Twentieth Summer School in International and Development Economics

LEAP thanks all participants in the Twentieth Summer School in International and Development Economics, organized by LEAP together with Centro Studi Luca d’Agliano, Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), DEMM - University of Milan, DEMS - University of Milan Bicocca, Cattolica University, Vilfredo Pareto Doctoral Program in Economics of the University of Turin.

In the beautiful scenery provided by Castello di Gargonza, in Tuscany, students from all around the world had the opportunity to attend the extremely interesting course of 10 lectures, held by Prof. Cynthia Kinnan (Tufts) and by Prof. Mushfiq Mobarak (Yale). The course explored the problem of under-investment in developing countries, discussing the latest works on physical and human capital misallocation, and how to assess the efficacy of policies aimed at correcting it.

Professor Kinnan’s lectures sparked the audience's interest in the role of networks and social ties in investment and insurance decisions and described her research on microcredit and on access to finance and investment for the rural poor. Professor Mobarak focussed on human capital misallocation, analysing how investment in education depends on perceived returns, and how these are deeply interlinked with migration decisions. The professors highlighted the gaps in the current literature and discussed how to build a promising research agenda.

Students came from the best universities in Italy, Sweden, USA, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland, and from international organizations to attend the inspiring lectures, present their own work and receive feedback, spend time with professors and their peers to discuss research. Enjoying the beautiful castle, the nature surrounding it and the Tuscan food and drinks was a pleasant side effect!