduates with plenty of career opportunities in local institutions and all over the world addressing competitiveness and development. The master degree in competitiveness and development economics will offer excellent career perspectives in a wide range of fields. The career opportunities for this programme include employment in:
- Private sector (i.g., large scale companies, small and medium enterprises, insurance companies, banking sector, etc.).
- Public sector (i.g., the ministry of finance, Palestine monetary authority, the ministry of economy, trade, and industry, the ministry of education, Palestine investment fund, Palestine Central Bureau of statistics, and other governmental institutors.).
- Research centres of competitiveness, economic development, economic and business strategies, etc. In particular, students will obtain the advanced skills required to carry out researches in the fields of competitiveness, development economics, economic strategies, and applied economics.
- NGOs, think tanks, multinational companies and consulting firms.
- International institutions (i.g., the ILO, World Bank, UNESCO, WTO, CEPAL, IADB (Inter-American Development Bank), and OECD).
- The CDE offers talented students oriented towards an academic career, the possibility to continue their PhD programmes at one of the international universities.
The number of credit hours for each course, and those required to complete the graduation requirements, and clarifying whether these courses are theoretical or practical.
1. Thesis Track
The Master’s degree offers students a comprehensive basis for graduate specialisation in competitiveness and development economics, through thesis work. The thesis is primarily meant to deal with issues relating to the main subjects of the master’s programme of competitiveness and economic development. The thesis should account for an effort of about two semesters. Supervision is mandatory for thesis work. The Master Degree of data Science (Thesis Track) is awarded upon the completion of the following requirements:
- The conditions as specified in the regulations for awarding the master degree at Al-Quds University.
- Completion of the remedial courses recommended by the Programme Board.
- Completion of at least (30 Credit Hours) of the courses of 500 level or above distributed as follows:
(a) Obligatory Courses (21 Credit Hours): Listed in Table (1).
Table (1)
|
No. |
Course Name |
Course Number |
Credit Hours |
Prerequisite |
||
|
|
|
Total |
Theory |
Practical |
|
|
|
1 |
Microeconomics of Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
– |
|
2 |
Macroeconomics of Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
3 |
Statistical Methods and Econometric Applications |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
– |
|
4 |
Research Methods in Economics & Business Research |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120613 |
|
5 |
Economic Development for Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
6 |
Entrepreneurship Development and Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
– |
|
7 |
Crafting Economic Strategy of Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 and 8120621 |
(b) Elective Courses (9 Credit Hours): Selected from Table (2).
Table (2)
|
No. |
Course Name |
Course Number |
Credit Hours |
Prerequisite |
||
|
|
|
|
Total |
Theory |
Practical |
|
|
1 |
Trade Theory for Development |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
|
2 |
Microfinance, Cash Transfers and Savings |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
|
3 |
Firms and Labour Markets |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
|
4 |
Economic and Financial Governance and Development |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
|
5 |
Risk, Disasters and Insurance |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120621 |
|
|
6 |
Public Finance and Public Policy |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120621 |
|
|
7 |
International Monetary Relations |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120621 |
|
|
8 |
Topics in Development and Political Economics |
3 |
1 |
2 |
8120621 |
|
|
9 |
Strategic Competition |
3 |
1 |
2 |
8120611 |
|
|
10 |
Advanced Applied Econometrics |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120613 |
|
|
11 |
Competitive Analysis |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
|
12 |
Monetary Policy |
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120621 |
|
- Preparation, and passing successfully the defense of thesis (8120797) (6 Credits Hours).
2. Non-Thesis Track
The Master Degree of Competitiveness and Development Economics (Non-Thesis Track) is awarded upon the completion of the following requirements:
- Conditions of the program as specified in the regulations for awarding the master degree at Al-Quds University.
- Complete the remedial courses (If any) recommended by the scientific committee of the program.
- Pass the comprehensive exam (8120777) organized by the scientific committee of the program successfully.
