The doctorate and master’s programs were created in 1989 and 1999, respectively. The objective of the Graduate Program in Economic Development (PPGDE, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento Econômico) is to provide a rigorous and pluralist education in Economics. The program’s mission is to contribute to the country’s development by training students in Economics teaching and research. Until 2020, 318 masters and 96 doctors have graduated from the program.
In recent years, PPGDE has grown and expanded its research and training of masters and doctors. The roles our alumni took in educational institutions, the private sector, international organizations, and government agencies reflect this expansion. The program provides students with the technical and scientific knowledge required of a professional economist, which includes a rigorous training in Quantitative Methods and Economic Theory and a broad background on Economic Development, considering both empirical and historical analyses. Students’ experiences with seminars, teaching, and research encourage them to analyze and debate socio-economic problems in three areas of concentration: Economic Development, Regional Development, and Development Policies.
This scope is directly reflected in the program’s extensive list of courses and lines of research. The core courses follow the foundations of Economics’ graduate courses in Brazil and around the world, and provide training in Micro-and Macroeconomics, Statistics, and Econometrics. Additionally, courses such as Economic Development I apply both Economic Theory and quantitative methods to a broad range of topics, namely Poverty, Inequality, Education, Health, Credit, International Trade, and the Environment.
Moreover, master students must choose at least two elective courses (32 credits), while doctoral students must choose at least three (48 credits). The elective courses promote dialogue between the various theoretical views that comprise the field of Economics, raning from advanced topics in applied economics (Macroeconometry, Microeconometry, Public Policy Evaluation, Spatial Econometrics, Computable General Equilibrium, and Input-Output Analysis) to advanced topics in economic theory (International Trade, Labor Economics, Public Sector Economics, Complexity Economics, Behavioral Economics, and Economics and Institutions) and historical analysis (Economic History and History of Economic Thought).
The program has three main areas of concentration, namely Economic Development, Regional Development, and Development Policies.
Economic Development encompasses eleven lines of research: International trade; Economic growth, institutions and technology; Growth, technology, and integration; Development and poverty; Nonlinear dynamics and chaos; Behavioral economics; Economics and institutions; Ecological economy and the environment; History of economic thought; Economic history; and Methodology of the economy.
Regional Development includes two lines of research: Regional and Urban Economics; and Industrial Organization and Technology Economics.
Finally, Development Policies includes three lines of research: Economic development and public policies; Labor economics and demography; and Political economics.
