Niharika Singh

This course is available on the MSc in Anthropology and Development, MSc in Development Management (Applied Development Economics), MSc in Development Management (Applied Development Economics) (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in Development Management (Political Economy), MSc in Development Management (Political Economy) (LSE and Sciences Po), MSc in Development Studies, MSc in Economic Policy for International Development, MSc in Environmental Economics and Climate Change, MSc in Environmental Policy, Technology and Health (Environmental Economics and Climate Change) (LSE and Peking University), MSc in Health and International Development, MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies, MSc in Political Economy of Late Development and MSc in Political Science (Political Science and Political Economy). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

First priority will be given to students on MSc Economic Policy for International Development and MSc Development Management (ADE), Second priority for those students on MSc Development Studies and MSc Health and International Development opting for the ADE specialism. Third priority other ID programmes. Then programmes where regulations permit.

Deadline for application: You should make your request to take ID courses by 12 noon Friday 25 September 2026.

You will be informed of the outcome by 12 noon Monday 38 September 2026.

For queries contact: intdev.enquiries@lse.ac.uk

MSc Development Management  (ADE) stream, in addition to students on the MSc Development Studies/MSc Health and International Development considering the ADE specialism, will need to attend the Applied Development Economics session on Monday 21 September 2026.

Students will be allocated places to courses with priority to ID and joint-degree students.  If there are more ID and joint-degree students than the course can accommodate, these spots will be allocated randomly. 
Non-ID/Joint Degree students will be allocated to spare places by random selection with the preference given first to those degrees where the regulations permit this option.

Foundations of Applied Econometrics for Economic Development Policy (DV494)

For students without strong skills in economics and statistics DV494 constitutes the foundational prerequisite for DV491 in the Winter term.

This course examines the micro-economic foundations of economic policy-making in developing countries. Classes will combine economic theory and rigorous empirical analysis to better understand the impact of economic development policy on development goals. We will focus on specific examples chosen from development cases worldwide to learn which policies have worked, which ones have not, and how a rigorous analysis of these experiences can inform the design of better economic development policies in the future.

The course is structured around three main themes:
(i) Human Development: health policy, education policy

(ii) Institutions and Markets: state capacity.

13.5 hours of seminars and 15 hours of lectures in the Winter Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

Cohen, J. and Dupas, P. (2010). Free Distribution or Cost-sharing? Evidence from a Randomized Malaria Prevention Program. Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Das, J., Holla, A., Mohpal, A., & Muralidharan, K. (2016). Quality and accountability in health care delivery: Audit-study evidence from primary care in India. American Economic Review.

Muralidharan, K., & Sundararaman, V. (2011). Teacher Performance Pay: Experimental Evidence from India. Journal of Political Economy.
Jensen, R. (2010). The (Perceived) Returns to Education and the Demand for Schooling. Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Andrabi, T., Das, J., & Khwaja, A. I. (2017). Report cards: The impact of providing school and child test scores on educational markets. American Economic Review.

Ferraz, C., & Finan, F. (2008). Electoral Accountability and Corruption: Evidence from the Audits of Local Governments. Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Dal Bó, E., Finan, F., & Rossi, M. A. (2013). Strengthening state capabilities: The role of financial incentives in the call to public service. Quarterly Journal of Economics.

Muralidharan, K., Niehaus, P., & Sukhtankar, S. (2023). General equilibrium effects of (improving) public employment programs: Experimental evidence from India. Econometrica.
Carranza, E., Garlick, R., Orkin, K., & Rankin, N. (2022). Job search and hiring with limited information about workseekers’ skills. American Economic Review.

Bryan, G., Chowdhury, S., & Mobarak, A. M. (2014). Under-Investment in a Profitable Technology: The Case of Seasonal Migration in Bangladesh. Econometrica.
Mobarak, A. M., Sharif, I., & Shrestha, M. (2023). Returns to international migration: Evidence from a Bangladesh-Malaysia visa lottery. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.

Karlan, D., & Zinman, J. (2009). Observing unobservables: Identifying information asymmetries with a consumer credit field experiment. Econometrica.
Jack, W., & Suri, T. (2014). Risk Sharing and Transaction Costs: Evidence from Kenya’s Mobile Money Revolution. American Economic Review.

Ashraf, N., Field, E., & Lee, J. (2014). Household Bargaining and Excess Fertility: An Experimental Study in Zambia. American Economic Review.
Field, E., Pande, R., Rigol, N., Schaner, S., & Troyer Moore, C. (2021). On her own account: How strengthening women’s financial control impacts labor supply and gender norms. American Economic Review.

Beaman, L., Keleher, N., & Magruder, J. (2018). Do job networks disadvantage women? Evidence from a recruitment experiment in Malawi. Journal of Labor Economics.
Squires, M. (2024). Kinship taxation as an impediment to growth: Experimental evidence from Kenyan microenterprises. The Economic Journal.

Mani, A., Mullainathan, S., Shafir, E., & Zhao, J. (2013). Poverty impedes cognitive function. Science.
Kaur, S., Kremer, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2015). Self-control at work. Journal of Political Economy.

Exam (70%), duration: 120 Minutes in the Spring exam period.

Problem sets (30%).