- Complete at least 36 Credit Hours successfully as they should be 500 level or higher as distributed below:
1. Obligatory Courses (24 Credit Hours): Listed in Table (3)
Table (3)
| No. | Course Name |
Course Number |
Credit Hours |
Prerequisite |
||
|
|
|
Total |
Theory |
Practical |
|
|
|
1 |
Microeconomics of Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
– |
|
2 |
Macroeconomics of Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
3 |
Statistical Methods and Econometric Applications |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
– |
|
4 |
Research Methods in Economics & Business Research |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120613 |
|
5 |
Economic Development for Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
6 |
Entrepreneurship Development and Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
– |
|
7 |
Crafting Economic Strategy of Competitiveness |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 and 8120621 |
|
8 |
Research Project in Competitiveness Development Economics |
|
3 |
1 |
2 |
Passing the Obligatory Courses |
(b) Elective Courses (12 Credit Hours): Selected from Table (4).
Table (4)
|
No. |
Course Name |
Course Number |
Credit Hours |
Prerequisite |
||
|
|
|
Total |
Theory |
Practical |
|
|
|
1 |
Trade Theory for Development |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
2 |
Microfinance, Cash Transfers and Savings |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
3 |
Firms and Labour Markets |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
4 |
Economic and Financial Governance and Development |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
5 |
Risk, Disasters and Insurance |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120621 |
|
6 |
Public Finance and Public Policy |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120621 |
|
7 |
International Monetary Relations |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120621 |
|
8 |
Topics in Development and Political Economics |
|
3 |
1 |
2 |
8120611 |
|
9 |
Strategic Competition |
|
3 |
1 |
2 |
8120611 |
|
10 |
Advanced Applied Econometrics |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120613 |
|
11 |
Competitive Analysis |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120611 |
|
12 |
Monetary Policy |
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
8120621 |
6-9: The available specialisations or tracks in the program (If any)
Course descriptions and objectives and its relation with the objectives of the program
Obligatory Courses:
Obligatory Courses Total: 21 credit hours
8120611 Microeconomics for Competitiveness 3 credit hours
This course explores the determinants of national and regional competitiveness building from the perspective of firms, clusters, subnational units, nations, and groups of neighbouring coun-tries. While sound macroeconomic policies and stable legal and political institutions create the potential for industrial competitiveness, wealth is created at the microeconomic and sound levels. The sophistication and productivity of firms, the vitality of industrial clusters, and the quality of the business environment are the ultimate determinants of the productivity and in-novation capacity of nations, regions and industries. This course examines both advanced and developing economies and addresses competitiveness at multiple levels – nations, subnational units such as states or provinces, particular clusters, and neighbouring countries. The course is concerned not only with government policy but also with the roles that firms, industry associa-tions, universities, and other institutions play in competitiveness. In the recent competition, each of these institutions has a substantial and evolving role in economic development. The course explores not only theory and policy but also the organisational structures, institutional structures, and change processes required for sustained improvements in competitiveness.
Objectives:
The overall objective of the course is to enable the students to integrate and activate general knowledge on competitiveness in order to make analytical, managerial decisions. The specific objectives are to focus on the environment in which global strategy is developed at the corpo-rate, business and operational levels; pay attention to the processes, competencies and vision of top management, competitive positioning, understanding comparative costs; and expose students to some of the most prosperous countries and regions. In addition to cases, there are readings, a series of lectures by guests who are national, regional, or business leaders,
8120621 Macroeconomics for Competitiveness 3 credit hours
The course covers a range of models that are among the most widely used tools in macroeco-nomic thinking. The main focus in this course will be on how modern macroeconomists at-tempt to model and understand time series fluctuations in the primary macroeconomic varia-bles. Given the importance of banking and financial sector developments in recent years, we will also cover material related to the banking sector, financial crises and credit crunches.
Objectives:
The overall objective of this course is to challenge students to understand the role of macroe-conomic policies that can offer a healthy macroeconomic environment for enhanced competi-tiveness at the micro and the macro levels in the economy. Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of income; growth, inflation; employment; in-come distribution; business cycles; and balance of trade. Furthermore, the role of government in the economy, particularly monetary and fiscal policies.
