January 3, 2007

A new master’s degree program at the University of Northern BritishColumbia will focus on the economic development challenges being facedby 80% of the world’s population that lives in poor or middle-incomecountries. The new Master of Arts degree in Development Economics willbe unique in western Canada and begin in September 2007.

The program will examine both the causes and consequences of economicdevelopment. In doing so, students will be exposed to information andideas related to several themes:

• The global, regional, and national contexts for economic development
• The policy lessons that can be learned from comparing the experiences of different countries and regions
• The tools that development economists need to influence the development process

“Development is both a concept and a process,” says Paul Bowles, ActingChair of the Economics program. “The components of “good” developmentremain hotly contested but there is no disagreement around the factthat development is happening and that it often has huge political,environmental, social, and economic implications. Graduates of thisprogram will have the tools to participate in massive changes andevaluate their success. With the emergence of economies such as Chinaand India, it is important for us to understand the transformationsthat are taking place there as well as globally.”

Students in the program will complete five courses and a major researchproject. Courses will cover such topics as the global economy, povertyand inequality, and macroeconomics.

The program will normally accept 6-9 students per year and it’sexpected that it will attract students from around the world. Thedeadline for applications is March 31.

Contact:
Paul Bowles, Acting Chair of the Economics program, UNBC – 250.960.6648
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622