8120613 Statistical Methods and Econometric Applications 3 credit hours
This course is designed to provide the participants with a profound understanding of econo-metric methods and tools with a particular focus on applied econometrics. We will follow a two-pillar concept by combining methodological lectures with empirical examples, using the software tools E-views and Stata. Toward that end, we will begin by reviewing some basic principles of econometrics and move on to the linear regression methodology, time series, cross-sections and panel data sets and other specification issues, and the use of statistical software, such as STATA and SPSS
Objectives:
The primary goal for the class is to introduce students to Statistical Methods and Econometric Applications, both in theory and practice, using lectures with empirical examples. Students are expected to learn a broad knowledge of regression analysis relevant for analysing economic data; interpretation and critical evaluation of the outcomes of empirical analysis; elementary procedures for model validation in the single equation context; and theoretical background for the standard methods used in empirical analyses, like properties of least squares estimators and the statistical testing of hypothesis.
8120622 Research Methods in Economics & Business Re-search 3 credit hours
This course does not teach or deliver concepts, terms or theories. It is a comprehensive guide to the design, develops and conduct of research in disciplines of development and social sci-ences, for instance, organizational behaviour, human resource management, environmental and resource relations, sociology, and the area of management and economics. Students should learn how to search and create strong ideas of research in the area of development, economics, business and social sciences at large. Likewise, the course will investigate the techniques of the research process as applied to these research areas. Experience is gained in defining re-search problems, designing a research project, and in collecting, analyzing, recording, and in-terpreting data. An analysis of pertinent research literature in business and economics will be taken into consideration.
Objectives:
In the wake of the course, students are expected to acquire skills to specific problem areas in the organizational plan, as well as design, develop, and conduct research to help solve the identified problems, get experience with the use of data manipulation, statistical analysis and computer programs. Write and deliver competent researches; and develop individual skills and knowledge to differentiate whether the research is good or bad by academic, business and trade journals.
8120711 Economic Development for Competitiveness 3 credit hours
In this course, we will begin by reviewing the basic principles of economics and seeking to understand why market economies based on free enterprise have consistently outperformed socialistic economies. We will then look at the key focal points of macroeconomics: taxes and government spending, money, price indexes and inflation, GDP and its growth, unemployment and the labour force, leading economic indicators, and other such concepts. We will also dis-cuss the forces that influence social and economic development and growth. Theories of eco-nomic development are studied in the context of rich empirical works conducted international agencies like the World Bank and the United Nations and academicians on developing / under-developed countries. As a part of the curriculum, we will begin by exploring the concept of development and go through various components of development that economists typically study, including economic growth, income inequality, poverty, population, urbanisation, mi-gration, education, health and nutrition. Accordingly, the focus of this class will be on issues about competitive economic strategies.
Objectives:
The primary objective of this course is to make our students familiar with the development indicators and indices for competitiveness. The course desirable objectives are to shed light on the main macroeconomic indicators that can evaluate the overall health and performance of the economy; learn the basic concepts and theories in development economics; apply the eco-nomic concepts and theories to the situation of the developing countries and their relations with developed nations; and conduct independent research on the problems and policies of economic development.
8120712 Entrepreneurship Development and Competitiveness 3 credit hours
This course provides students with the skills necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur. The fun-damentals of starting and operating a business, developing a business plan, obtaining financ-ing, marketing a product or service and developing an effective economic strategy of competitiveness will be covered. It is designed to give students practical insights into those business aspects that are particularly important during a firm’s early development phases. It also provides the cornerstones for successfully launching and implementing entrepreneurial projects within already established organisations.
Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of Identify and evaluate new competitive business ideas; write a business plan and effectively communi-cate and sell new business concepts to other people, understand fundamental financial state-ments and ratios, formulate a business strategy for the new venture that can be communicated to external stakeholders; launch and develop new business ventures inside established corpora-tions, and make them survive in an often hostile environment.
8120721 Crafting Economic Strategy of Competitiveness 3 credit hours
As the world economy is dramatically changing at a rapid pace because of developments, it is now more unpredictable, and there is not only a need for executives to have a good idea what is happening, but also they need to think about the future strategically. The course seeks to help executives and professionals gain a clearer understanding of the latest economic, social, and technological aspects. It is intended to build strategic economic thinking, grounded on competitiveness studies and social progress.
Objectives:
The course aims to raise managerial awareness on why economic strategy is needed at the macro and micro level of the economy and how collective behaviour shapes competitive sce-narios. It will also integrate competitiveness with taking cluster-based theory into account, to a series of relevant topics such as measurement, social progress, collaborative innovation and innovation-driven entrepreneurship. An emphasis on the possibilities emerging from the circu-lar economy will also be considered in the course.
Thesis Track
8120797 Thesis 6 credit hours
The Master’s thesis is a part of the studies required for the Master’s degree in Competitive-ness and Development Economics (Thesis Track), and it is written under the supervision of a programme staff member.
The Master’s degree offers students a comprehensive basis for further specialization into a master’s degree in Competitiveness and Development Economics through thesis work. The thesis is primarily meant to deal with issues relating to the main subjects of the Master’s pro-gramme, but topics more remote from competitiveness and development issues are also al-lowed. Supervision is mandatory for thesis work. It is advisable to prepare a thesis proposal after 21 credit hours successfully, and thesis proposals should be discussed and approved by the scientific committee of the program.
Prerequisite: Consent of the programme’s scientific committee.
Objectives:
The primary objective of the master thesis is to apply issues of competitiveness and develop-ment and the cutting edge methods to independently and significantly introduce policy impli-cations, solutions and problem. The thesis is expected to improve analytical and research abil-ity of the student. This includes how to formulate and solve a research problem. Also, it devel-ops students’ skills to examine and evaluate researches in the area of study critically. Another part is to enable students writing a publishable scientific paper in international refereed jour-nals or taking part in international scientific conferences.
Non-Thesis Track
The non-thesis track students are required to attend the Comprehensive Exam and the Re-search Project in
8120777 Comprehensive Exam 0 credit hours
The Comprehensive Exam is required for the Master’s degree in Competitiveness and Devel-opment Economics (Non-Thesis Track). It is organised and prepared by a scientific committee selected by the Advisory Board of the program. Passing the Comprehensive Exam is required for graduation unless students select the thesis track.
Objectives:
The comprehensive exam is to fulfil the requirement for the Master’s degree in Competitive-ness and Development Economics. It aims to examine the student’s ability to match the basic and advanced concepts he has acquired in his study and make use of them in solving scientific and applied problems in the field of specialisation.
8120729 Research Project in Competitiveness Development Econom-ics (Only for the non-thesis track students)
3 credit hours
Students are expected to attend the class meetings of this course as a regular course. A neces-sary part of the non-thesis track is to enable students to use and apply the concepts and courses of the program into research projects. The Research Project in competitiveness and develop-ment economics is designed to be a capstone research experience for students who choose the non-thesis track.
Objectives:
The focus of this course is to allow students to prepare a research project or case study by us-ing the learning goals of researching, writing and presenting a paper addressing a significant research question(s). Analysing the research project and case study using an appropriate and significant econometric and research techniques is required for each.
Elective Courses Total: 9 credit hours
8120614 Trade Theory for Development 3 credit hours
The course is to provide a graduate-level introduction to the microeconomics of development and a basis for the relevant development economics scenarios. Rather than adhering to a stand-ard textbook treatment of micro theory, the course introduces and builds on some widely used theoretical structures in development economics. The course covers topics from producer and consumer theory, risk and uncertainty, and general equilibrium and welfare, in addition to game theory and issues related to information asymmetries.
Objectives:
By the end of the course, the student will be able to know models of firm size and structure, models of occupational sorting and selection, models of economic geography, household mod-els, uncertainty and inter-temporal decision making, imperfect competition and game theory, and the relation between development and competitiveness.
8120615 Microfinance, Cash Transfers and Savings 3 credit hours
This course is designed to cover the evidence for the existence of various types of poverty traps; how the design of microloan programs can affect the outcomes of their recipients; whether cash transfers achieve more sustained improvements in outcomes than loans; the role of conditionality in the effects of cash transfer programs; whether combinations of interven-tions can help the ‘ultra-poor’ escape poverty; and whether savings and loan products enable lumpy investments or just help individuals to smooth consumption.
Objectives:
This course aims to analyse the effects of a range of interventions designed to tackle poverty, including microloans, conditional and unconditional cash transfers, and private and public sav-ings. We will focus on the use of empirical methods that help us to understand the mechanisms that interventions work through, and will survey results from theory and the recent literature. How best the rural poor to escape poverty, and how do they work, it will be explained in this course.
8120616 Firms and Labour Markets in Developing Countries 3 credit hours
Micro- and small-scale firms dominate the private sector in developing and low-income coun-tries. In the contest this course, we will demonstrate answers to the following questions: Why do these firms fail to grow? Does too much government stifle robust growth, and chase firms into the informal economy? Alternatively, is there too little government, with no credit mar-kets or contract enforcement to draw firms into the formal sector?
Objectives:
In the wake of this course, we will explore the raised questions above with a focus on labour markets and firms in developing and low-income countries; examine the evidence for misallo-cation of productive inputs, the causes and consequences of informality, availability of credit for microenterprises; and management of the larger firms not only in low-income economies, but examples from middle and higher-income economies will be taken into consideration.
8120624 Governance, Development and Competitiveness 3 credit hours
Governance is a crucial process in private, public, and international organisations so that the course demonstrates how to shape social, financial and economic institutions, with implica-tions for governance and competitiveness in national development, incomes, inequality, hu-man capabilities, sustainability, international relations, war and peace. Key questions concern why some developing countries succeed in meeting development objectives, while others seemingly fail, including how outcomes are affected by the interplay between developing country governments, business and civil society actors at different levels of governance, locally, nationally and internationally.
Objectives:
The overall objective of this course is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of governance, competitiveness and development processes in developing, and developed coun-tries, and how countries vary from country to country with giving practical examples for each. It will also focus on (1) the structures, institutions, policies and practices that frame govern-ance of the economy, and (2) the interplay between powerful actors such as the public and pri-vate institutions, domestic and foreign businesses, labour unions, non-profit organisations, and international organisations.
8120626 Risk, Disasters and Insurance 3 credit hours
In this course, we will discuss the role of risk in development outcomes with considering eco-nomic strategies of competitiveness, and what can we deal with that. We will also focus on how poor people manage and cope with risk, and how micro-insurance or other interventions may be used to help them to avoid severe hardship. Problems related to the diffusion of insur-ance and its impact will be discussed. We will also focus on larger, covariate risks: natural disasters like floods, drought, earthquakes, etc.
Objectives:
The primary objective of this course is to make students able to deal with risks, disasters and Insurance for enhanced competitiveness and development. The course-specific objectives are to discuss the evidence on how they shape lives but also how responses are often ineffective, ex-plain ways in which the international aid and humanitarian systems could be reformed using insurance and insurance principles.
8120714 International Monetary Relations 3 credit hours
The course gives an in-depth overview of the theory of international monetary relations. Top-ics covered will include foreign exchange markets, balance of payments accounting and the causes of trade deficits, capital mobility, government fiscal and monetary policies, exchange rate regimes, models of international macroeconomic cooperation and integration, the role of international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, and international macroe-conomic crises such as currency collapses.
Course Objectives:
The objectives of the course are to provide students with knowledge and information on ana-lysing the economic effects of exchange rates; the relationship between exchange rate policy and monetary policy of a government in different countries; statistics on the foreign currencies and gold markets; the possibilities and necessities of creation optimum currency areas; and the importance and role of international financial organizations.
8120715 Topics in Development and Political Economics 3 credit hours
This course is intended as an overview of parts of the research frontier in development eco-nomics and political economics. The course content varies from year to year depending on the teacher and his/her research background. Topics include micro development economics, both empirical and theoretical, macro development economics and the effect of economic institu-tions, as well as both theoretical and empirical political economics.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, it is expected that students will be able to develop knowledge of both empirical end theoretical methods in development and political economics; relate the concepts of development and political economics with competitiveness in organizations of public and private sector; and make use of the literature in development and political economics in re-search.
8120722 Strategic Competition 3 credit hours
The focus of this course provides an overview of theories of and perfectly and imperfectly competitive markets and teaches the students how to analyse and apply the significant (game theoretic) models of strategic interaction in imperfectly competitive markets.
Objectives: The course aims to provide students with short-run competition, including price competition and quantity competition, dynamic competition, including tacit collusion, product differentiation, advertising, entry deterrence and entry accommodation, static competition un-der asymmetric information, entry deterrence under asymmetric information, incentives for research and development under imperfect competition, mergers, including merger policy, the relationship between producers and retailers under imperfect competition, some basic game theory needed to address the above-mentioned topics.
8120723 Advanced Applied Econometrics 3 credit hours
This course focuses on microeconometric methods for estimation and inference,advanced causal inference; and the analysis of dynamic outcomes. The emphasis will be on developing a solid understanding of the underlying econometric principles of the methods taught, as well as on their empirical application using professional statistical software, such as STATA and Eviews.
Objectives:
The course aims to give knowledge of both the formal and practical aspects of important microeconometric methods. Students are expected to understand when and how to apply meth-ods and the method’s limitations. Interpretation of estimation results is considered so that stu-dents are expected to understand applied microeconometric literature and to implement the econometric analyses.
8120724 Competitive Analysis3 credit hours
This course focuses on how firms make production and sales decisions and interact strategical-ly with each other in the market. The focus of this course is to study optimal pricing policies, including versioning, bundling; and related market segmentation strategies in the first two parts of the course. Game theory to the study of oligopoly interaction, focusing on pricing and output strategies in a dynamic setting, is discussed, in addition to strategies for firm domi-nance, primarily through the deterrence of potential competition. Competitive strategies in-clude capacity expansion, product proliferation, and exclusive dealing contracts.
Objectives:
The overall objective of the course is to demonstrate the basic overview for pricing and other forms of strategic behaviour on firms, both when faced with intricate patterns of consumer demand and when faced with strategic competitors. Toward that end, real domestic, regional, and international examples are discussed in the class.
8120725 Monetary Policy 3 credit hours
The focus of this course is to provide students with an understanding of recent research in the fields of monetary policy and business fluctuations. Monetary policy can shape all economic interactions, so that the money supply, exchange rates, and reserve requirements are discussed. New methods of monetary policy to address challenges of recent experience of the Great Re-cession are also considered, in addition to the role of the central bank nowadays to include the macro-prudential regulation of financial markets.
Objectives:
The overall objective of this course is to challenge students to understand the role of empirical evidence on the effects of monetary policy; the New Keynesian model; interest rate rules; time inconsistency; the credit channel of monetary policy; welfare costs of business cycles, and future the monetary policy in Palestine, and how it is necessary for a competitive economy.
Remedial Courses Total: 0 credit hours
8120501 Microeconomics for Business Decisions0 credit hours
This course is essential for understanding how decision are made across a multitude of areas that are highly relevant to the student and the broader world. The microeconomic principles covered in this course apply to both the individual and the firm, as students are introduced to economic analysis and its applications in topics such as Consumer-Choice, Competition, Inter-national Trade and Finance, Market Forces, Market Failures, Public Policy, Poverty and Wel-fare. The course also addresses contemporary public policy issues such as pollution, resource depletion, provision of public goods and services, rental controls, minimum wages, and taxes and subsidies. It is designed for students with a varied academic background, and its low mathematics requirement allows students to be able to grasp and apply the material thorough-ly. The course develops the students’ ability to critically analyse economic events at the local, national and international scale.
Objectives:
By the end of the course, students are expected to be equipped with the tools of economics and prepared to address economic problems in their day-to-day lives, industry, politics, society, and the environment. The specific objectives are to analyse relevant microeconomic issues relating to politics, society, and global issues; apply contemporary knowledge about economic concepts and apply this knowledge within a collaborative learning environment; Employ con-ceptual and graphical techniques to support economic decisions and policy, and analyse how economics can be used to help assist managerial decision making.
8120502 Statistical Analysis 0 credit hours
This course is designed mainly to enhance sound the knowledge of students in applied statis-tics and will introduce them to conducting research papers and theses. Added to this, explaining statistical concepts and methods, the different schools of thought about statistical methodology will be delivered and discussed. Statistics plays a vital role in many aspects of science, economics, governance, development, management. The course is intended to enable our students to develop a set of statistical tools, which will enable them to be able to apply ethically and responsibly to data encountered in their future classes or on their future career.
Objectives:
The primary objective of this course is to give participants an overview of creating data files, running statistical analyses, reading, and interpreting outputs. STATA and SPSS are very user-friendly and easy to learn, due to its similarity to Microsoft Excel. Thus, this course will be sufficient to familiarise students with the STATA and SPSS for use in analysis and research. In addition to this, patterns and relationship between variables and data will be examined. Stu-dents are expected to be able to calculate needed statistics for reaching correct and sound con-clusions about research hypotheses.